Self-Isolating in the Great Outdoors By Josh Evans
West Australians were self-isolating before it was cool, and before it became the most effective way to flatten the curve. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, staying home is now the most important thing we can do so that we can get back to self-isolating in the great outdoors as soon as possible.
For the time being, I’ve grabbed a handful of photos from my archives to remind us of what is waiting on the other side of this global event. I’ve captured these photos on various 35mm film stocks (mostly Kodak Gold 200) over the last twelve months in the state where I grew up, West Oz. I’ve recently been shooting with a decent eBay find, a Canon EOS 55 from the mid-’90s. I bought both the Canon 40mm f/2.8 pancake and 70-200mm f/4 second-hand to mount and neither have disappointed. I also shot a few of these photos on my girlfriend’s Canon AE1 with a 50mm f/1.4 or 70-150mm f3.5-5.6. Both of these are manual focus lenses, which encourages me to stop and compose the photo I’m about to take. Sometimes I would miss the moment I wanted to capture but more often than not I would end up just appreciating what was in front of me through the viewfinder of a camera that was nearly half a century old.
This photo collection explores self-isolation up and down the coast in WA, the way I prefer to do it. Road trips, good mates, sing-a-longs, roof racks stacked with boards, beach shacks, empty waves, only our footprints in the sand, sunrise surfs, hot coffee, fresh bread, sailboats, sunset bike rides, bird songs, country roads, offshore winds, warm morning sun, late afternoon glass offs, and all the rest. Please remember to stay home, stay healthy and check in with loved ones. Enjoy the photos.
