Infrared Photography – We miss our students

It was easier to be a student when I went to school. There we no active shooter drills, no pandemic closings, no “zoom” lessons. There was bullying of course, but it couldn’t be launched and weaponized with technology. I thought of this today as I reviewed some photos taken three years ago on May 5,2020. At that time the “remote learning” experiment was underway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students missed out on a few years of quality education. I hope they can recover.

My photo project

Because the schools were closed, I knew I could take some photos on the school grounds without disturbing anyone. I wanted to photograph the building with a camera converted to take infrared photos which I knew would convey a feeling of isolation. At that point in the pandemic we all felt a lack of social contact, so I was attempting to capture that mood in photos. Infrared photography adds a certain surreal appearance to ordinary scenes.

Highbridge Elementary School

One effect of shooting in infrared is that clouds are accentuated against a darker sky, Also foliage reflects infrared light and appears white.

The empty chairs added to this photo, so I decided to feature them in single shot.

There is a different quality to the light with this type of photography.

I wonder how many students, teachers and visitors notice this weathervane.

Back to normal?

I suppose we are somewhat back to a pre-pandemic time but the virus is still with us. I noticed that the masking requirement has been dropped at the hospital. I’m still wary of large groups and intended to keep up to date with the immunizations. Be safe like these telescopes.