Avoiding the Truth

Abstract Conceptual Socio Political Current Affairs Art Photography. The title of this image ( taken whilst I was trying to avoid an Anti Lockdown protest march...
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Abstract Conceptual Socio Political Current Affairs Art Photography. The title of this image ( taken whilst I was trying to avoid an Anti Lockdown protest march as I tried to get back to my carer and car) was inspired by the experience and the health implications it would have meant for me personally if I contracted Covid from being caught in a crowd of maskless activists , back in Summer 2020 in London , UK. I ironically called this , ' Avoiding the Truth ' , based upon the poster which stands clearly above the deliberately chaotic panning composition , because everybody involved in the protest , and the Worldwide Covid debate , on both sides of the argument , seemed to be avoiding the truth of the situation in order to further then own interests and desires. Except for those dealing with the hard reality , people like me , the chronically ill , and vulnerably in need , basically the people that needed to avoid everyone else. On the one side , some of the genuine protestors , had a valid point . The global governments were letting many types of vulnerable people down , including those with illnesses like myself ,or cancers needing treatment , and those suffering from domestic abuse , by not putting emergency systems in place to keep helping them. On the other hand , the majority of people in the crowd were avoiding the unpalatable truth that they were putting the lives of many of those people they were allegedly protesting for by choosing to protest out in the streets in an irresponsible way , and choosing not to take the simple precautions of wearing a mask and socially distancing they were potentially creating public situations that would cause the length of time in lockdown to be extended by a spike in cases brought on by their behaviour. These simple measures ,in comparison to having to fight a World War , or live in total isolation unable to come out of your house because of the threat of Covid upon the lives of the most vulnerable , made worse by people's self orientated behaviour and unwillingness to help out . The man with the poster is looking down in this shot selected from the set of continuous shooting images that were taken using my vintage Olympus OM2SP at Max Grain for a gritty editorial saturation effect. He was looking down because he had caught me in his eyeline ,trying to avoid the real truth in front of him , a woman stood in full protective gear , having to wear a oxygen mask instead of a tiny piece of PPE , because walking involuntarily from the hospital to our parked car through crowds of unprotected , deliberately bustling members of humanity , even for a few moments , genuinely posed the risk of me getting ill in a way that would end my life. As a long time activist , I am completely behind philosophy of maintaining your freedom and your rights .I spent many years fighting for the right to protest , but there are times when enforcing the right to protest and your personal freedoms need to be tempered with care for others , especially those you meant to be fighting for , and the Covid Pandemic was definitely one of these times. I took my camera out as an antidote to my sensible fears and anger at the situation I was forced to be in . If I had not had something to distract my mind and reduce my symptoms , I would have been stuck in the position of being taken back to the hospital as an inpatient instead of for a regular appointment . For , as I watched the crowds go by , taunting and running at the pedestrians who tried to pass them , I could see the truth that most of those protestors were avoiding about themselves. The reason they took part that day had very little to do with the real issues , or the public freedom , and more to do with their wish to put their own individual desire to get back out of the house and do what they felt like over the health or wellbeing of others. They'd missed protesting and were taking any chance to do it , using whatever off topic banner they had at hand , and were using the anti lockdown argument as a way to do what they wanted no matter the cost. Avoiding the Truth , they were willing to use whatever rhetoric on hand in order to excuse their selfish choices or make sure their needs and opinions came first .Just the type of thing that tarnishes real activism and gives genuine social issue campaignners a feeling of shame. The image once developed I finally chose to post process with a personal creative style I am working to refine , by rephotographing the original image digitally rather than scanning it at high ISO to further increase the retro colourisation and contrast rather than changing with a lab app or package. Action photography.

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