Of the three photo essays, my favorite was “Sun in My Eyes”: Pittsburgh’s Pandemic Landscapes. The way the author described how the photos depict people even when no physical people are in them resonated with me. I could imagine where someone may have lived and the struggles they must have faced through the author’s photos. There was a clear intention behind the photos. The photographer didn’t take them to document pretty landscapes or architecture. At the same time, there was an eerie sense of peace through the photos. Some places looked like they had been taken over by nature, like the photograph with the pickup truck. I think two photos that speak to me and connect with each other are the two photos that focus on sticks in the ground. These sticks, pointing toward the sky, seem to represent where there was once vibrant life. Now, both of the areas are filled with twigs and dead plants.
I may also connect to the location of this photo essay. I never lived in Pittsburgh but went a few times throughout my childhood in Pennsylvania. One of my best friends, Grace, is from Pittsburgh, and I have taken multiple Google Maps tours of her favorite places and seen the houses she lived in. Maybe, in a way, these photographs feel familiar, even though they are not from a place I have ever called home.
Comments