Viral Images: Photographers Document Covid-19
These COVID-19 photos, taken by professional photographers around the world, document the strangeness of life during the coronavirus quarantine.
Learn | By Tania Braukamper | Last Updated: February 21, 2023
Look around you. Regardless of where you are in the world, things have probably changed a lot in a short space of time.
We stand in a physically distanced queue outside the supermarket. The silent streets feel like the set of a post-apocalyptic film.
We miss hugging our friends. We spend way too much time in our pyjamas.
This is life in lockdown. Behind it, one tiny virus – invisible to the naked eye.
With so much strangeness and uncertainty happening around the world right now, we think it’s important to keep taking photos, keep creating, and keep sharing a little bit of our experience with each other.
Because sharing promotes understanding. And documenting historical moments allows us to look back as a way to move forward.
That’s why we asked professional photographers around the world to contribute their photos of life during the Coronavirus, COVID-19.
Here’s what they shared.
Leah Phillips | Lonely Coney Island | Brooklyn, USA
Mark Forbes | Beautiful Solitude | Unknown
Ivan Joshua Loh | Supermarket | Singapore
When Singapore raised the COVID status up a notch, everyone went into panic mode. Every supermarket was swept clean.
Ivan Joshua Loh | Migrant workers all mask up as they continue with their daily work | Singapore
Markus Anderson | Desolate Carpark | West Sydney, Australia
Julian Kanz | Supermarket | Italy
Markus Hofstaetter | Wet Collodion print | Austria
James Day | Social distancing during the wedding reception | Sydney University, Australia
Eduardo Teixeira de Sousa | Street Walk | Lisbon, Portugal
Bill Hatcher | Uluru National Park | Uluru, Australia
The Park began free admission 17 March to attract tourist to this remote location. A week later Indigenous elders and park officials decided to close the park to protect local communities from COVID-19.
Sean Flanigan | A usually lively bar boarded up and closed for business | Tacoma, USA
Melissa Rey | Wedding | California, USA
The couple getting married with their officiant standing the required 6 ft away from them. Their quarantined neighbours decided to come watch too! Also pictured is In-N-Out by their feet as their reception dinner..
Viktoria Haack | Husband’s 14-day basement isolation post overseas travel | British Columbia, Canada
Paul Jarrett | Queues at the supermarket on Lockdown Day 4 | Cheshire, United Kingdom
Nathan Brayshaw | Theme Park | Dehli, India
For there to be no one anywhere in India is a strange sight, but all the more so at a normally crowded theme park.
Nathan Brayshaw | The historic Red Fort. Closed by the Prime Minister in order to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 | India
Filipe Amorim | A worker disinfects a train | Lisbon, Portugal
Filipe Amorim | Priest | Bombarral, Portugal
Father Pedro Tavares celebrates Mass every day with the Church empty in the Parish of Roliça in Bombarral, Portugal.
Andy Withey | Customers queue for fish and chips while adhering to social distancing measures in Yorkshire | Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Melissa Haugen | Target | Northern California
Keith Moss | Whitby, United Kingdom
Whitby is normally packed with people all year round. It offers some of the best fish and chip shops in the country – most have won national awards. Now all shut.
Facundo Santana | Andorra
Michael Freas | Key West | Florida Keys, USA
Michael Freas | Key West | Florida Keys, USA
Ryan Lahiff | CVS Chemist | New York, USA
Ryan Lahiff | Times Square restaurant | New York, USA
Ryan Lahiff | New York, USA
The Charging Bull statue on Broadway in the financial district is usually swarming with tourists. the day I shot it I was the only person on the street. The face mask was added in Photoshop…
Ryan Lahiff | Field hospital tent in Central Park to help with overflow patients from nearby Mt Sinai Hospital | New York, USA
Ryan Lahiff | SoHo district’s high end fashion stores board their windows up for fear of looting | New York, USA
Lilla Szanto | Budapest, Hungary
Márcio Cabral | Brasilia, Brazil
Dallas & Sabrina | Typical huge lineups from grocery stores | Barcelona, Spain
Matte Hanna | Highway 101 | Oregon USA
Greg Carrick | Flinders Street Station | Melbourne, Australia
Greg Carrick | Laneway | Melbourne, Australia
Nikhol Esteras | Oaxaca, Mexico
Mother attaches QuedateEnCasa (Stay Home) signs on her car as her daughter looks on from her car seat, then drives around city blasting “La Cumbia Del Coronavirus” by Mister Cumbia, a local PSA of sorts.
Sara Lacuesta | London, United Kingdom
A woman looks in dismay how shelves are emptying of all essential medicines and cleaning products. Selfish panic buying has being widely spread worldwide and London is no exception.
Rafa Lomba | The virus of fear | Braga, Portugal
Tsvetelina – Deliysky Studios | All the kids’ playgrounds are closed | Sofia, Bulgaria
Ole Marius Joergensen | Meanwhile in the waiting room | Asker, Norway
Don Springer | Philadelphia, USA
Anita Gryz | Portrait in Quarantine | Münster, Germany
Leave us a comment below with how you’re keeping positive during these challenging times.
Stay strong!
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