Photography From That Year Is A Beautiful Memory
More accurately it is beautiful because it IS a memory. Lucky for some of us there was more work to do because of COVID19 and the time flew by. Lucky for some of us we are still here.
I am sickened by the deaths of so many, to this odd ‘manufactured’ virus. However, the pharmacological attempts to ‘cure’ the thing sickens me even more.
We lost too many young people. The systems that protected them were shut down. Then, forces eventually preyed on them until death. It was more than one. And that was too many.
The roads around here were deserted. We could lay in the street for a nap. Unheard of. Hurricane IRMA’s aftermath not withstanding, the only other times I’ve heard that are from early families who settled here. This was before water mains were laid and roads became good enough. Our world was so happily peaceful. I loved every silent walk. The presence of a ‘return’ of wildlife all over the place—fish, rabbits, birds, crocodiles—was sincerely a blessing.
Meanwhile, there was a silent but deadly frenzy going in Florida Keys real estate. Who wants to own a rental property in the Keys when there is no one coming to rent it? Believe me, there was a massive dump of properties here. Meaning us professional real estate photographers and videographers were suddenly very, very busy.
Conversely, who was watching, wisely, as that unfolded? They, whoever they are, were snapping up all the properties. Cash in hands…lining up to reap the benefits…because they knew the real estate market would become lucrative as hell again. They understood the economy would take time to resolve itself.
However, because of that awful virus, people couldn’t travel out of the country. So, guess where vacationing would be happening en masse? Yep. The Fabulous Florida Keys. The year following the end of ‘idiotic restrictions’ was a bumper travel year within the USA.
Those clever and lucky gamblers would be holding the notes of the cream of the crop. Once normalcy, or at least in person communication returned, I was booked solid, photographing the same properties again. This time, they were vacation rentals. Some were simply flipped. But mostly people held on to them and turned them into investments.
NOT A WEDDING IN 6 FEET..? MY LENS IS CAPABLE OF SHOOTING A SHARP EYE BALL IN CLEAR CRISP DETAIL AT ABOUT 15 FEET. SO WHY CAN’T WE BOOK WEDDINGS?
What we weren’t doing was shooting weddings and elopements that had been booked. And cancelled. I remember a local twitchy photographer pontificating upon high. They talked about how anyone shooting photo sessions was being irresponsible. In their view, such people should be hung, drawn, and quartered, or words to that effect but less eloquent. Well we solved the problem. We booked a few family shoots and portraits and no one got close – that is the official line.
Drone content was a HOT commodity. So, did this girl get out and drone? Oh yeah – indeed she did. Some of the best shots were of the empty high school mid school year. And the biggest, first homecoming parade since COVID, was a bigger hit than ever.
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