Breaking News: Pandemic Life in Suburban New Jersey
By Jay Seldin | December 5, 2020
By late March early April 2020, I came to realize that everyday life in suburbia had changed. The streets were empty. Local stores were closing one after another. The virus was spreading into my community. People were wearing masks and latex gloves. Friends and relatives were afraid to meet up. Dinner plans were being cancelled. Vacations looked like only a remembrance. Restaurants only had take-out. The news was terrible. People were starting to be hospitalized. People were dying! The future looked bleak.
So what did I do? I’m a photographer. I masked myself, put on gloves, and went out to photograph what I saw in suburbia during this pandemic. Here’s a sample of what I found.
“Family Curbside Outing.” May 24, 2020
“Bow Tie Clairidge Cinemas Temporarily Closed,”April 14, 2020
“Barista, Paper Plane Coffee,” April 24, 2020
“Breath: Street Art,” April 17, 2020
“Please Keep Social Distance,” May 1, 2020
“Breaking News,” April 7 ,2020
“Looking to the Heavens for Help,” May 13, 2020
Copyright ©2020 Jay Seldin
Jay Seldin is a New Jersey based photojournalist, travel photographer, adventurer, and world citizen. He has worked in the photo industry for 40 years, starting with film and then embracing digital in the mid 1990’s. He has also worked as an educator, photo travel workshop leader and is the principle digital printmaker at CPE Workshops LLC. His black and white photos are engaging and create visual narratives that tell stories about the people and places he has traveled to. Seldin’s work has been included in numerous corporate art collections, and he has been exhibited nationally and international. His most recent black and white photo book, The Cubans, is a series of multi-layered photographs of Cuba that give an intimate view of everyday life on the island.