For a bit of time, I was wondering what I should write about for my minimal once-per-month May post. The video chat I had with friends this Friday evening gave me the idea of what I should do: I should describe, with some almost-photojournalistic accuracy, the day I had the very day before lockdown measures were first implemented in my region. As you will agree, this was a pretty non-descript day overall, but at the same time it kinda shows just how much we take for granted.
My usual haunt on Rideau Street still had their special Valentine brew on tap… which is as good, as it is the closest substitute to the excellent Clocktower Brown that had been recently discontinued.
Equipped with my a7 III, a couple of prime lenses (including the 100L adapted through the MC-11), and a travel tripod plus a few filters, I set out and crossed the bridge from Quebec to Ontario, as I do so often, without a thought as to whether I would be questioned by police officers regarding the necessity of my trip. The trip was not necessary at all, I just felt like doing a first photo walk with a definitely luxury camera I had bought for myself at Christmas and was dying to finally put through some of its paces. (I had had a photoshoot and done some birding with it already, but this did not feel like enough of a ‘test’. at least not relative to how much I had spent on the new gear.)
My first stop was the Clocktower Brew Pub on Rideau Street, where I had a pint and some munchies (I had mostly skipped lunch) before I really set out on a longer walk. I was even hoping to find spots to attempt longer exposures. When I left the pub, which was nearly empty (not entirely unusual for the time and day), I forgot my travel tripod on the chair. I noticed almost right away and went back to get it - while walking back, I decided that it was a bit too windy to really use it today anyway.
Pedestrian in front of a shop on Rideau Street.
I cannot remember specifically if I took the photo before or after I retrieved my tripod, but for some reason I was inspired to take a photo of the small mini-neighborhood nestled in between Rideau Centre, the Market and the University of Ottawa campus, because I found the light ‘interesting’. Maybe not so much after all. Perhaps it was because it felt even emptier than usual? That might make more sense. To be honest, though, this being Ottawa, at this point I was not sure at all and I might never know.
The more I proceeded towards the more regular neighborhoods and specifically Bank Street, the idea of that nearly empty part of the city left my mind: the place was packed. It was one of the first sunny days of the early Spring, it was comfortably hot outside for this time in March, and people were out and about: navigating the sidewalk was almost challenging there were so many people out and about. Signs that we were in a pandemic were few and far between, actually they were nearly absent, very much the exception.
Wilf and Ada’s, a place I’d never been to, had already closed even before the state of emergency and its mandatory closures. I’m not saying that this is the only place that did something like that in Ottawa, but it is certainly the only I’ve seen either downtown or elsewhere.
Note to self: This will be the first restaurant I visit once everything reopens.
Otherwise, I was slowly rediscovering parts of the city that I had not been to for so long, the new murals, and just photographing stuff to my heart’s content, making plans to rent an ultra-wide zoom to really try that out. From Rideau Centre, I walked to Bank Street, then went all the way down to Lansdowne Park.
A mural in the Glebe.
The front of the main exhibition building of Lansdowne Park was deserted, but the rest of the place was actually bustling.
And then from Lansdowne Park I made my way back towards Rideau Centre by walking north along the Rideau Canal.
I had actually seen the first one of the pair back at Lansdowne Park, which by then was already far.
One of the ‘purposes’, if it really could be said to have one, was to scout out potentially places to do portrait photoshoots with models. I found a couple of places that I think could be suitable, if I only used a bit of a wider angle and a flash.
At this rate, though, I am not sure at all when it is that I could possibly be trying out those locations. Even if I were to be the kind of person to take that risk (I’m not) and finding someone else who would also do a photoshoot in those conditions, there is no way that physical distancing would be possible in those places, not without completely changing the background.
Once past that place, I made it more or less directly to Rideau Centre. I remember having been somewhat hungry (by that point I had already walked well over 10 km, for a total of approx. thirteen that day), but I cannot remember if I stopped at Rideau Centre for a snack, or cannot even really remember if I walked back all the way home or took the bus. Not that I should be able to remember details that felt so trivial back then.
When is the future when something like that will be possible again? I do not know, and I’d almost rather not speculate.