Category: Uncategorized

Visiting Astoria, whether it’s to get a couple of frappes and some pastries at a cafe, ordering  souvlaki platters at restaurants, to going to the clubs on the weekends has always been a part of my big Greek family.

It’s a place where Greeks from all over get together and enjoy traditional Greek music and food. When walking down Steinway Street past many of the restaurants- the music and the conversation- it’s almost like I’m being transported back to my family’s hometown, Ptolemaida.

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, businesses and restaurants all over the country are struggling to stay open. Astoria being in Queens, one of the hardest hit areas, is especially struggling. Many restaurants, clubs, and cafes were forced to permanently shut their doors.

Restaurants that have been able to stay afloat are working very diligently to accommodate the current social environment. Where you would normally see cars parked in the street, you will now see makeshift tables and booths that restaurants have built so people can still enjoy eating out. Some have added huge plants and decorations that cover the less than appealing NYC background.

Today Astoria is a changed neighborhood. Everyone is wearing a mask and keeping their distance. You can still hear Greek music playing, but you will not see anyone dancing to it.

 

 

 

As an essential worker, I would like to capture what a work day looks like. I would like to show the regulations that have to be followed in the building, and how often they are actually acknowledged by workers/customers. I would also like to capture my morning commute, as the streets/parking lots are now mostly empty compared to how busy they were pre-pandemic.

My plan is to capture how different members of our city and local businesses are adapting or have adapted their lifestyle  during covid-19.

– how an essential workers adapted during the pandemic

– how newly returning workers And their tactics for remaining safe

– how a business such as a dealership functioning on the inside

– how public parks are maintaining social distance.

my goal is to capture the new norm and bringing together what the future may hold for us.

 

 

My photo essay pitch is a character-driven human interest story.  I would like to tell a story using images the new norm for students learning at home.  I am thinking of creating a kind of a photo journal essay of my 11-year old nephew, Jake, who is super active and super social, but due to the circumstances of the pandemic, his life has changed completely.  Although I cannot access many students at this time, I feel capturing a very normal middle-school student and how his life has changed upside down would be reflective of other children his age.  Some of the moments I would like to capture are: Zooming in for classes on a makeshift desk set up on the deck (for summer classes and other activities that would normally be done in person), his mom cutting his hair in the bathroom, Jake playing basketball by himself (whereas before he used to play with the other children in the neighborhood), fishing by himself at a lake in the neighborhood, baking in the kitchen with his mom (new hobby), he and his father sitting side-by-side watching TV together on a weekday afternoon (one of the silver linings to this pandemic being family time), etc.  I’ll try to make it interesting by taking some regular shots, wide-angle shots and some close-ups for personal shots.

1. People not wearing masks in public

-grocery stores, asking to talk to cashiers about how comfortable they feel working when people act in this way, asking customers why they don’t want to wear a mask/wear it properly.

2. Obnoxious Trump Supporters in my Neighborhood

-Giant Trump posters, burning wood pallets every week which smells up the whole neighborhood, always having people over not wearing masks. I want to ask them why they love trump, what values of his do they feel is important, and what is their stance on masks.

I might want to tie these two topics together in a “Trumps America” type story.

3. The New Normal

-Someone close to me has multiple orthodontist practices. I wanted to report on what their new protocols are, ask how business is doing, and how are clients responding to the way things are now.

In this photo journal assignment, I would like to focus on how are NYC restaurants going adapt with the new norm.

How are restaurants managing to maintain the most used areas or surfaces disinfected?

How safe is it for people to dine in?

Are all restaurants following the 6 feet distance guidelines?

How does the staff feel to be back? Are they happy to be back? Unhappy?

Are restaurants posting signs and messages to remind people to follow the guidelines and stop the spread?

 

New York city phase 2 of the reopening allowed restaurants to move onto outdoor dining, many have relied on sidewalk space to accommodate customers and keep them at a safe distance. Customer accommodation and usage of space by a restaurant will be the focus of the photo essay, several of my neighborhood restaurants are using creative methods to attract customers such as placing outdoor decorations. Some of the visuals I anticipate are how workers are behaving around customers and if customers are following the social distancing rules as they socialize.

The ongoing pandemic has caused many local businesses to permanently close down so a story on a restaurant trying to stay in business is not only relevant but interesting as they improvise.

For my photojournalism assignment I want to look at how the coronavirus outbreak has affected social activities, despite reopening efforts. I feel like this topic is prevalent since we’re in the midst of this pandemic, and everyone in the world has been affected one way or another. Since I’m from Elmhurst, Queens, a place that was a hotbed for the virus just months earlier, I thought it would be interesting to see how those in the area have adjusted since the lockdown. I know with the gyms closing down and have yet to re-open, many fitness enthusiasts are finding adjustment in order to stay in shape. Sports like basketball and soccer have also taken a hit since most recreation centers are closed, and outdoor fields and basketball courts have been made less accessible (goal posts, taken down).

The visuals I’m anticipating include soccer fields with the goal posts taken down, people playing basketball in masks, closed gyms recreation centers, as well as people social distancing. I’m hoping that these visuals will emphasize how despite re-opening efforts, we are still very much affected by this pandemic and it may be a while until normal life resumes.

My idea is to see how Covid-19 affected public sports. I had an idea of going park to park to see what sport is being played and how it is being played. Are people avoiding contact?  How has Covid-19 effecting public sports in New York City