Through the Lens: Homebound with Eamon Queeney

Local photographer Eamon Queeney documents and embraces moments of light and simplicity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Words and photography by Eamon Queeney

Stillness, discomfort and a pervasive air of malaise was April during an unprecedented pandemic sweeping across the country. Fear was a constant for many, uncertainty at best for the rest. And yet, here I’ve been hour upon hour – more time than any recent memory – with the love of my life, Jaelyn and our furry companion, Sullivan, in tow. Happy and calm in a time of worry.

It’s an odd sort of irony to find a little peace in a dangerous era. I’m not sure what it says about our society when it takes lockdowns to force us to slow down and find lost or ignored pieces of ourselves again. The parks and greenways are constantly full. Books are being read. Flour is sold out as baking becomes a national pastime. The air is cleaner and Venus twinkles in the Spring sky brighter than ever. And still – hanging over it all – jobs are being erased, people are dying by the thousand.

So, when my friends at WALTER asked me to document my time at home, I did so with all these feelings floating through me. I kept coming back to the quiet contemplation of everyday life, small scenes of the ones I hold dear and a constant, child-like hunt for light as it bounced around me. Hopefully, you get a sense of how complicatedly simple life has been. Follow the light around.