Sam Ferris, Strange Days/ Strange Daze (DOCO 2021)

The decision for me to photograph daily and desperately during what would soon be recognised as a global pandemic was a surprisingly easy one to make. Despite the government closing shop, the streets left vacant, venues locked and businesses bunkering down with their employees instructed to work from home, schools remained open in NSW and - being a full-time high school teacher - my routine was frighteningly unaffected. During my commute to and from school I would have my camera ready and I’d walk the streets for a few hours each evening, trying to pace away some of the stress from a day spent anxiously following the ever-changing guidelines and trying to remain safe.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.