Genevans keep one step ahead of COVID-19 - Michael Merne

This is a body of work by the fine art street photographer, Michael Merne who decided to photograph the city of Geneva during the Covid-19. Merne hopes that one day we will look at his work and be able to say that that is how it was. First thing I found interesting about this work is that there are not only images of people in the street with a mask, but he also has some overall shots of empty shops and streets. I quite enjoyed the image of the man by the beach, he was all alone and it could be the only place where he finds comforting. Another nice image is the one with the mannequin wearing a mask that shows that the situation is changing a lot of things, one of them being fashion. In the photo story there are a lot of great images which speaks the truth, but there are 2 images were people are not wearing masks. One of them is a portrait of a man in the streets and as a standalone image, there is no evidence of a pandemic, but along with the rest of the work, it shows a different type of person during a pandemic which is someone who does not bother to wear a mask. The other image is a self-portrait of the photographer and I am not sure if the image was simply put in the article to show who the photographer is, or if it is included in the photo story. 

Michael Merne has said that he decided to switch to black and white to capture the soul of the people he met along the way. I found this interesting because it feels as if everyone looks like they are going on with their usual routine, but they might be feeling scared that they are going outside or worried about the people they will encounter. Personally, I often think about what might happen when I go out, especially when I meet people, and Merne has managed to capture the feeling, especially with the woman who seems like she is rushing. This photo essay does not seem to have a clincher because what is being portrayed is not over yet and it seems like it is a long way from over. I think the best thing this photo story can finish with is a to be continued and if the self-portrait is considered the last image, it says that this is not over yet and we will see the photographer again with a new body of work. 

(Merne, 2020)

(Merne, 2020)

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(Merne, 2020)


Information and images from:

Merne, M., 2020. Michael Merne Photo Essay: Genevans keep one step ahead of COVID-19 | Global Geneva. [online] Global-geneva.com. Available at: <https://www.global-geneva.com/michael-merne-photo-essay-genevans-keep-one-step-ahead-of-covid-19/> [Accessed 26 February 2021].

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