Photographs can capture the world around you and help tell the story of your experiences. For some people it may even be the best way for them to express themselves. A photo journal would be an excellent way to document your life during the pandemic, showing how things have changed for you, how you have been able to meet everyday challenges, or what you do as you go through the day.
Photo journals can be physical or digital. To help keep the record of your photographs in either format, try to label each one with the date it was taken, the location, who or what is in the photograph, and other pertinent information. Looking back at your journal years from now, that kind of information will be extremely valuable.
Some ideas to help get you started photo journaling:
The images below were taken by various New York State Library staff members throughout the pandemic.
The parking lot at the Regal movie theater in Clifton Park, NY, is completely empty on a Saturday afternoon.
Lines for drive-through banking wrap around the SEFCU building in Clifton Park, NY.
Albany's annual Tulip Festival was without crowds of spectators due to a ban on large public gatherings to help stop the spread of the virus.
Many people began sewing fabric masks, for themselves and others in their families and communities.
Instructions for DIY masks on the counter of a store.
Poster in front of Albany Medical Center honoring all healthcare workers.
Sign taped to a door to thank the mail carrier.
Thank you notes to local businesses who donated masks to grocery workers.
A big thank you poster for essential workers and Governor Cuomo in the empty lobby of the New York State Museum.
The 518 Rainbow Hunt started as a Facebook group in mid-March of 2020, as families in the Capital District region of New York started working and learning from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The "518" comes from the local area code. It was originally conceived as a fun way to get out-of-school kids outdoors by participating in a neighborhood scavenger hunt for hand-made rainbow images that members of the Facebook group were posting online, using the hashtag #518rainbowhunt. It quickly spread to other social media platforms and inspired people around the world to participate in the scavenger hunt within their own communities.
Rainbow hunt banner on a house, Albany, NY.
Rainbow "glasses" in the window of Sheehy Opticians, Albany, NY.
Rainbow in the windows of the Hilton Garden Inn, Albany, NY.
Rainbows on the walkway and stairs of the Albany Art Room.
Rainbow drawn on the ground to help with social distancing at the Tastee-Freeze in Delmar, NY.
Rainbow behind the counter at a Price Chopper deli in Latham, NY.
A rainbow ribbon weaved through the fence outside the Swan Street Building on Madison Avenue.
With no large gatherings allowed, Easter was celebrated a little differently this year.
The Cobleskill United Methodist Church sponsored a new twist on the traditional Easter egg hunt - the Cobleskill Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.
Over 80 houses and business throughout the village of Cobleskill put homemade eggs up in front of their houses and families wandered the village looking for the eggs.
Instructions on the door of the Price Chopper supermarket in Guilderland, NY.
No toilet paper to be had!
Lucky day - today there's toilet paper in stock!
Cleaning supplies were often hard to obtain, too.
Sign on the floor of Hannaford supermarket (Round Lake, NY) encouraging social distancing when checking out.
Social distance being practiced in a line outside of Trader Joe's.
Farmers markets regulated to outside spaces and vigilant protective practices.
Sign outside bakery (Clifton Park, NY), directing people to line up six feet apart and limit the number of people entering the store.
Sign at the Tastee Freeze in Delmar, NY, thanking people for practicing social distancing while waiting in line.
Sign at Staples (Clifton Park, NY) noting that customers entering the store are required to wear face coverings.
Sign on the door of Staples (Clifton Park, NY) describing social distancing procedures.
Sign on the door of Albany Associates In Cardiology requiring appointments and non-patients to wait outside.