Yesterday while scrolling through my Twitter feed I came across a tweet from photographer extraordinaire, William Neill. In his tweet he shared a link to his Instagram and a series of images he had made over the last 20 years. What was unique about these photographs was that all of the images had been made either in his home or with 10-15 feet of it. And here I was, thinking I was limiting myself during my Isolation Project by staying within a roughly 3 acre plot of land!

Anyway…

What, you may ask, does a collection of photos made by another photographer have to do with my photo project, besides also showing that you don’t have to go far to make photos? It just so happens that two of the absolutely stunning photos shared by Mr. Neill were extreme close-ups of the polished exterior of an abalone shell. As soon as I saw those two photos I knew what it was, but also knew exactly what my next photos were going to be of. Because my wife and I happen to have a nicely polished abalone shell as a decoration in our bathroom.

Fortuitous.

Beauty is everywhere, often closer than you think. You just have to open your eyes to see it. Though sometimes, seeing a tweet from a photographer who’s work you’ve admired for years helps too. 🙂

Be safe, stay healthy, and look for the silver lining as you practice social isolation.