From online classes and working from home to constantly wearing masks, life during the pandemic has changed how everyday tasks are done. Living in Toronto, public transportation has always been a large part of my family’s life. The TTC has been especially important for my mother, Katherine Godfrey, who does not have a driver’s license and relies on public transport to get to appointments and go shopping. In the midst of the pandemic, protocols on the TTC have changed drastically, which I have attempted to show through photographs of what my mom, the subject, experiences.
This assignment is meant to demonstrate the use of five different shots to tell a compelling story, as well as practice photojournalism and composition techniques. Throughout the shoot, I experienced several different challenges. Taking photographs in a moving vehicle meant that some of my pictures were blurry and moving around to get a specific shot was difficult, so I took hundreds of pictures and chose the best ones. In addition, I had to keep in mind ethical standards when shooting in a public space. For this reason, this collection of photographs only focuses on my mom and does not include other people. This photo gallery illustrates what it is like for my mom to travel on the TTC during COVID-19.
