Blog - Vasquez Photography

March 20, 2020

It has been a while since I've posted on here, and these images that I'm sharing are different from what I have posted in the past. I wanted to give some insight of my thought process behind this collection in response to the COVID-19 self-distancing.

It all started a few weeks ago when I was in Indianapolis, Indiana, having just shot the first round of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. I was heading to my vehicle on the rooftop of the parking garage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. I could see the foggy Indy skyline from where I parked my car so of course I grabbed my camera along with the tripod and began the process of capturing what I saw. It was in the process that it hit me for the first time of how large the negative impact of the Coronavirus could have not only on my life but also on society.

The next morning I headed back to Indianapolis to begin shooting day two of the tournament. I was on the court about twenty minutes before the first game was to tip-off, and rumors had started flying around that the rest of the weekend was going to be canceled. It was a short time later that the rumors were confirmed as the PA announcer made the statement that the rest of the tourney indeed had been canceled. The feelings of confusion and uncertainty that I had experienced the night before hit me all over again.

That afternoon I began receiving cancellation and postponement emails from a majority of my clients. What was to be an extremely productive time for my photography business had suddenly turned into no gigs for the foreseeable future. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many businesses and people’s lives in a short period while leaving many with a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and fear.

In response I have attempted to make some sense of this unusual time by documenting what I’ve seen and experienced in my hometown of Columbus, Indiana. I have done so while maintaining a safe distance from everyone while I’m out photographing.

This period is an extremely complex issue to document, and I’m not attempting to cover any political angle or stories of professionals trying to save lives etc. What I have attempted to capture is how the virus has changed public spaces in Columbus that were once full and filled with the daily lives of this community. While at the same time, how some elements, such as nature, have remained the same by continually changing, giving us hope.

I hope that the images I have captured give the viewer some sense of the emotions I was experiencing in these vacant spaces. While a majority of the subject matter is melancholy, I was encouraged by capturing some moments of hope as well.

You can view some of the images here or view the entire photo gallery at: https://www.tonyvasquez.net/Events/COVID-19-Quarantine-/

December 4, 2017

Say hello to Cameron, a senior at Columbus North High School. When his dad first contacted me about a session, he mentioned that Cameron knew what he wanted to capture, and that made me excited for this session.

We took advantage of the beautiful fall day right in downtown Columbus, IN. Cameron did an amazing job and seemed right at home in front of the camera. It was a great experience working with Cameron. I've included some favorite photos from his senior portrait session below. Enjoy!

September 22, 2017

Here are a few of our favorite images from Derek and Chetna's couple session that we captured last weekend. They wanted to do the session in downtown Columbus, IN. So we took advantage of the Exhibit Columbus installations and the beautiful evening light. We had a wonderful time photographing these two. Thank you, Chetna and Derek for being so laid back and fun to photograph. We are booking sessions for the fall so contact us at tonyvasquezphhotography@gmail.com to set up your portrait session!