Like many people, I found the first few lockdown months of 2021 very hard. Short days, bad weather, and being heavily restricted by the Covid rules, I tried to find light wherever I could. My girlfriends and I did silly and fun things, like arrange walks through muddy fields, in pouring rain, dressed up in ballgowns and my old wedding dress, wielding bottles of gin and Ferrero Rocher. We found a derelict house to do a socially distanced photo shoot, and we all look back on this as a highlight of 2021.
Billie Charity, Lockdown Light
I decided to capture some of the incredible, strong, resilient and creative women who live locally to me in Hay-on-Wye to feature in my new photography book, Lockdown Light. Lockdown forced us to think of ways to get through the darkness. And during my photographic documentation of the pandemic, I came across many women all finding their own ways to get through. From wild swimmers donning homemade duck hats to pregnant women farmers taking solace from their animals, to girls dyeing their hair wild hair colours, because why not.
And in my own home I witnessed the resilience of my disabled mother, her routine turned upside down due to her carers being unable to come, and my teenage girls, who found joy in making new friends online, all around the world, and learning new languages.
I also made new friends both those living locally to me, and those on the other side of the world. Being locked up in our houses gave us the time and space to forge new friendships, which may not have happened otherwise.
A selection of photographs from photographer Billie Charity’s new book, Lockdown Light, priced at £25.
