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Christoph Geiss

Teaches environmental science at a small New England college and tries hard to escape his desk. Most times he fails.

Living in “the Land of the Free”, we haven’t really been under a “lockdown”. Nevertheless, at some point, our governor encouraged us to stay at home, and my College has been closed since mid-March. I have been teaching remotely since then. To stay halfway sane, I decided to treat myself to more photography, getting out at least twice a week, (re)visiting places nearby. As it turned out, none of these photos would have happened during a “normal” spring, and at least one would have been outright impossible. In reference to California’s “shelter in place” order I collect all these images in one folder called “in place”.

My Arizona

My Arizona – is an image that would be impossible to take in normal times. This highway is quite busy, and one would take an unacceptable risk of getting run over. On that Sunday morning, everybody had stayed home, and the road was clear. I drive past this intersection on most days on my way to work, and it often reminds me of an old image of US 163 on its way towards Monument Valley (from an ancient Rand McNally road atlas). Well, straight stretches on Connecticut roads tend to be quite a bit shorter, and the original image that served as the inspiration for this photograph was taken in Utah. Nevertheless, at least the colours are pretty close.

Dogwoods

Dogwoods – Zoom meetings have a way of getting to you. One Friday morning with six meetings on my schedule, I needed a break. I had been to the location the previous day, had liked the trees and the grey-blue light, but it had been raining too hard to make an image. The next day was more promising. Best thing: I missed my first meeting.

Two Planets

Two Planets – My seniors were heartbroken when the college cancelled graduation. To cheer some of them up I planned for a little video near the summit of Bear Mountain, Connecticut’s highest peak, and a place that holds dear memories for many of us. The plan was to get up early, take a time lapse of the rising sun, and follow it up with a few congratulatory words. Four sets of batteries died in the cold before the sun was even close to coming up, and my frozen brain reduced me to some incoherent babble. But before all that I took this image of Saturn and Jupiter in the early morning sky. One out of three ain’t all that bad, and my students appreciated the effort.

Bushy Point – Socially distanced hiking either happens in unusual places or at unusual times. Over the last few weeks, I explored quite a few lesser trails (plenty “intimate landscapes” there), but occasionally, you’re craving something a bit more scenic. Rocky Neck State Park is rather popular, but at 4:30 AM I was the only one in the parking lot and had the place to myself. Three hours later the park became busy. But by that time, I was on my way home and some lucky fellow got a prime parking spot right next to the entrance gate.