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These moody shots of Cork capture a strange but beautiful suburban summer

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It’s been a curious season.

As Covid-19 plunged the country into crisis in March, the way we live was changed beyond anything any of us had witnessed before.

The lockdown left streets deserted, creating a unique opportunity for Cork photographers to create images of familiar scenes that suddenly seemed very unfamiliar indeed. Inspired by a love of film cinematography, local photographer Sean Murphy captured a series of sometimes eerie but always serene shots of the city and suburbs.

“I photograph around Cork as a hobby,” Sean told Yay Cork.

“I started to get into it about three years ago, having been heavily inspired by films such as Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Mad Max: Fury Road and many others.

“Since then it’s been a lovely way to express myself and to show others what I see around the place or rather how my imagination can interpret things – I like to make my photos have a more surreal look to them.”

‘Normalcy is making something of a comeback’

Sean’s unique perspective brings magic to the everyday, turning dull scenes of industrial estates, roads and abandoned buildings into fascinating snapshots of everyday life in Cork. Now that activity is beginning to pick up again, the images offer a time capsule of what Cork was like during a global pandemic.

“As far as taking photos during the lockdown, it’s been challenging as the normal routine of exploring parts of the city and beyond was restricted,” he says.

“It was also a weird experience as I was seeing places that would normally be filled with people completely empty. I would compare it to when the ‘Beast from the East’ came around, back in 2018; another unforgettable event where the masses were not there. But as time went on, especially with the freedom of walking to places I couldn’t before because of 2-kilometre limits, normalcy is making something of a comeback.”

Here are 20 captivating images from Sean Murphy’s feed:

 

If you would like to purchase one of Sean’s photographs, you can contact him directly @seanmurphyjpg on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook.

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