© Beth Galton, The Economics of Safety, 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic irrevocably changed the trajectory of countless lives, culture, and community. For many artists, a way to find connection and understanding through the tumultuous discovery of our new world was found through the creation of personal work that fostered unique vision in times of universal distress. Through photographic conversations created in her home, Beth Galton began the journey of processing the pandemic in a diary style body of work, entitled Covid Diary which has since been published by Fall Line Press.

© Beth Galton, Tracking the Spread, 2020

Beth Galton is a photo-based artist, with an educational background in the natural sciences and three decades of experience as a professional photographer in the editorial and commercial arena. These elements of her history are the lens through which she explores the world.

Collecting objects, allowing time to affect botanical matter, these are the tools Beth uses to construct still life portraits. The stories speak to the cycles of nature, our connection to aging and mortality, and the fragility and resilience of the human experience. As a lifelong learner, Beth uses current technology to help articulate her message. She loves to harness natural light to capture the compositions by using a large format camera and digital back.

Beth’s fine art and professional work have won numerous accolades and been exhibited extensively throughout her career in the U.S. and Europe. She was previously represented by Marlborough Gallery in NYC. Beth won the prestigious Sony World Photography Award 2024 for her London Plane Series in Still Life, and published her new book, COVID DIARY in October 2024 with Fall Line Press.

Most recently her work has been exhibited at The Delaware Contemporary Museum, Wilmington DE, Griffin Museum in Winchester MA, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa FL, Montpellier Contemporian, Montpellier France, Soho Photo Gallery, NYC NY, Wave Hill, Riverdale NY, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins CO, the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA Atlanta Photography Group, Atlanta GA, Beth Urdang Gallery, Boston MA.

Beth lives and works in New York City, where she is moved and inspired by the city every day.

Follow Beth on Instagram: @bethgaltonstudio

Follow Fall Line Press on Instagram: @fallinepress

© Beth Galton, He Never Wore Protection, 2020

© Beth Galton, How the Virus Won, 2020

Like everyone, I struggled with the magnitude of the pandemic; how it insidiously spread and wreaked havoc everywhere it went. In March of 2020, as the virus swept around the globe, my world in NYC became my apartment. I knew that in order to keep safe I wouldn’t be able to access my studio, so I brought my camera home and constructed a small set next to a window.

© Beth Galton, Prioritized, 2020

© Beth Galton, Those We’ve Lost, 2020

© Beth Galton, Deaths Under His Watch #2, 2020

My days began with looking at the NY Times and Washington Post online, hoping to find a glimmer of positivity. What I found were the maps, charts, and headlines, tracking Covid-19’s spread. Obsessed, I screen grabbed and printed them out to see how the disease had multiplied and moved, soon realizing that each of these little visual changes affected millions of people. The graphics were highly analytical, devoid of the emotional toll of those affected. It felt necessary to use them in my photographs, to help me process this devastating experience.

© Beth Galton, On His Watch, 2020

© Beth Galton, The Slow Recovery, 2020

© Beth Galton, Lockdowns, Cases, and Deaths, 2020

Eventually, images of the vast number of people who had died began to appear in the news. Grids of people’s faces filled the screen; most having passed alone without family or friends beside them. As the virus moved through the US, many of our political leaders refused to acknowledge the dangers that it posed creating devastation and death. The incredible loss and the politics of this period were incorporated into these photographs.

© Beth Galton, Covid Symptoms, 2020

© Beth Galton, Where the Virus Was, 2020

© Beth Galton, He Could Have Never Seen What Was Coming #1, 2020

This series began in March 2020 when NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic. It is a reflection of my emotions and thoughts through those dizzying 18 months. By photographing the recorded data, combined with botanicals, my intent is to speak to the humanity of those affected by this epidemic. Motion in the images was utilized to help convey the chaos and apprehensions we were all experiencing. Once assembled, I now see that these images have created a visual diary of this period, the politics of the time, and the way it has affected our everyday lives.

© Beth Galton, Current Headlines, 2020

© Beth Galton, What Separates Us Now, 2020

These haunting, heartbreaking, and profound images, are a handful of the works that can be found in Beth Galton’s Covid Diary which has been published by Fall Line Press, and is available for purchase. The recalling of pandemic horrors, has been manipulated into images that fall onto the viewer with an authenticity only approachable by those who dare to remember the devastation and resilience of those who persevered through the darkness.