Photographer Adas Vasiliauskas would normally be working at weddings, events and product photoshoots, but the coronavirus quarantine has forced him to look for subjects elsewhere.
With many people confined to self-isolation at home, he has invited them to pose for photos from their windows and balconies. The result is a series of inventive and whimsical scenes of the coronavirus quarantine in Vilnius.
Vasiliauskas posted a call for would-be subjects last Thursday and immediately received many responses. Over the coming days, he photographed over a dozen portraits.
Vasiliauskas says he communicates with his subjects by phone and sends a drone to take the shot.
“I had many different ideas, but since I cannot just go there and take the picture, I decided to use a drone,” he says. “It's the best solution during the quarantine, since I can photograph without any physical contact with others.”
Although the ‘photoshoot’ itself lasts no more than 15 minutes, it takes longer to work out the idea and prepare.
“I don't want people just to wave from their balcony, so I encourage everyone to be creative and come up with something crazy,” Vasiliauskas says.
So some of his subjects stage beach holiday scenes, others dress in sports gear or bathrobes.
For many, posing for Vasiliauskas is quite entertaining, kids in particular, he says.
For him, meanwhile, it presents a number of technical challenges. “To have enough light, people have to be in their balconies, terraces or close by windows, otherwise the quality will be poor,” he says.
Moreover, flying a drone is not allowed in some parts of the city. “Elsewhere, trees or electric or electric wires block access to windows, so I have to be inventive,” he says.
The images are then posted online where people can comment on them, Vasiliauskas says.
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