London’s ‘secret paradise’ during pandemic season

When photographer Sophia Evans arrived at the Lea River (Southeast England), she was overwhelmed by the peaceful and detached scene from the world of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This photo was taken of Isla in August 2020, right on her 26th birthday. She celebrated her birthday with a few friends in a secluded, green area by the riverbank. Three generations of the Diaz family spent a day by the river. Their hometown is Medellín, Colombia. “I stepped straight into the water while fully dressed. I saw the water splash, I saw the light reflected off the water surface, saw the colors and heard the salsa music coming from the river bank,” Ms. Evans shared about the picture. photo of two people waving to their friends. Gabriel, a 9-month-old baby, floated in the river while in peaceful sleep. You are of Brazilian descent. The photo was taken on 8/8/2020, the day Ms. Evans “heard on the radio that more than 100,000 Brazilians died from Covid-19”. The photo shows two friends, Billz and Amir, while they were swimming in a river in July 2020. Two Spanish friends, Sofia and Paula, in a photo taken in July 2020. The photo was taken “in the afternoon, with the sunlight coming from the river”, Ms. Evans added. On hot summer days in London, many Latin American people come to the River Lea to cool off. “This afternoon, the temperature went up to 35 degrees Celsius. Willy turned up the volume and turned on some salsa music, and then people started splashing the water to the tune,” Ms. Evans said. People who go to the river often lay blankets on the banks of the river and relax on their own, or with their friends and family. “When I met Sophia Hansali, I immediately fell in love with her pink hair and I knew it would be nice to take her in front of the poplar. Her hair color and the pale green of the leaves match well. I took the photo. This photo is around 7:00 p.m. on a warm summer evening in August, “Ms. Evans shared about the photo. The Latin American community explores the swimming areas along the Lea River in 2020. Most of them are from South America, especially Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. In the photo is Donã Alba (73 years old) and her family, including two daughters Joana and Liliana and a nephew named Johan.