Intensive Care Units are the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, and from dusk until dawn their nightshifts work while the world sleeps, keeping the illest patients alive.

Access into these units is extremely restricted, but the BBC’s Christopher Bobyn was permitted to spend a 12-hour shift with the overnight ICU team at Hairmyres hospital, near Glasgow. With his Leica M3, M6 and M10 he produced this photo series of the hospital’s nightshift at work. (photos courtesy of The Nine, BBC Scotland)

“This was a different approach to what we normally do, but it was precisely that unique approach that had the hospital agree to our access. Using black-and-white still photography was not typical at all for TV and indeed, the BBC rarely produces purpose shot photo essays, let alone in black-and-white… let alone in film! The film was then developed in my bathroom-turned-darkroom during lockdown.”

“Leica M cameras are, for me, ideal for the documentary reportage that I produce. Small bodies, discreet lenses and whisper quiet. And the rangefinder allows great and quick focussing in low light too, all of which was helpful in the ICU, in fact, demanded by photographing in the ICU. I picked up my first Leica M in 2011 and have used them exclusively for my photography work since. They aren’t toys, they’re practical, sturdy tools for photojournalism.”

For more, visit the BBC website. 

Follow Chris Bobyn on social:
Twitter: @chrisbobyn
Instagram: @cjbobyn