So you’re a photographer and pretty much everything around you is under quarantine – what do you do?
CoronaVirus
Well, lets first back track. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, by now you have heard about the Covid-19 outbreak, commonly referred to as coronavirus. This fatal disease has caused many countries around the world to go into a quarantine or complete lockdown. What this means is businesses are forced to close and the gathering of people in large groups is prohibited. You’re also supposed to keep your distance from others, known as social distancing.
What you can’t do
Well, some states have shut down all businesses except those who qualify under the “essential” category, like grocery stores and gas stations, etc.. You being a photographer, while no matter how amazing of images you produce, are not considered essential. Yes, this hurts our feelings as well! So, if you have a studio you most likely will have to shut it down. If you’re just freelancing and doing portraits here and there, well, technically you shouldn’t be doing that either. We’ve been seeing stories on photographers using long lenses (zoom lenses) to “distance” themselves from the models – that is not how it works folks! No photo session is worth your or your client’s health so please keep that in mind. Also, you could even get fined or arrested in some states with stricter quarantine rules.
What you can do
Being a photographer that usually means a person is creative, right? We tend to see things from a different perspective and make a boring snapshot look like an amazing photograph. Now, this all depends on where you live and what’s around you but the general idea still applies. If allowed, you can go for a walk and bring your camera with you. Not only will you be getting exercise and fresh air, but you’ll also be able to play with your camera. Take images of things you’ve never photographed before. If you’ve never done landscape, here’s your chance. You can try architecture, nature, animals, birds specifically, patterns – the list goes on and on. Use this time to practice and try new things.
Total lockdown
If you live in an area that’s on total lockdown, meaning you can’t even go out side for a walk, then you might be a bit limited but definitely not defeated. Believe it or not, there are still things you can do to keep your mind busy and even be productive. One activity you could do is finally go through your folders and clean out and delete unnecessary images taking up space on your computer. After you make some room on your computer then you can do task number two: transferring newer images off your memory cards to your computer. Another task you could do is organize and properly name all your files and folders. If that’s something that’s already taken care of then you can start processing your images, getting them ready to share on your website and/or social media. If all of those have been checked off by now, then you can work on your website and write blogs – it’s exactly what we’re doing right now!
Summary
- Know your local rules and laws
- Explore away from others
- Try new photography methods
- Delete old images
- Transfer new images
- Organize files and folders
- Process images for social media
- Write blogs
We hope you found this article helpful and informational. Share it with your photographer friends and keep them out of trouble. Stay healthy and safe everyone!
