If you all of a sudden have found yourself stuck at home (or at least in your neighborhood) — thanks, COVID-19 — you may find yourself wondering what you can be doing to fill your free time!
As a photographer, you may be out of regular work or inspiration.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can be doing to reach out to clients and drum up business while the world is flattening the curve.
Here are some suggestions to keep you sane at home while self-quarantining.
GET ORGANIZED
Start with your physical space. When was the last time you took stock of all your assets and really made room for everything you need?
You could also use this extra time to make a studio or vlogging space — the sky’s the limit!
Organize your digital space, too. If you have a million photos on various drives or cards, now is the time to sort through them and get them organized.
Once you see what photos you have, this will help you plan what you want to post on Instagram and your website, and will help you plan what kind of photos you want to get on vacation next time!
CLEAN YOUR GEAR... NO, REALLY...
Seriously — when was the last time your gear got a deep clean?
Besides the recent pandemic regulations urging you to keep your belongings clean, you should be cleaning your gear regularly to keep it in tip top shape.
Cleaning and taking stock of your gear will also help you sort out what you might want to sell. This will give you room for more gear!
Cleaning out your gear closet will allow you to check out gear you may have never used, too.
If you’re in the market for more, check out our ultimate gear guide and ultimate hiker’s gear guide.
Want to engage in social distancing... online?
Join our Slack Community!
WORK ON YOUR WEBSITE
When was the last time you updated it, anyway? Get some of your new work on there!
You can use these tips and tricks to bring your photography business (and website) to the next level.
And if you don’t have one, use this time to create one! Check out our marketing guide for some tips and tricks.
You can also use this time to reach out to some of your clients (if appropriate) and see how they’re doing and if you can do anything for them.
Some photographers have started front porch projects. Others have started specials on prints on their websites. Maybe you could run a special on prints from their past events. The opportunities are endless!
EXPERIMENT WITH PHOTOGRAPHY
What’s that saying again about tortured artists?
Whether you’re feeling tortured or not, now is the time to try something new — photography wise.
We asked members of our Slack community what they have been working on, and they had some amazing ideas!
- toy photography
- macro photography
- portraits
- abstract photography
During this time, we encourage you to find beauty in the familiar.
Maybe you haven’t noticed what birds are checking out your bird feeder (we have a guide for what might be flying around your yard!). Try and identify (and photograph!) all the foliage in your yard. Check out the local wildlife.
If you have a drone, stretch its wings, but here’s where NOT to fly.
When in doubt, turn to YouTube/Google to curb your boredom. Try oil and water photography.
We have several guides to check out to try some new techniques:
AFTER you’ve tried all of these, come back and let us know how your quarantine is going. And let us know if you have any more cool ideas!
