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But first, let’s catch up.
It’s now week 5 of self-quarantine here at our new headquarters and we only got out once – for groceries 1 week ago. We’re slowly but surely installing ourselves into the newly refurbished apartment, and we are applying the finishing touches as we speak.
As most people complain of how bored they are, I personally can’t help but be glad to some extent this general quarantine exists now. We finally have time to finish deep cleaning, unpacking and sorting our stuff.
This all while reading, binge-watching shows on Netflix (sometimes) and keeping up with our studies and games.
The only form of socializing left now is when the boys play Black Desert Online and I sit and listen to them bicker. It’s kind of fun, to be honest.
But I try to be as productive as I can and stay away from most of the games, except Wizards Unite. I’m in a very Harry Potter phase now, and I’m going all in this time. The books, and then the movies!
By the way, check out our potions from Geek Gear <3! I’m in LOVE with them!
But I digress.
I usually like to say that a friend inspired this article and that article, but this time it’s my turn. A rare but great (I hope).
Of course, because I am easily bored and in constant need of change, I will also dive in and sort out my photos, and start working on my skills as well. Practice what you preach, right? 🙂 But you know damn well what’s the hardest thing of all – actually starting something.
But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!
What you can do as a quarantined photographer
It’s not easy owning a photography business, or just starting one, and having something as unexpected as a pandemic close it down. You might be able to work for a while on your savings, but what do you do when you just can’t get back to work?
1. Train your skills
Yes, you are inside, and yes, you need light, subjects and inspiration to do something worth your time, but get your kids, or your loved one and “torture” them by following them around the house with the camera.
Or your pets, your plants, your collectibles!
The possibility is endless, and in times like these when there’s not much to do, we need to keep our sanity and having a productive mind will definitely help with that.
You are only limited by your imagination, so set those goblins free for once and see what they come up with! Mine spent 20 minutes photographing incents smoke the other day, just hoping to catch something interesting.
2. Upgrade your skills
Learning is essential, especially as an adult. I like to think that it keeps the mind healthy.
Udemy is really fun, gives you the freedom to learn at your own pace, you earn a certificate after completing each course, and most importantly they do have a 90-95% discount on all courses from time to time if you can’t really afford 200$ for a course. Just keep an eye out for their deals – they do happen once every couple of months or so.
If you love photography, make sure to check out these Udemy courses:
– Photography Masterclass: A Complete Guide to Photography
– Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen
– Portrait Photography for Beginners
– Adobe Lightroom Classic CC&CC: Photo Editing Masterclass
– Adobe Photoshop CC: Your Complete Beginner to Advanced Class
With the right Udemy course and the right teacher, you’ll definitely achieve your goals in no time. And even if you’re like me, and usually want your photographs as “natural” as possible, sometimes it’s fun to play around and go in a more creative direction.
3. Process your existing photos
If you’re anything like me then surely you have thousands upon thousands of photographs just waiting for your attention. (There are about 40000 in my case)Well, I guess this is one of the good things about being quarantined. Now there’s no escaping, no excuses.
It can be a tedious job, that’s true, but how wonderful it will be after you have them all sorted, in dated albums and trimmed from 1000 per event to maybe 200?
More storage space = more space for new photos.
The hardest part is actually getting started. Pick a spot where you are comfortable sitting in for a while, make yourself some tea to get energized and just get to it.
4. Back-up your work
Having at least one big external memory drive is mandatory, no matter how many photographs you actually have under your belt. I’m a sucker for these Toshiba 1Tb memory drives. They are fast, to this day I didn’t encounter any issues with any of them (and between Andy and me, we have 5? I lost count!) and they were fairly cheap for what they are.
Andy actually got a deal on them when we got them, and he just couldn’t resist. And to be honest, I’m soooooo glad he didn’t!
Back up your work! Always! Future you will thank you for it.
5. Sell your photographs
I couldn’t write a list like this without mentioning making some money on the side, right? Now, when it’s harder to go to work, when weddings, events and basically any gatherings that need a photographer are over, you still have to make some money until the crisis passes.
Here are just a few of the sites you can use to showcase and sell your photos online, and also make a portfolio of your work while you’re at it.
– Viewbug. This one is a bit different than the others on this list. Here you can find and enter contests, challenges and you can create your own as well. It also has a marketplace for your photographs. You can also upgrade from a free account, and that will open up even more opportunities.
Now, the rest of them are all self-explanatory art marketplaces. You create your account, and you start uploading your work. Be careful to use the appropriate keywords, and that your photos are of the highest quality in order to be accepted in the market and to generate sales.
p.s. Using a site like dropstock.io to upload on all your marketplaces at once will make your life so much easier! Instead of posting the same photo every single time on every marketplace, you only upload them once! And it’s free up to 1Gb per month, so that’s helpful!
– Shutterstock
– Dreamstime
– Adobe Stock
Bonus!
6. Freelance
What I found recently is that there are tons of freelancing opportunities, if you’re good with Photoshop or Lightroom and Lightroom CC. But be warned – the competition is fierce, and it’s getting harder and harder to find a job now, with the COVID-19 crisis.
Sites like Freelancer or Fiverr are the perfect places to help you find photography jobs, but be careful. It’s filled with scams and pervs as well. Having a good screening process is key when it comes to freelancing – that’s lesson 1.
Don’t give up, it will get easier.
Aaaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed our list of ideas about what you can do as a quarantined photographer, and maybe this inspired you to take this time and do something positive with it.
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