But there are ways to cope and get your creative juices flowing.
The DIY Photobook
These days, you can create top-notch photobooks online with apps and tools like Blurb, Motif Photos, and more. If you have the time (and a printer) you can also make a book from your old favourite prints that have been in that box for years. Design your pages using an app like InDesign, print your images and bind them.
Also Skillshare has several bookbinding classes to help you get started.
The Food Shoot
Cooking is a well-known stress reliever, and the current pandemic is encouraging more of us to make do with what we have in our pantries with simple and staple ingredients.
If you are experimenting with new recipes, use it as an incentive to bring out that camera or phone and you do not have to be a great chef or photographer.
Keep in mind that, depending on the food, you might want to photograph it before it’s completely cooked to keep that vibrant colour. Consider using natural light such as window light or take your dish out side. Even look at creating a time-lapse as you are preparing your masterpiece. Most phones have that feature now.
Also think about how you can play around with various angles and set-ups.
The Macro Shoot
Now is the time for small and close up things, and perhaps there’s no better way to embrace that than shooting with a macro lens or a homemade macro system.
You can work with any subject you choose, from smoke to soap bubbles, insects to plants. If you don’t have a macro lens, you can “hack” it by putting a manual lens on your camera in reverse, using extension tubes and electrical tape to hold it in place. See sample of the photos attached.
The Self-Portrait
We all take selfies, but there’s something to be said for the old-fashioned self-portrait. Taking photos of ourselves can inspire introspection and deepen our understanding of our goals, worries and desires.
There are no specific rules for this. You can use a document-style approach and chronicle your daily routine at home, black and white, think about your background or you can shoot some cinematic tableaux using coloured gels, long exposure or double exposure. You can play a character and dress up or may be think about how you can improve your new LinkedIn profile photo.
Alternatively, you can also bring in a prism or experiment with bending light, reflections of water or mirror.
The Pet Portrait
As far as we know, there aren’t any “meaningful signs” that pets can get or spread COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean that your pet isn’t in need of a little extra care during this difficult time.
Like humans, animals can become stressed or depressed when stuck indoors, and The New York Times recently published a great story on keeping them enriched right now.
In between playing puzzle games, plan a photoshoot both you and your pet will enjoy. The key is to make it fun and pleasant for the animal, so bring out some toys and treats and use it as a bonding experience.
In between playing puzzle games, plan a photoshoot both you and your pet will enjoy. The key is to make it fun and pleasant for the animal, so bring out some toys and treats and use it as a bonding experience.
You can roll out that seamless background for more formal portraits or document them as they go about their daily routines. If you have a fish tank or lizard you may want to create a time-lapse of their activity. Most smart phones now have a time lapse feature.
Conclusion
Use this time to think about how you can leverage your skills to help others through this difficult period, in small ways and large. That can mean offering a discount on your products or giving something away on Instagram.
It can mean creating a blog post full of tips for other artists. It could mean posting a photo every day that makes you smile, or maybe it means sharing information about how people can donate supplies to local hospitals.
Get creative, and find ways to connect with the larger community, without in-person interactions; with a little ingenuity, sheltering-in-place doesn’t have to be something we do alone.
We’d love to see what you’re shooting during this period, so feel free to tag us on Instagram at @sgphotographics.
If you tackle one of these projects, let us know how it goes!
Sebastian Giunta is a photographer in lock down. Source
