Photography Tips During COVID-19
Photo Credit: Brook Lark
Written by Rachel Gordon
Scene: Opening inbox to an email from a brand. You’re jazzed, as you’ve only been following them on Instagram for over a year now. They share how in order to make this campaign successful, it is best to submit it in less than a three week turnaround time. You think to yourself ‘let me reach out to my photographer’ but as you’re about to type out ‘hey gir-’ you start stressing that your normal routine is going to have to be MUCH different. Grabs ice cream (and all the toppings) out of the freezer and think to yourself now what? End scene.
Coming from a photographer, I wouldn’t always encourage you to take your own photos (we all need to #hustle, right?), but this time more than ever is the best time to practice your content creation game. There are definitely a few tricks and tips I wanted to share to help you adjust to your new normal smoothly and become that photographer you’ve always wanted to be (we’ve all been there...that was me as I sat down for the first time with my parents camera flip phones and the rest is history).
No Camera, No Problem: Of course you should know the differences of quality between a professional camera and your phone but did you know there are some similarities? As technology advances, so does our content game. The simplest tip to know is just invest in a tripod for your phone – they’re more common than you think. Not only can you utilize that self timer but it will of course make the easiest transition to post-production when you are editing your photo.
There’s a photographer for that: As mentioned, I love technology and even more than that I love the innovation behind the great photographer that realized we can still do shoots (and from the comfort of our own homes...a plus)! Thus the creation of Facetime photoshoots were created (this may only be possible with Apple products). You facetime with your photographer and they help you pose/set the scene (hopefully you are at home as well). The photographer uses the camera button that appears on facetime and takes your photos. Then depending on what you have agreed upon with the photographer, editing occurs! The positive to these sessions is that they are normally priced much differently and cheaper than a regular shoot. I’ve also seen photographers take a picture of their client with their camera while on the phone which brings a strong framed look in the picture and an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to boot. Here’s a photographer I’ve seen totally rock the facetime shoot game.
Get creative: Easier said than done, right? As we continue to decorate our apartments more with this time (or is it just me…?), we can find new products or ideas to shoot with. One that I’ve been seeing and loving has been with newspapers and magazines plastered behind the subject. Other ideas are to get creative with space, angles, heights, and props! Two accounts that I really love are @blonde_inthedistrct for getting crafty with props and @jera.bean who shows you posing best practices that you can implement with or without a photographer.
While sticking to the ‘script’ of the brand you’re working with, I encourage you to get crafty and try new things when possible – remember they are asking to work with YOU for a reason!
Normally I’d share tips and tricks that share how important it is to hire a photographer (which of course it is) but now let’s do our best to adapt! You can follow me on instagram for bright photos, some inspiration and a ton of photos of my dog, Drake at @rgordphoto.
