Let me preface this post by saying: you do not need to be productive right now. We are all going through a scary, emotional, and traumatic event, and however you need to deal with and process that is perfectly okay! For photographers based in Halifax, NS, we are in week 4 of isolation, and spending such a prolonged amount of time alone (or with your family/partner) is really tough; it’s easy to go a bit shack-wacky when you’re not allowed to work or shoot any creative projects.
For me personally, I felt really productive during the first two weeks of isolation, but as things have progressed I’ve certainly slowed down and switched my focus to managing my mental health and stress. That said, I generally feel better if I accomplish a few tasks that have been on my to-do list, so here are some ideas if you’re wondering how to stay busy and inspired during this time at home!
Work on your website
This is a never-ending task that often gets put off until “off season”, or whenever we can find the downtime. I was lucky to have the wonderful Jill Roberts Photography do a website review for me, and I’ve been implementing her suggestions and polishing things up while I am stuck here at home! Now is a great time to review your portfolio images, check for broken links, and work on your SEO (I took a great webinar from Jeffery Armstrong’s SEO group to learn more about this).
Submit to Shoot & Share
If you haven’t heard of the Shoot & Share contest before, it’s a worldwide, peer-reviewed photography contest with categories including everything from toddlers, to fashion, to weddings, and (what I’m most excited for!) boudoir - there’s a entrance option for any kind of photographer! You can submit up to 50 photos which will then be voted on by other photographers. You can see my results from last year here. Entries are open until April 15!
Go through old images or images from second shooting
I spent the better part of my afternoon today going through some images I took while shooting for other Nova Scotia wedding photographers - if you second shoot or assist, this is a great opportunity to go through and cull any images you’d like to keep for portfolio purposes! Be sure that you have permission from the main photographer to use any of the images you keep. Bonus: you can get rid of what you don’t need, clearing up some precious hard drive space.
Curate your portfolio
Going through my archives for the contest I mentioned above has also inspired me to go through my portfolio; every 6-12 months, you’re going to want to do a “tune up” of the images you have on display, making sure they’re consistent with your current style and portray the kind of work you want to book. Out with the old, in with the new!
Talk to other creatives
Now more than ever, it’s important to stay connected. While it’s absolutely beneficial to check in on your family and friends, have your reached out to your creative network lately? Speaking with other vendors or photographers in your network can help to alleviate some of the loneliness and stress that you’re experiencing during this pandemic. For me, it’s been a saving grace to be able to chat with my friends in the Halifax wedding photography industry - we are all in this together, and it’s been so helpful to talk about how each one of us is navigating this unprecedented time. Plus, this is a great time to learn from others via a mentorship or coaching call!
Take advantage of online resources, continued education
If you’re all caught up on client work and want to expand your skillset, there are many talented individuals offering free training right now! This week I’m going through D’arcy Benincosa’s “The Money Map” course (free until April 15). Here are some other free or discounted resources available right now:
Creative Live: allows you to stream their classes in real-time for free
Hustle & Flow: has dropped their H&F online signup fee to $47USD
Tony Wordack: I love Tony’s work and his site has a lot of free resources in the “For Photogs” section!
Mastin Labs: if you like their presets, you can watch lots of editing videos on their Youtube channel
Booking with SEO: a great Facebook group with lots of info on all things SEO
Jasmine Star: tons of free resources and a million blog posts to read!
Jenna Kutcher: she’s got a 10-page survival guide for small business out for free right now, along with many other resources on her site.
Shameless plug: you call also book a mentoring session over the phone or Facetime with me! Learn more about that here.
These are just a few of the things I’ve been doing to fill the time - I’d love to know how you’re staying busy too! Let me know in the comments!
