The world has been hit hard by the current Coronavirus and industry has come to a bit of standstill. The travel and photography sectors have been hit particularly hard and the road ahead is looking pretty bumpy. It’s not easy to be optimistic in the current situation but its imperative we make the most of this enforced downtime.
I had been trying to keep busy and positive by following my list of “10 ways to keep your photo business busy during Corona isolation” when I was approached by Digital Photography magazine to share my thoughts with their readers.
10 Ways to keep your photo business busy during Corona isolation – Full article
10 ways to keep busy during Corona isolation
- Write blog pieces – If you’re anything like me you probably have a seemingly endless list of topics that could make interesting blog posts but never found the time to write them. With the extra time on your hands, it’s a great opportunity to get ahead of yourself and produce plenty of content ready to share over the coming weeks and months.
- Freshen up your portfolio/website – I am constantly shooting so find it very hard to keep my website and portfolio fresh and up to date. I have a couple of years work that still hasn’t been included on my site which really isn’t acceptable. Now we can actually spend some time in front of our computers this is an easy and enjoyable task to undertake. Aside from updating images you could also freshen up pages and work on your SEO to make your website reachable by Search Engines.
- Keep fit – It’s important to keep fit at any time but even more so in the current situation. Exercise will not only keep your body in shape during isolation but it also helps massively with the state of your mind. Keeping a fresh mind and body at times like this is incredibly important and will make these tough times a little easier to cope with. I do a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) session most mornings and these are great as they can be done at home and don’t require a lot of space.
- Youtube videos for inspiration – There is loads of great content for photographers, by photographers on YouTube. If you have a topic you are interested in just search away and see where it takes you. There is some fantastic inspirational content and all the tips and trick tutorials you could think of. Often these videos lead me to stumble across other talented photographers that I wasn’t previously aware of who provide a great source of inspiration.
- Social media plan – Social media plays a big part of my business and plays a very important role in modern-day marketing. If you already have an active following then maybe work on ideas to keep your content and approach fresh and exciting. If you aren’t currently on any or some social media why not start now. Instagram is a great start but if you’re feeling adventurous you could always start a YouTube channel.
- Get organised – I now have a pretty good structure in place to manage my image catalogues but I know many photographers struggle with finding the time to keep up with this. Hectic shoot schedules and social life mean these jobs are often done in a rush or not at all. Now you have no excuse not to get the back of house in order.
- Editing practice – There is always things to improve on and this is never more true than with image editing. A good idea is to dig out some old images from the archives and practice new editing techniques and methods on them.
- Shoot Research – I’m always looking for fresh new locations to shoot but struggle to always find the time to do this. There are some great sources of inspiration from magazines, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. I add pins with accompanying images of anything of interest I find to a google map so it is saved for a later date. I have a couple of recce trips to Greenland and Mongolia planned for upcoming photo tours so I will be working on these places.
- Connect – With all the creatives on lockdown now is a great time to connect with your peers. People who may normally not have the time to interact may now have more time on their hands to connect. This could leave to some fruitful collaborations and maybe even lasting friendships.
- Revised business plan/approach – As the landscape for photographers has very suddenly and drastically changed, I think a revised business plan is essential for the continued success and longevity of most photography businesses. Hopefully, these will only be minor adjustments but its best to be aware of the situation so you are on top of things and ready to implement your plans as the situation improves.
Hopefully, you found our 10 ways to keep busy during Corona isolation helpful and if you have any of your suggestions please let us know in the comments.
Jordan Banks is a successful travel photographer with almost 20 years of experience shooting assignments and campaigns for some of the worlds leading brands and companies. Why not join him on his Croatian photo tour.
Our 10 ways to keep busy during Corona isolation post is subject to copyright. Words and photos by Jordan Banks (That Wild Idea). Copying or reposting of photos or article elsewhere is strictly forbidden. Please contact us if you would like to use this feature on your website.