In the face of COVID-19, content creators have been forced to dig deep to keep their professions alive, to continue making content that attracts business, and to stay sane and maintain the inspiration flowing. It can be incredibly hard not to feel useless, unmotivated and frustrated at this point in time in the quarantine... I believe we are entering the ninth week?
I would be lying if I said I haven't had my moments since lockdown began where I have felt completely unmoved and drained. Between having writing dozens of cover letters to organizations offering remote work for students and hearing no response, to trying to grow my photography business amidst a time where a portrait session is not among most people's highest priorities, staying consistent with all of it has been difficult. I don't wake up every day feeling artistic. I don't wake up every day with new ideas... and I certainly don't wake up everyday with an ambition to make content; however, it has been at my lowest points during quarantine that I have pushed myself more than ever to create, and it is during those moments of deeper reflection and need for emotional release that I have been able to produce some of the most unique work I've ever made.
I heard a phrase not too long ago on a podcast that said "we only focus on our mental health when we're at our lowest points, and disregard it when we're happy. In reality, mental health is something that you should be regularly checking in on, whether you're sad or not." Although this blog post isn't about mental health, I think this saying applies in equal proportion to creativity. It can be easier to take amazing photographs when you're in a good mood; you can think more clearly, scavenge your brain better for ideas with poses, angles, etc., and you're more likely to remember your mental checklist of nitty gritty camera settings and details.
But what happens on the days when you're not feeling so creative? When your ambition is out the door, and your inspiration seems to be irrecoverable from the back of your head? This goes for quarantine and for non-quarantine shoots. As a photographer, you're an entrepreneur, and you have to be consistent in your delivery with clients. If you show up to a scheduled shoot feeling unambitious, chances are that you will end up taking mediocre pictures, meaning that your clients are not getting what they paid for. This can ruin your reputation, which can harm you business and your career. I've come to learn that being able to make jaw-dropping content, even when you're not feeling like a jaw-dropping photographer, is a muscle that requires training. You have to commit to strengthening it during your own time, even when you're feeling low. Push yourself to get up off the couch and grab the camera. Whether you're a landscape photographer or not, go out and take pictures of nature and see how creative you can make a picture of a regular dandelion. Alternatively, you could spend some time browsing through Instagram and Pinterest, and look at the work of the photographers that you currently follow, as well as searching for new photographers. Look at work that moves you and inspires you, and help it to stir your ambition to create.
If you read my last blog post, then you'll know that during quarantine I hopped on the self portrait train. Ever since doing my first set of self portraits, I've pushed myself to keep doing them to maintain my consistency and my experimentation with ideas. During the shoots where I've felt particularly uninspired, the warming up to the camera and finding the focus can be very unmoving and cumbersome... but I've been trying to practice just letting go, letting my feelings guide my posing, and only express the emotions that I'm feeling in that instant for the camera. I can't recommend this method of self expression enough... it's like writing in your journal and releasing all the negativity in your head; but instead of words, you're translating it into physical human expression. It's also very fulfilling to look back at old self portraits, remember how down you were feeling in that moment, and feel rewarded in knowing that you turned those emotions into a piece of art. I'm no therapist, but I think anyone could really get a kick out of this method. (#SelfPortraitAdvocate)
Sine quarantine began, I started seeing a trend called FaceTime Photoshoots appear all over my Instagram feed. It was incredible to see the creativity that was being poured into everyone's variations of this challenge, and I knew immediately that I wanted to try it myself. This photoshoot can be done in two ways: you can pose your subject on FaceTime, shoot them by using the screen capture function on the FaceTime app, and edit the mobile capture. Alternatively, you can set up a cool background somewhere in your home, pose your phone or tablet against it and capture the entire set up with your DSLR camera, just as I did. The backdrop can be achieved by using blankets, lights, books, and more in a very small area. I find this method to be more versatile and creative; although your subject may not appear as high quality through the screen as they would in person, this is an incredible way to try a different concept of photography and allows you tell a story through your picture in a differently inventive way than are traditionally used.
If you've known me for long enough, then you know that I love to spend my time pouring over Rupi Kaur's poetry. I found this particular quote in her latest book, The Sun and Her Flowers, and immediately felt inspired to use it in a FaceTime shoot. I thought it had the potential to make an empowering, emotional concept, and that the quote could complement the model's expressions to depict an interesting story. I texted my lovely friend @missbritainny, who I shot with in 2018 and have been avidly looking to create with since. That's another luxury of FaceTime shoots- they can be done with virtually anyone, anywhere in the world!
For these pictures, I opted for a simple background with minor props to not draw too much attention away from the quote or the subject. My mom was kind enough to lend me some of her multicolour scarves to use for the background; and after getting on our FaceTime call and scouting spots around the model's house, I chose which scarf to use according to her background. I had sent her the quote prior to our shoot so she could be aware of the concept I was going for, and she executed it better than I could've hoped for. This was an exceptionally fun shoot, and would highly recommend to any photographer who is looking to try something new, release some creative juice and practice new ideas during these times.
All pictures from this shoot were shot using my 50mm F1.8 lens, using natural light and medium aperture (F7-F9) to capture the quote and the model in focus. For the pictures in which I wanted the model more in focus, I used live view to manually set the focus to her eyes, and turned the aperture up to around F5.0 or F4.5. You want to keep your ISO low, as the model will most often appear brighter than the background due to the light from the device used, so I would suggest somewhere around 100-400 for your ISO, depending on where you're situated in your house.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged to try out this concept- it's a lot of fun! Don't forget to tag #FacetimePhotoshoot so we can see your results. Happy quarantine-ing!
