Isolation Photography

Covid 19 Pandemic. Is the glass half empty or half full?

Let's face it: Covid 19 and the resultant isolation safety measures have put a damper on photography for a lot of people. Professionals in most genres were essentially put out of work within very short order. I went from having half a dozen shows to shoot in March and April to none.

Street photography has been reduced to pretty much shooting...streets. Streets empty of people except for a few on essential business or out for a walk.

No sports photography. Portrait sessions, maybe, if protocols are kept. Weddings? Nope. Fashion and commercial photography? Again a maybe. Fine art and conceptual photographers can keep working since they often work in relative isolation anyway. Photojournalists are keeping busy covering news and press conferences related to the pandemic.I'd h

This is actually a golden opportunity for photography. Now is the time to push ourselves to find subjects we wouldn't normally think of capturing. Things around the house or yard. Get started with astrophotography. Even get into self portraits. Being isolated doesn't mean creativity must stop. It's a chance to hone a skill called "seeing photographically".

What that means is to look at the world with a focus on light, shadow, form, texture and color. Try to visualize how a subject will look with the various fields of view that different focal lengths offer. The image above is an example. I have skylights in my kitchen and this is the time of year when the sun provides some really sweet light against a certain section of the wall. The tumbler is one of a couple I bought to hold water for watercolors. Light. Form. A concept. A nice photo resulted.No masterpiece, but at least it kept my busy making images, and also has provided the foundation for further exploration of the subject.

Of course, you may already be doing this. Or you may already be going back through old photos to see if any invite you to re-edit them or polish up ones you overlooked before. Take some online classes or watch videos about photography.(I highly recommend "The Art of Photography" by Ted Forbes. It's a refreshing break from all the gear review and "Youtube Diva" videos about photography.

With a positive attitude and the right approach, you can come out of this pandemic a better photographer than when is started.