ISO Inspo - Photography During Quarantine
Like most people, I find myself with way too much time on my hands in the wake of avoiding Covid-19. One of the first things I, and many other photographers, thought of when social distancing was announced was “how am I supposed to create if I’m stuck inside?!”
I took a while to think about this and came up with three A’s for creatives stuck at home:
Archives - work on old photos or videos that you’ve already taken
Avoidance - figure out how to go out and create new content without exposing yourself to others
At Home - find ways to make creative work while staying indoors!
As I have been looking for inspiration from others, I noticed that these three trends represented how photographers and videographers were creating new amazing content. I’ve shared some of my favorites below and will continue updating as I stumble upon more creative ways artists are working around the quarantine. Enjoy and if you have found any others please send them to me on Twitter or Instagram @joe_tographer or email them to me at joejasperphoto@gmail.com.
Enjoy!
Archives:
One way to be creative at home is to group old photos to express your current feelings:
Photos by J.N. Silva (IG: @jnsilva ; Twitter: @jnsilva_)
Another way is to go back and re-edit or critique old photos:
Photos by Evan Ranft (IG & Twitter: @evanranft); The second post is a thread in which Evan goes back to critique and re-edit his old photos. This time is a great opportunity to look back at your growth!
Photos by Zack Lewkowicz (IG: @zackowicz)
Photobook by Joe Jasper.
Shameless self-plug here: due to not being able to go out and shoot as often, I decided to look back at my old photos from when I lived in Rome. The images made me feel nostalgic and I started to notice a theme, so I decided to put them together into a new photobook. Check out more details on this project here!
Another way to utilize your archives is to try something new! Reece Predmore has taken advantage of time in quarantine to learn how to edit videos using old footage:
Video by Reece Predmore
Avoidance:
Even if you follow all the guidelines, chances are you are still going outside. Why not bring your camera and capture what you see?
Photos by Josh Katz (IG: @joshkatz); Josh has been documenting the people of New York making the best of the hard times, great stuff!
Photos by Savannah Tilghman (Twitter: @mutedsavannah; IG: @savannahlizabeth); Not all photography can just stop! Savannah gives us a good example of taking safe precautions while still being able to capture important moments for her clients!
Photo by Reece Predmore (IG: @reece.o)
Photos by Angela Pan
Although we all wish otherwise, this pandemic is an important part of modern history, and it’s important to capture what life is like in this time.
Photos by Chris Jimenez (IG: @chris_in _dc)
More self-plugging, I shot a vlog documenting my attempt at vehicular street photography, check it out!
At Home:
Even if you don’t feel safe or comfortable getting out to shoot, there are many ways to still get your creative juices flowing. Many of us use photography to reflect our own lives, so showcase what life is like for you in this time:
Photos by Drue Schnelle (IG & Twitter: @druephoto); Who needs a studio when you have a girlfriend and a shower?
Video by North Borders (IG: @northborders)
Video by Abdullah Konte (IG: dullahvision)
Photos by Erin Sullivan (IG: @erinoutdoors); I love this photo set, check out her Instagram hashtag #OurGreatIndoors to see more!
Video by Hayden Pedersen (IG: @haydos_pedersen); several of my favorite photography Youtubers came together to make this and managed to come up with a bunch of ways to take sick photos from home
Lastly, not all subjects have to be right there in front of you. In this day and age the internet is available as a new canvas for artists, whether it be virtual meet ups or using video games as your landscapes. Don’t be afraid to look deeper than just the physical tools you have:
Photos by Craig Whitehead (IG: @sixstreetunder); I think this is so dope, especially because if you look at Craig’s non-RDR2 work, he is able to stay true to his style of street photography. Check out his Instagram for more examples of this series.
Photo by Kim Rendon (IG: @rendonstudio); A bunch of the Street Meet pages hosted a virtual street meet, in which photographers could take photos of models via video call. This is a great idea for portrait photographers who aren’t able to meet up with models to shoot. Hopefully we see more of these virtual photo events in the future!
*Seizure warning*
Video by Sam Morrison (IG & Twitter: @samthecobra); this is a super cool and creative way of making content using the internet as your landscape. Sam takes over 1200 photos from various Instagram accounts and uses them to create a hyperlapse showing how photography and the internet connects us all.