Using photography during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside.  Seriously.  Things are pretty crazy right now.  I keep telling friends, I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality.  Information changes daily, sometimes by the hour, sometimes by the minute.  Businesses have shut down for the time being, restaurant lots sit empty, grocery store shelves are bare, and schools are closed for the foreseeable future.  History is being written and we are a part of it.

I have said before that our photographs are what we have to remember our past, and never before have I felt so strongly the importance of picking up my camera and photographing my family and our community during this time.  For me it’s even therapeutic, and it helps me to process the craziness around me.  But at it’s core, it’s documenting history.  Years from now, our photographs will be what we have to look back on this historical time.  

So, with that in mind, here are 5 tips for you to do the same as we all get through this together.

Capture the everyday

Our “everyday” looks a little different right now.  All of my children are home because school is closed.  We’ve had many conversations about what social distancing means, and what that looks like for them. It is hard to keep things “normal,” and they just don’t understand why they can’t be at school with their friends, or outside playing closely with all of the neighbors. School at home will be a reality next week. We are washing our hands like crazy. Take pictures of all of it.

While social distancing, I’ve been trying to give my children fun activities to do. Here, my children used window markers to draw on our kitchen windows.

Capture the unique 

Have you ever seen a toilet paper shortage like we’ve seen during this crisis?  It’s crazy.  Don’t be afraid to get your camera out if you’re at the store getting groceries.  Never before have I seen shelves so bare, lines so long, restaurant parking lots so empty.  The best camera you have is the one on you.  Whether you take your DSLR along, or it’s just your phone, take pictures of what you’re seeing. My husband also is experiencing an unprecedented time at his job. Because he works at the hospital, you can imagine just how crazy life has been for him. For now, he’s still going in to work everyday, working long hours and attending meeting after meeting regarding this pandemic. And when he comes home, he’s typically on his phone or laptop.  He and his colleagues are working so hard to keep up with the demands the hospital is facing. I’ve been documenting it all and the emotions surrounding it.

The Chic Fil-A parking lot sits empty after the restaurant went to drive-thru and pick up only. Right: my husband had just finished a workout and immediately was on the phone with colleagues discussing issues at the hospital, while my daughter looks through the French doors behind him.

Process emotions

Working through the emotions of all of this has been difficult.  It’s hard not to let anxiety or fear take over. Some days it’s overwhelming.  Some days, the comfort of having all of my children home with me overwhelms me with gratitude.  Don’t think that photographs are only meant for happy, smiling faces.  Document what you’re feeling, and document what your family is feeling. Sadness, gratitude, confusion, curiosity - there are so many emotions that I and my family have felt over the past few weeks, and I’m trying my best to capture it all.

A double exposure Self portrait helps me to express my feelings: Faith > Fear.

Snuggling with all three of my children, reading them “God’s Great Love for You,” a beautiful book by Rick Warren and illustrated by Chris Saunders. One of my favorite messages of the book right now is, “God’s great love is with you wherever you go. On good days….and bad days.”

Use it as a lesson

Many of us are finding ourselves in a homeschool situation.  If you’d like to add art lessons to your daily or weekly school routine, photography is one way to do this!  Let your kids use your phone, an Instax or Polaroid camera, or even an old point and shoot or DSLR you might have laying around.  Let them be a part of documenting history, too.  Be on the lookout for my next blog post with some more detailed ideas and lessons for your kids.  But to get you started, try a photo scavenger hunt!  Give your kids a short list of items to ‘find” and photograph.  Fellow Click Pro Master, Linsey Davis, has a list already available to look at on Instagram.

My daughter watches out the window for neighbors.

PRINT your photographs

Haven’t gotten around to printing those photos from 2015?  Now is the perfect time to put together a photo book or prints for display.  Seriously - if you aren’t going to do it now when you’re supposed to stay home for days and weeks at a time, then when will you?  (As an added note, that’s why I take care of this for my clients right after their sessions!) Don’t put it off any longer. You deserve to have your photos on display.  And when this is all over, use the images you’ve created over the weeks and months of this pandemic and print a book to remember it.  We are writing history - let’s have something tangible that we can share with our children and our children’s children.

We are writing history - let’s have something tangible that we can share with our children and our children’s children.

My dear friend created this amazing artwork with her kids. When I saw what she had done, I asked if I could photograph it with my drone. Artwork like this deserves to be photographed. And messages of hope and kindness deserve to be shared in times like these.