When the virus came on the world, no one knew what a drastic effect Covid would have on everyone. I know some people that passed not because they had Covid, but they had no access to medical facilities they needed to treat themselves.
Covid Outing Photography - July 2020
When the Corona broke out, one of the first things that came to my mind was how photography would be touched. The world economy is on the brink of a recession, and photographers are not exempt from the financial impact. Photography in modern times is more of a luxury good than a necessity, with its demand rising and falling with the incomes of clients. As the recession looms, I anticipated that demand for photography services, in general, to decrease. Of course, photographers who have built strong brands, with recurring clients and high demand may feel less of an impact. As an industry, we should brace ourselves for a temporary decline in revenue.
Sports photographers will feel the effect of cancelled games at the professional and amateur level. Wedding photographers will feel the impact of postponed weddings or weddings with decreased budgets. Even in-studio portrait photographers, like headshot photographers and newborn photographers, may start to feel a decline in business as their clients reduce their human contact, tighten their wallets, and spend more time at home.
The silver lining is that the revenue decline should reverse as the hysteria calms and the economy recovers. Also, photography businesses typically have low overhead when compared to other small businesses like retail shops or restaurants, so if revenues decline, they can stay flexible by scaling back costs. No matter how you feel about COVID-19, there are real financial implications. Whether you’re in a state of panic or you believe the whole thing is all hype driven by the media, you can’t ignore the consequences of the virus, and the impact it can have on the industry. The best thing I did was remain calm, be smart and prepare for the future so that I can continue to thrive in any economy. I increased my gear, honed my skills and picked up the camera and went out looking for great expanses to photograph where social distancing is never an issue.
As the world gets accustomed to greeting with nods and toe taps instead of handshakes and hugs, photographers need to adapt as well. Hand sanitizer will become a must-have in a photographer’s camera bag. Non-contact, verbal-only posing skills will need to be developed to accommodate clients who prefer no physical contact. In general, photographers need to have a heightened awareness of what they are touching on the shoot, taking frequent breaks to wash their hands thoroughly.
While these all seem like common sense, when we photographers are “in the zone,” focusing on details, compositions, settings, and moments, these things aren’t always on our minds. In our current state, they need to be, and the open expanses out there allows for it all.