Tips to Survive COVID-19 as a Photographer or Filmmaker
Photography
Tips & Advice
Gear Focus
Mar 21, 2020
The coronavirus is hitting every industry hard, but freelance photographers and filmmakers in general struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, we wanted to share with our community some tips to Survive COVID-19 as a photographer or filmmaker.
As a freelance photographer or filmmaker, how can you protect yourself from canceled projects? What should you spend your time working on to be more productive and successful once things get back to some normalcy?
Often times creatives are so busy working they never spend time on their own marketing. Now is the time to work on improving your website, write some blogs and content for SEO, clean-up or start your mailing list. Send out thank you cards to past clients to get your name in front of them again. Do you have a YouTube channel? Spend some time on new videos and even start a channel if you don't have one. Consider live-streaming to talk about your passion and work or tips for your industry. There are endless ways to spend time marketing yourself, so use this downtime to work on the marketing you never have time to do when you are constantly working on projects for clients.
When you are in the middle of working on projects for clients, you often don't have time to learn any new skills. Sure, we are always learning when we work, but rarely do we focus on learning new skills that we simply don't do. If you are a portrait photographer, maybe you want to learn more about off-camera lighting or maybe natural light. If you are a filmmaker, maybe you want to practice your gimbal skills. Now would be a great time to run-around your home filming new moves with your camera gimbal. Get "creative" and start learning or even improving ones you already know. You'll be that much more successful and prepared once work resumes.
Yes, it's time to go through that gear closet and see what camera gear you could sell off to hold you over until work resumes. Often we are sentimental about gear, but we shouldn't be. Gear that worked for us in the past, may not be needed anymore. Consider selling your used camera equipment. Gear Focus is always about helping feed your passion and currently we are offering zero seller fees to all sellers until April 10th. So now is the time to sell off the old camera gear you no longer have a use for.
Wait, didn't you just say sell your used camera gear? Yes, but if money is not an issue for you right now, there are some great deals on used camera gear due to others needing to sell. Plus, you'll be helping out your fellow creatives who actually need to sell their camera gear to survive. Or why not do both? Sell some gear and use that money to buy the camera gear that fits your needs today.
While you shouldn't rely on online photography and filmmaking contests on a regular basis, now would be a good time to enter into a few to see if you could win. Often times there are cash rewards for these photo contests, so it is worth a shot. Pun intended:) Plus you will be able to practice your skill by doing them, so it won't be a total loss of your time if you don't win anything monetarily. Here are a few to get you started, but just search our good friend google for more that might fit you better.
We hope these tips to Survive COVID-19 as a photographer of filmmaker and to keep all of you creative and busy during these most uncertain times. Stay safe and let us know of more tips and what you are doing during this time. We would love to hear from you in the comments and would be glad to share your work to help FEED YOUR PASSION!
Here are some tips to Survive COVID-19 as a photographer or filmmaker
Take This Time to Improve Your Marketing and Brand
Often times creatives are so busy working they never spend time on their own marketing. Now is the time to work on improving your website, write some blogs and content for SEO, clean-up or start your mailing list. Send out thank you cards to past clients to get your name in front of them again. Do you have a YouTube channel? Spend some time on new videos and even start a channel if you don't have one. Consider live-streaming to talk about your passion and work or tips for your industry. There are endless ways to spend time marketing yourself, so use this downtime to work on the marketing you never have time to do when you are constantly working on projects for clients.
Learn Some New Photography or Filmmaking skills
When you are in the middle of working on projects for clients, you often don't have time to learn any new skills. Sure, we are always learning when we work, but rarely do we focus on learning new skills that we simply don't do. If you are a portrait photographer, maybe you want to learn more about off-camera lighting or maybe natural light. If you are a filmmaker, maybe you want to practice your gimbal skills. Now would be a great time to run-around your home filming new moves with your camera gimbal. Get "creative" and start learning or even improving ones you already know. You'll be that much more successful and prepared once work resumes.
Clean up Your Studio and Organize
Now is the time to organize and possible remodel your studio or work space.Downsize your photography equipment
Yes, it's time to go through that gear closet and see what camera gear you could sell off to hold you over until work resumes. Often we are sentimental about gear, but we shouldn't be. Gear that worked for us in the past, may not be needed anymore. Consider selling your used camera equipment. Gear Focus is always about helping feed your passion and currently we are offering zero seller fees to all sellers until April 10th. So now is the time to sell off the old camera gear you no longer have a use for.
Start a YouTube Channel or Podcast
We all have skills that others could benefit from learning. YouTube is the #1 search engine according to recent statistics. Why not start your own YouTube Channel and start getting yourself out there for more work? It really isn't that hard to get things going quickly. Simply start a list of tips or advice you have from the work and skillsets you have as a photographer or filmmaker. Find some that are easy to start with like a 3 tips for.... or a How to.... These are very popular videos that many people search for. You won't be a star over night, but it could be something you end up enjoying and are good at. Down the road you could find yourself making some pretty good income by growing your YouTube Channel. Take a look at the video below for some advice from Armando Ferreira, who has built a massive YouTube following over the years and makes very good income from it as his full time job.Buy Some Used Camera Gear
Wait, didn't you just say sell your used camera gear? Yes, but if money is not an issue for you right now, there are some great deals on used camera gear due to others needing to sell. Plus, you'll be helping out your fellow creatives who actually need to sell their camera gear to survive. Or why not do both? Sell some gear and use that money to buy the camera gear that fits your needs today.
Create & Submit to Online Contests
While you shouldn't rely on online photography and filmmaking contests on a regular basis, now would be a good time to enter into a few to see if you could win. Often times there are cash rewards for these photo contests, so it is worth a shot. Pun intended:) Plus you will be able to practice your skill by doing them, so it won't be a total loss of your time if you don't win anything monetarily. Here are a few to get you started, but just search our good friend google for more that might fit you better.
We hope these tips to Survive COVID-19 as a photographer of filmmaker and to keep all of you creative and busy during these most uncertain times. Stay safe and let us know of more tips and what you are doing during this time. We would love to hear from you in the comments and would be glad to share your work to help FEED YOUR PASSION!Own one like this?
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