I know  your inbox and social media feeds have been filled to the brim with offers, educational opportunities, virtual events etc. It can be overwhelming. Don’t feel bad from disconnecting during this time or for not feeling inspired to put together your own offer/sale/event etc. Give yourself some grace. 

I disconnected for a bit and have no urgency to “pivot” and have no real desire to try all of the new ways of capturing people (hello FacetTime shoots and front porch sessions). I am still figuring out how I fit into this new normal.

This past week however, I have been inspired to share a few resources to help you keep creating brand images/posts and if you are in the creation mode, I hope they will help.

Start Small: 

If you just have the energy to do one small thing a day, I loved this Jar idea by Kaye McCoy. Place several small tasks/fun activities/blog or Instagram ideas on strips of paper and place them in a jar and daily random pull one to tackle. 

Product Photography/Flat Lays: 

Going it Alone:  

• If you are tackling product photography on your own to get your stores online or to begin selling a new product, Replica Surfaces has great Tips, tricks, and Tutorials on product photography to help elevate your game. 

• You don’t have to invest in expensive surfaces, I use construction paper and display boards that I purchased at the dollar [See my pull back photo]. You can also use sheets, mats and whatever you have at home. Add in hands and fingers for a human touch.

Need Help:

• If you want the professional touch in this time of social distances, send your products to a product photographer via mail. Tina Crespo is a great product photographer and Melena DeFlorimonte is a great food photographer who can assist from afar. 

• For filler content for your website/blogs/social media, consider stock photos from Adobe Stock [I sell on Adobe Stock],  Stocksy  or Canva (which has free stock photos), among many stock sites.

• For videos for social media, Visuals by Cait offers collections of vertical videos.

Self Portraits:

Until we can shoot in person, here are my tips for taking great self-portraits to share a bit of your quarantine stories: 

• Find the light - This is essential. Facing a window or open a door letting in great light. 

• Use the camera you have — iPhone or DSLR, it matters not, once it has a timer ( I use Photo Timer app on my iPhone and my DSLR can be controlled via an app on my iPhone. 

• Steady Goes it - Use a tripod or create a make shift tripod by propping up the phone on a steady surface.  

• Chose Your background/location based on your taste - I like clear uncluttered background. But it’s essential to show your personality - on the couch, cooking, home office.  

• Music can set the mood and get you feeling energetic and relaxed.

• Set focus on the camera and the timer, using burst mode capturing several images continuously while you pose. More importantly, have fun. 

• Edit your images using your favorite apps. I love Snapseed app and Lightroom mobile app.

Three 1 -Minute Content Ideas:

Your Inspiration: Share what and where inspires you and fuels your work, in particular, share your inspiration wall.

Work Space: Share your workspace, home studio and the things you keep close by and why;

Work Tools: Share the tools you use to create your work - the type of brushes, favorite pens, best podcast mike etc. 

If you have read this far, thanks.