Times are tough in the photography industry, lets be honest times are tough in most industries. But, Corona has hit the service industry the most. Especially the Event, Hospitality, Entertainment, Airlines industry. This pandemic has affected the livelihoods of several thousands of photographers around the world.

I live in Bangalore, India and have come across several photographers who have left their high paying jobs to pursue their dream photography career. Many of us have taken loans to afford expensive camera gears and equipment. I have seen the Event industry which provided a lot of photographers a dignified living while using their talents. With most cities and states issuing stay-at-home orders, the events that allow wedding, portraits and corporate event photographers to make the bulk of their income have vanished, nearly overnight.

We have seen within a month, a global pandemic shuts down your entire country.

We are now left with cancelled events and photography sessions. Our offices bills, salaries, rents, loans and credit card bills are yet to be paid.

FUTURE AHEAD FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS?

The camera sales are going to be slow.

Clients expectation will be the same but on a lower budget.

Photographers revenue are going to decrease. Photographers margin are going to decrease. The numbers of events are going to decrease.

As a recession looms, we should anticipate demand for photography services, in general, to decrease. The pandemic has already affected many people’s livelihoods including freelance artists and creatives — and it is important to ensure that we are all prepared

WHAT SHOULD PHOTOGRAPHER DO DURING AND AFTER THE LOCK DOWN PERIOD OF CORONA?

• Brush up your photography skills.
• Improve your website SEO and UI.
• Rework on your old photographs and creatify them.
• Start attending free tutorials on Photoshop and also videography.
• Start networking on social media and increase your engagement.
• Start making calls or send messages to your old clients and ask them about their well being.
• Rework on your business model, eliminate all the extra expenses and sell the unused gear lying in the basement.
• Get associated with training groups and start giving out training online.
• Reach out to your old clients and ask them for a positive review on Google.
• Cut your advertisement budget and re look at the conversion ratio.
• Stay positive and support other fellow artists and photographers.
• Join Facebook, Whatsapp and Telegram groups related to photography.
• Exercise, and keep your self fit.
• Spend quality time with family.
• Read manuals of the photography gear you have. There is always something new you may find.

Corona based advice:

• Wear masks everywhere you go
• Have a sanitizer always around.
• Avoid touching things in public spaces
• Always clean your gear
• Avoid using shared or rented gear or equipment
• Do not and I mean DO NOT take risks by covering crowded events.
• And maintain social distancing

This is a time for us to understand and adjust to a whole new digital world. Lets be honest, this is the time when most of your customers are on the phone scrolling through different social media spaces. Lets target them and create engagements. Start working on you!!! Your brand, and most importantly STAY STRONG.