Here are some tips to help you create your own photographic record, your own little time capsule, until your favourite photographer can get you all in the frame again.

Look, life is a bit weird right now. Let’s all admit it. It’s the time of year when we’re all usually busy bees, celebrating the gorgeous autumn weather and madly feathering our nests for winter in all sorts of different ways – but instead, the majority of us are currently self-isolating. Life looks so different to the autumns we’re used to. Maybe we’re lonely, maybe we’re overstimulated, maybe we’re staying up too late, or waking up too early, or juggling many things at once, or struggling to find anything to do. Maybe we’re loving it. Maybe we can’t wait for it to end.

But no matter how we feel right now, one day we’re going to look back on this period, and struggle to adequately describe to our children and grandchildren what this weird period in time was actually like. The memories will meld into one long unending autumn weekend, and the emotions will be washed over from the feelings of life returning to normal. Everyone’s experience is different – no two stories will be the same.

Creating a record of this time is something concrete and real that you can do,  documenting all of the small moments that make self-iso what it is for you.

My greatest dream as a professional. documentary photographer is to be there in this extraordinary time in your lives to capture it – but alas, I cannot! So please enjoy some tips to help you create your own photographic record, your own little time capsule, until your favourite photographer can get you all in the frame again.

#1 – Keep a camera handy.

Don’t be the person who has to run off to find the camera when the action is happening – that almost always ruins the moment! Keep your camera somewhere within easy reach at all times. Charge the batteries on your kitchen counter at night, then pop them back in the camera over your morning coffee, and unload your memory cards regularly. Turn your shutter sound off, or tweak the settings to make it as silent as possible. Don’t make a big fuss about taking a photo – just grab your camera when the time is right, and quietly line up your shot.

So then when your kid is belting out the Hairspray opening number at the top of your lungs, you’re ready!

#2 – Seek out the quiet moments.

While your isolation buddies are engrossed in a quiet activity, take the opportunity to capture them at peace. These are often the most beautiful moments in a day, and the unique moments that isolation has granted for many of us. When we’d normally be rushing around to after school sports, or home from the daily commute, we may now have pockets of peace in our day instead. Look for these moments, and (with the shutter sound turned off!) snap away.

#3 – Don’t forget the details.

Notice the small things happening around you, and give them some much-needed attention. Little hands hard at work, fluffy paws, particular toys, your favourite mug, mess and chaos and quiet – all of these things are part of your experience, and help tell the story. Take an overall shot of your scene, then get in close to capture the details that your eyes and heart are drawn to.

#4 – Forget the mess, and take pleasure in the everyday.

You don’t have to look for anything “beautiful” to photograph. The every day moments that so often pass us by are worthy of recording, and these are the moments that will fascinate and bring joy to the future generations of your family. Embrace the ordinary routine, and let it make its mark on your photographic collection. Is your house a mess? Mine too. Don’t worry about it.

#5 – There’s no need to ask them to smile.

Let’s be real – we all have enough images featuring fake smiles! Look for moments will real, unprompted expressions instead, and quietly capture the genuine moments of your iso  – good and bad – by keeping the words “Now SMILE!” off your lips.

#6 – Capture the fun!

It doesn’t have to be pretty. It doesn’t have to be neat, or styled, or wonderfully lit. If there’s something fun happening, don’t interfere or direct – just find a good angle and a stable spot, and shoot. If the fun is high-speed, set your shutter speed way up high, or find the “Sport” setting, so that your subjects aren’t just blurs of joy.
Don’t be afraid to shoot a lot to get the perfect shot. But make the time to sit afterwards and go through your images to pick the best of the best, then delete the rest.

#7 – Notice and celebrate your environment.

It’s not all about the people. You’re spending more time in your home that you probably ever have before – find what makes you happy about your place, and give those things an honoured place in your collection.
In my collection, I’ve captured two things that I always look at and love in my house – our little baby fruit salad tree, so that I can look back one day and see how teeny it was before it gave us any fruit – and the light falling on my grandmother’s shell hanger in the later afternoon. No one is going to give these images any awards, but I feel so much when I look at them – to me, they say home. I always want to be reminded of those two little details.

#8 – Don’t forget your beloved pets.

Your furry friends are important to document too, and chances are good you’re spending more and more time curled up together than ever. Take the opportunity to love on them with some images of them just being themselves.

#9 – DO SOMETHING with your pics!

The final and most important step, once you have this big beautiful collection of images of your isolation life, is to DO SOMETHING WITH THEM. What good are they sitting on your phone or computer, sucked up into the vortex of The Cloud?
Every few days, download your images, pick through them to find the best ones, and copy them into their own folder marked “Isolation 2020”. Don’t forget to back this folder up onto a hard drive or the cloud! Then, decide how you want your future self to experience your photo essay. Are you loose prints kind of people, photo book people, or online-gallery-until-I-find-the-perfect-solution kind of people? (If you’re this last kind, I recommend a free account at www.pixieset.com – make a gallery and upload your finished images periodically. You can password protect it, send it out to family and friends, or just keep them there for a later date.)
Whatever you decide, make sure that when the time is right, you DO SOMETHING with your images. Get them printed, put them in an album, sticky tape them to your walls, whatever you like – just make sure you do it.

#10 – FINALLY: Your phone is amazing, don’t forget to use it.

They’ll never replace a photographer, but I’m the first to admit that phone cameras are wonderful. In good light, and with careful composure, your phone can take beautiful images when a photographer simply can’t be there. So don’t be afraid to supplement – or do your entire project! – with your phone.
But remember the golden rule, even if the photos are on your phone – do something with them. Pick out your favourites every day, tweak them if needed, then upload them to your computer and/or a folder for your printing project. Be disciplined – you can do this!

So there you go! Go forth, record, and celebrate this unique moment in your lives. I can’t wait to see you all again and have you ALL in front of the camera, when isolation ends, and we’re all free to roam again. Oh, the fun we’ll have! In the meantime, shoot, shoot, and SHOOT.

Got questions? I’m an open book, and I’m here to help. Fire away!