Throughout the past several months, many photographers have expressed that they are struggling to stay inspired and find new subjects to photograph, as they are trying to adhere to CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, sheltering in place and staying safe and healthy during the Covid19 Pandemic.
Although staying home and keeping our distance from others does limit us in some ways when it comes to the photography exercises we might have worked on in the past compared to what we can safely work on now, that doesn’t mean that we need to hang up our cameras and put creativity on hold altogether. However, the New York Institute of Photography would like to provide some simple tips for staying as safe as possible as you practice your photography during a time when cleanliness is especially important.
Keeping Your Gear Clean
It goes without saying that first and foremost, in order to stay as safe as possible you need to adhere to the latest Covid 19 safety guidelines being shared by the CDC.
Beyond that however, you might be interested in tips on keeping your photography gear clean after each session when you’ve been touching your device and making adjustments with bare hands. Getting started, you can wipe down the body of your camera. If you see any stains on your camera body, try to gently use a toothbrush to scrub off stubborn spots. Make sure that you are especially careful around any leather surfaces- you don’t want to scrub away the glue that holds the leather pieces in place.
After you clean the body, you can clean the lens and the sensor as well. For this, you will need a rubber bulb blower, non-abrasive, lint-free wipes and lens cleaner. You should be able to order these items from any camera shop (if you are an NYIP student, be sure to shop Adorama for exclusive student discounts). Make sure you can work on a clean surface in a space with good lighting.
Getting started, gently begin to dust any dirt or small particles that might have collected on your lens. Make sure to be as gentle as possible in order to avoid scratching the lens itself. This is a great time to use the bulb blower tool as well, so you can softly blow air onto the lens to remove dirt while avoiding touching the lens altogether. After you’ve done your best to gently clean any particles off, you can use a lens cleaner and your non-abrasive, lint-free wipes to gently cleanse the lens as well.
Work at Home
Finally, remember that there are plenty of photography projects you can work on without leaving your own yard, or even your home. While dirt and dust dirtying our cameras is inevitable no matter where we’re using them, if you’re worried about your gear getting contaminated with germs from other people, staying home is your best bet. Some fun options for at-home photography projects include:
- Close-Up Photography: Practicing your macrophotography is a simple exercise you can try indoors or in your backyard. You could use a piece of fruit, a leaf, or a flower as a subject for this composition. Here’s a macrophotography tutorial to help you get started.
- Water Droplet Photography: This is another exercise you can complete without needing to go in public or interact with other people. Staying inside your home, you could use a glass of water for this. If you’re headed out to your yard, you could work with water from a pool, sprinkler, or your garden hose. This water droplet photography tutorial should help!
- Bird Photography: Whether you’re in a city on the lookout for a flock of pigeons or in your backyard waiting on the perfect shot of a red cardinal, bird photography is another great genre you can explore while maintaining your distance from crowds of people.
Sticking to projects you can complete while staying home or keeping a safe distance from crowds is a simple way to ensure your safety during these times. If you’re looking for a photography class you can take online without having to travel to a classroom or interact with other people, remember that the New York Institute of Photography offers fully online, self-paced photography courses that our students complete from home.
Once you enroll, you will be given access to our online learning center and your program. You will be given photography projects, videos to watch, tutorials to read, and more. You will also be paired with a photography mentor- a real NYC based photographer who will be reviewing your assignments and providing you audio feedback you can listen to as you learn what your strengths are and how you can improve. If this sounds like something that would interest you, click here to get started and enroll today.
