PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE PIVOTING THEIR CRAFT These pandemic times are historic. Many are turning to social media to share their own photos—cooking a new dish, learning a new hobby, de-cluttering closets and bedrooms. Hiring professional photographers now is less common due to social distancing and the cancellation of large events. Photographers are adapting their businesses to the circumstances.
Franklin Lopez Filipino-American Franklin Lopez is editing photos in post-production to give the impression of group shots. “I am creating composite group shots for school teams. I shoot the athletes individually against a green screen, then combine them in post processing to create a team photo,” said Lopez, who shared his frustration about not being able to operate during lockdown. “I’ve done executive head shots by bringing the studio to the customer’s location.
Photojournalism Denver-based photojournalist Ginny Tory combines her art and storytelling in sports and science. The stay-at-home period has given her time to work on developing photo essay ideas. She admitted it was difficult “seeing all of these hard-hitting, breaking news, but not being able to shoot them,” Tory said. “All I wanted to do was run out there with my camera and capture these world changing events, but instead I was trapped inside.” The irony is with stay-at-home orders, people are consuming news more than ever. “[Newspapers] and magazines are losing money due to ad revenue drying up,” she said. “This has caused many already hard-hit groups to cut down on their staff even further. So, while the world has a million stories that should be told, there’s not a lot of journalists or photojournalists out there.” Cancelled Weddings “Wedding inquiries have pretty much dropped off a cliff during prime wedding booking season, said James Tsui, owner of Eggsposure, based in Denver and Palo Alto. His 2020 scheduled weddings are all in the process of being rescheduled as he indicated no one wants to get married with ten guests or less. Social Distancing Tsui believes shooting engagement and portrait sessions at a distance is doable. “It’s pretty easy to be more than six feet away as I do a lot of environmental portraits, and I can use a telephoto lens for closeups,” he said. “In fact, I’m usually shooting from at least 15-20 feet away, so it’s pretty easy to distance.” Lopez practices social distancing with his clients by conducting consultations and photo orders through the phone, Zoom, FaceTime and providing online proof galleries.
Photo by Eggsposure
Travel Restrictions Bharat Shrestha, who is Nepalese,
Photo by Ginny Tory
shared he is unable to continue his photography because travel restrictions have limited his plans. He has offered his photography services to his Nepalese community in Denver, but has no studio or full-time job related to his skill. “I like storytelling types of photos,” said Shrestha, who moved to Colorado four years ago. “We can collect so many stories through photography.” Through his photographic work in Nepal, he has donated to students in remote areas of Nepal and a school affected by the 2015 earthquake.
Photo of Nepal by Bharat Shresthra Support Small Businesses and Local Photographers Ginny Tory | Ginny Tory Photography 856.313.9751 | ginnytory@gmail.com ginnytory.myportfolio.com Bharat Shrestha 720.988.3905 Ichironirabh57@gmail.com James Tsui | Eggsposure Photography 650.575.3155 | eggsposure@kryx.net eggsposure.net Frank Lopez | Franklin Lopez Photography 760.672.9988 info@franklinlopezphotography.com franklinlopezphotography.com
Photographers Pivoting Their Craft | asian avenue magazine
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