EMMA DAVIES
The author of A Year With My Camera gives ten tips for lockdown
1. STAY AT HOME
Whatever stage your country is at, respect the call to stay at home. Medical staff are putting their actual lives on the line for us, so it’s the least we can do.
2. SUPPORT YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN
I want Loxley to still be in business when this is over, for example, so I will be ordering some frames for exhibitions that I’ve been putting off to help their cash flow.
3. ATTRACT REPEAT CUSTOMERS
Could you get in touch with existing clients from previous shoots and offer them prints or future workshops at a discount?
4. TEACH ONLINE
Technology makes it easy to get started, but it is not easy to suddenly become a teacher. Educate yourself in how to teach first, then you can offer something truly valuable. Start small with a simple PDF or email series.
5. DO WHAT YOU WANT
It’s easy to say, “Spend the time catching up on admin”, but that’s very soul-destroying when we’re probably feeling low anyway.
I’d say ignore the people online telling you what you should be doing. If you feel like creating, create. If you want to do your tax return, embrace that moment. If you don’t know where your rent is going to come from, get in touch if you can write: I will pay £100 each for good blog posts (HTTPS:// AYEARWITHMYCAMERA.COM/BLOG/WRITE-FORAYWMC-PAID).
6. LOOK FOR FUNDING
Sites such as Format and Convert Kit have launched a fund for creatives where you can apply for up to $500.
7. WRITE THAT PHOTO BOOK
Jump in at any part of the book plan that draws you in – you don’t have to start at chapter one and keep going until you finish. Have a time every morning where you have to sit down and write just one sentence. You
will find you are able to keep writing after that one sentence, and you eventually structure your day around the book rather than it being the last thing on your to-do list. Alison Jones helped me plan my first book, and she conducts a free virtual writing retreat for two weeks to plan your book (HTTPS://ALISONJONES. LPAGES.CO/VIRTUAL-WRITING-RETREAT/).
8. COLLABORATE
Think about who else needs help and how you can combine your skills with them.
Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or drop someone an email if you have an idea. I think photographers are nervous about getting in touch to make money together for fear of rejection, being seen as greedy, being worried someone will steal their ideas, not knowing what to charge for a new idea, or thinking they are not good enough and will be “found out”. You can get over all those issues with a bit of courage and online research.
9. THINK OF THE MARGINS
It’s tempting to start selling your prints on cushions or mugs. I’ve tried it. The margins are tiny and you have to have a big audience to make it work. I’ve got 11,000 Instagram followers and I only ever made about £20 each time I’d promote a new thing. My best margins come from my online courses, and then my books. Both took at least six months to create.
10. ENTER COMPETITIONS
My credibility went up dramatically when I had some success in competitions – IGPOTY and TPOTY. It’s not an immediate financial return, but I am glad I got over my fear of rejection and entered. Spend this enforced isolation going over your back catalogue and seeing what you have that hasn’t been worked up yet. Check the Ts & Cs. Lots of competitions have a phone photography category, so don’t rule that option out.