In the Photography Spotlight with Joel Conner

Image copyright Joel Connor. All rights reserved.

by Skip Cohen

Whether you call it "self-quarantine" or "social distancing," we're all in the same boat right now - confused, frustrated, and trying to figure what to do until business comes back. The social isolation we've all been forced to accept has left all of us with time on our hands.

Wandering through Facebook last Sunday, I stumbled on this shot by Joel Connor. First, I loved the photograph, but more important to my point this morning, I love what Joel wrote with it:

Did a quick session with my wife yesterday for the first time in ages. Have been working on adding new shooting spaces to our studio attic and with our session cancelation (of many) from yesterday, it seemed a good time to play for a bit. CC welcome. Fuji 50R w/ Mitakon 65 1.4 (at 2.0ish)

Note: A BIG thanks to Joel for giving me permission to share this image and what he wrote.

​There's that old expression my mother used to use, and we've all heard it - "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" I know it's trite and hokey, but we've got no choice. Joel had some downtime and decided to practice a little. Looking at his work, you'd think he doesn't need to practice - but even great ballplayers warm up swinging two bats. (Visit his website with a click on the image.)

We've all got time on our hands. While it takes a lot of energy to fight the depression of the world going upside down, utilize this time to fine-tune your skills. If you wait it out and choose to let time slip through your fingers, then you let the Coronavirus win.

From raising the bar on your skills to cleaning up your galleries, strategizing marketing for later in the year, managing your database, and expanding your network, the list goes on and on. There's so much you can be doing now to make your business stronger.

​I know it's abstract to think of this when your business has disappeared, but it will come back. The magic photographers bring to the world, turning intangible moments into memories people can hold in their hands, hasn't disappeared.

Faith...
is being sure of what you hope for
and certain of what you do not see.*
The Bible

*My wife Sheila has this in a frame on a wall in our home. It couldn't be more important to remember than today!