1. Organize your files.
- Delete files you don’t need, catalog good pictures
– Back -up 3 times; keep 2 copies on hard drives at home/office and 1 copy offsite (I use backblaze.com and https://www.dropbox.com/business for back-up)
2. Use new photos you found for your portfolio or sell them as Fine Art.
– Print photos for print portfolio
– Upload photos to digital and social platforms such as https://www.behance.net , https://www.linkedin.com
, https://www.instagram.com and https://www.facebook.com
– Sell photos as Fine Art (you can use services such as WhiteWall.com or for a higher quality print – Platinum Palladium printing with https://www.instagram.com/rjprintlab/
3. Retouch photos or edit videos you haven’t had time to do.
4. Create mood boards for new projects/shoots you’d like to do.
– I use Dropbox Paper and https://evernote.com/
– Find old magazines and research
– Look through inspiration you’ve saved on Instagram and Pinterest
5. Watch tutorials for things you want to learn.
- YouTube
6. Learn about new photographers entering the industry for inspiration.
- lensculture.com
- vogue.it/photovogueluerzersarchive.com
- adsoftheworld.com
- issuu.com
- behance.net
- Pinterest.com
- models.com/photographers
7. Take inventory of and clean your equipment.
– Create an excel of all your equipment and assign price values to each. You may find you have equipment you don’t use that you can sell on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or eBay
8. Update and organize your existing and potential client list.
– MailChimp and Nimble are two great resources
9. Watch movies that have won awards for cinematography.
- Analyze lighting and framing
- Take screenshots
- Watch behind-the-scenes content, interviews with the cinematographers / DPs, etc.
Parasite (2019)
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi
Green Book (2018)
Director: Peter Farrelly | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco
The Shape of Water (2017)
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones
Moonlight (I) (2016)
Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert
Votes: 249,466 | Gross: $27.85M
Spotlight (I) (2015)
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough
1917 (2019)
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth
For 2019 Won by Roger Deakins
Roma (2018)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta
For 2018 Won by Alfonso Cuarón
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista
For 2017 Won by Roger Deakins
La La Land (I) (2016)
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons
For 2016 Won by Linus Sandgren
The Revenant (2015)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
For 2015 Won by Emmanuel Lubezki
10. Create.
Be mindful and use this time to grow. Now is the time to be creative, use all the resources you have at hand and create something.
