What a crazy year 2020 was! One social media post is not enough to sum up all the feelings and challenges I went through and the lessons I’ve learned for the past year, so I decided to come up with this post. Last year, I stopped doing photography for 9 long months – after shooting non-stop for 11 years. It was a difficult time, but it made me re-evaluate my life and my past choices. Allow me to share some of my highlights for 2020. If you’ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions last year, know that you are not alone. 🙂
Challenges
We all know what happened in March 2020, but I’d like to share a bit of my experience when the lockdown, due to COVID-19, was announced in the Philippines. I was enjoying the consistent shoots I had each month and the queries that were pouring in. By March 2020, I had several shoots lined up. When events were prohibited, some of my clients immediately cancelled. Some were still hopeful that things will get better eventually. When it was clear that this wasn’t happening, the rest of my clients cancelled their bookings altogether. I was devastated.
Rules were issued pertaining to events, but none was conclusive. At some point, events with limited guests were allowed. But the level of risk was the same. Event suppliers had to be extra careful and learned to adapt to new safety precautions. I’ve been seeing a lot of co-photographers who would undergo a swab test (which, I heard, is extremely uncomfortable and even painful) before going to a shoot.
As someone who has been shooting consistently for the past 11 years and whose career (and life) choices revolved around photography, having to give it up indefinitely was extremely difficult. I began to question my purpose and my past career choices. While I knew, even before the pandemic, that I had to make major changes in my career, I thought I had more time to explore and seek out opportunities. But given the circumstances, I knew I had to make drastic choices soon.
It was really challenging for me to be in a long state of uncertainty, not knowing where to go next in my work/career. It was also very confusing – there were several opportunities that came my way that I thought fit me perfectly, but none of them panned out. I also developed other skills like product/food photography. Eventually, I had to stop because I felt that they weren’t working for me. I knew I still wanted to do portrait photography. For the first time in years, I shelved my photography side hustle and focused on my legal job. I was able to transfer back to a corporate job by the latter part of the year.
I was able to resume shooting last December for a limited time, but I’m still figuring out how things will be for my photography work. I’ve decided to focus on limited family portrait sessions at the moment and put event coverage on hold. Hopefully, things will be better this year and I can have my own system in place so I can shoot regularly again.
Milestones
In spite of the pandemic, I’m happy with the total number of families I was able to serve this year. I’m also glad to have taken several “Day in Your Life” or lifestyle family portraits before the lockdown.
I was also given the opportunity to give a talk on basic mobile pet photography through Facebook live thanks to King’s BARF Diet Raw Dog Food. It was my first time to give an online photography talk – or go live online, for that matter. Minus the technical difficulties, it was a fun experience. I enjoy teaching and it was inspiring to see that some of the viewers practiced what they learned and they even shared their own dog photos. I also recorded a demo video with my quarantine companion, Wedge the dog. (And Wedge enjoyed the free goods that were sent to us.) If there’s another chance to do an online talk on photography, I’m definitely up for it.
I didn’t have any themed shoots before December, but I was able to compile mother’s day and father’s day video greetings, with the participation of my loyal clients. I hope I was able to spread joy and inspiration to families during such a bleak time.
I was also able to share some holiday photography tips through Mamacademy. Before the pandemic, I would often cover their live events. I’m happy that I was still able to partner with them through online means. (They also have regular online events for moms. Check out their website for their schedule.)
Finally, we had the styled Christmas mini-sessions in December with Party Nest. I was a bit anxious about shooting again, but we made sure to follow all safety protocols and scaled down the number of sessions for everyone’s safety. I was just excited to shoot and meet some of my clients again after more than 9 months!
What I’m thankful for
I’m thankful for my clients-turned-friends who continued to show their support – the same ones who joined our Chritmas sessions, those who sent in their videos for the mother’s day/father’s day greetings, who messaged me during the past 9 months, asking when I’ll shoot again. Thank you for still considering me as your family photographer and I sincerely hope to accommodate you for family sessions next year.
I’m also grateful for the suppliers and the co-photographers I’ve worked with from the start of the year.
Of course, I’m also thankful for the life lessons (which I will write about next), the new experiences, relationships, and the Lord’s provision throughout the entire year.
Lessons Learned
2020 taught us a LOT. I’ll probably share more of them in my next posts (when I gather enough energy to write them hehe) but these are some of my 2020 takeaways on photography and life –
- Don’t be afraid to try new things, especially at this time. You probably heard the word “pivot” thrown around too many times this year. Because of the pandemic, many businesses had to close down or adapt to the drastically changing times. I’ve seen fellow photographers venturing into unrelated businesses, wedding photographers trying to do product photography, event hosts and magicians hosting via Zoom, and others starting their own Youtube channels. Since many are trying out new things and experimenting, people are more forgiving and are actually supportive of new businesses and ventures. With this in mind, when the opportunity to give the online pet photography talk came up, I immediately said yes. I have never done this before, but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something new to keep up with the new normal. I thought, in case I failed, at least I tried out something new and learned in the process. My advice if there’s an opportunity for you to try something new, go for it. Quit overthinking and take action.
- “Avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are.” I got this from the book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I must admit, I’ve been guilty of tying my identity to my passion for photography/creative work. While I maintained my day job as a lawyer most of my adult life, my major decisions revolved around my status as a photographer. I made sure that nothing got in the way of photography. I also made adjustments in the past 2 years to accommodate more photography work. When I was unable to shoot for months, my sense of identity was greatly affected as well. As James Clear explained, the better way is to redefine yourself such that you get to keep important aspects of your identity, even if your particular role changes. I had to redefine my identity from being a “photographer” to a “creative who inspires and encourages others through my skills and past experiences.”
- Learn to slow down. I’ve always been on fire with photography since I started in 2009. Before the lockdown, I had 22 shoots in less than 3 months. My weekend calendar was filled up and I spent weeknights editing photos. I really enjoy shooting so I never thought of slowing down. I didn’t realize it required so much of my time and physical and mental energy – I had no Sabbath, no weekends; I didn’t get to spend time anymore with my family. I spent a lot of time shooting, posting on social media, replying to inquiries, and way too much time editing. I would have continued with this kind of lifestyle if not for the pandemic. The lockdown made me re-evaluate the quality of my life. I knew I needed to find balance in my work/career/relationships. I honestly enjoyed all the restful weekends I spent at home, which I rarely experienced before. I was also able to carve out more quiet time with the Lord, reflection, and daily exercise, helping me to lose weight during the quarantine.
- Despite all the evil in this world, continue to do good. Be the light in the darkness. For me, the most frustrating thing about the pandemic is not even the pandemic itself – it’s the people who are taking advantage of it and are using it for their own selfish interests. I felt so discouraged, helpless, and anxious seeing how the crisis is being handled and hearing about corruption and injustices related to the crisis. With all the darkness around, it’s truly refreshing to see several leaders and even ordinary people stepping up and doing what they can to help others. At some point during the pandemic, I was unable to help others financially because I was preserving my limited income as well. But I was able to extend help by connecting a friend, who was donating face shields at the time, to several hospitals who needed them. I learned that no matter where you are or what your status is, you can do something to help and uplift others. You can always give or do something and even inspire others to do the same.
- Finally and most importantly, focus on your relationship with God and His character, NOT on the circumstances. As months of indefinite quarantine went on, and I still didn’t have clarity on my career/work, I felt really down and helpless about my life. There were days when I would wake up at almost lunch time because I had no energy and I just felt down. I scrolled my social media feeds endlessly, filling my mind with bad news, local and international, and all sorts of negativity about the pandemic. I had to change my perspective and take comfort in the truth that God is in control. The end to this pandemic (or any major crisis) does not depend on any leader or any person, but on God. I needed to trust in Him, no matter what. As they say, don’t focus on how big your problem is, but on how big God is. Like the apostle Paul, keep your eyes on Jesus, and not on the storm. This will help you to keep going and get guidance on what to do next.
I’m not sure where 2021 will lead us, but I hope and pray for brighter days – that whatever we learned in 2020 won’t go to waste. Thank you to everyone (clients, co-suppliers, co-photographers, and friends) who continued to be supportive during 2020. And thanks to you, for reading through this lengthy post. Hehe.
If you would like to share your 2020 experience, or if there’s any topic that you’re interested in (on photography, faith, adulting, or life matters) that you’d like to read about on this website, please feel free to message me!
