Lisa Saad

1. Photographers Guide to SURVIVING LOCKDOWN and the new COVID-19 normal How to Identify, Access and Maximize Opportunities as a Photographer. 1 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Chapter One: Don’t Panic! 4 Getting your business in order Getting your family in order 6 9 Chapter Two: Reinventing Yourself 10 Ground zero What to do and what not to avoid 11 12 Chapter Three: Who Are Your Mentors? 14 A shortcut to a stronger future Seeking help 15 19 Chapter Four: Hidden Talents 20 How to access your existing skill sets What can you offer that is marketable? 21 24 Chapter Five: How to Maximize Your Skill Sets 25 Finding new platforms to sell your work Streamlining your cash flow Keeping your reinvention active post-lockdown 26 27 29 Conclusion 31 2 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

3. INTRODUCTION December 2019 For most of us in photography and business alike, 2019 ended with the usual high-energy as we hurriedly worked towards closing the year, looking forward to kicking back and recharging our batteries over the summer break. That dream of a chilled start to the new year quickly evaporated with the news of an unprecedented pandemic sweeping the globe, a previously unknown virus, oblivious to national borders which soon caused a near-halt in the basic functions of the world’s major economies. In the following weeks, large and small-scale businesses alike were affected by this brutal economic down-turn, the photography industry not escaping the scourge. As a mostly socially-interactive occupation, the implementation of lockdown in many cities has been a major blow to our industry. In an earnest attempt to provide solutions to the crisis, this book aims to help professional photographers see the silver lining in the clouds and take advantage of new opportunities you may not have considered. These are challenging times, but by implementing certain measures shared here, we can rise from the flames like the Phoenix we are. Let’s get into the details of understanding how to survive this pandemic as photographers (the health practitioners have got us covered on the health aspect) and how to hit the ground running when life eventually returns to normal. 3 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

4. CHAPTER ONE DON’T PANIC! ?

5. MARCH 2020: THE NEW NORMAL Well, 2020 hasn’t exactly panned out the way we expected. Like most of us, you’ve probably been quarantined in your home. Enjoying quality time with your loved ones, seeing their faces more than you’ve probably ever seen them before and sharing key moments with them. When did the reality hit you? Your business is also in lockdown. Were you thinking this would be a bit of a break from the hassle of running a business? Wrong! If you’re starting to panic, and trying to figure out your next move, console yourself that your business plan and execution module never included the PANDEMIC phase in any shape or form. Just as your and your family’s health are on your mind, you must now also tend to your other ‘baby’’, your business, and keep it in tip top condition. The novelty of lockdown is probably starting to wear off, so now it’s time to roll up your sleeves, get your hands deep in the oil and get the engine working again. Let’s take a look at a few basic things that we can do to get your business back in shape. Let’s dig in. 5 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

6. GETTING YOUR BUSINESS IN ORDER Analyse your finances Chapter 1 ANALYSE YOUR FINANCES Do this first. Run an analysis on your business, identifying your sources of income and your expenses. List these out in order of priority and proceed to the next step. PLUG THEM HOLES If you were in a boat riddled with leaks, the first thing you would do is plug the holes, then bail out the excess water. From your list of income fillers, pick out the expenses that your business can do without for the next few months. For example, turn off Google Ads, cancel non- essential subscriptions (can you manage without Adobe?), downgrade equipment insurance cover and suspend your professional indemnity insurance. Eliminate these costs for the time being. This reduces the pressure on an already-pressured cash flow. 6 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

7. MAKE THE SPACE Pre-covid, you were probably used to working from the comfort of your office, free from distractions. You focused on your work and came home at the end of the day to the warm embrace of family. The good news is, you now have the comfort of family around the clock. The flip side, you have family around ALL THE TIME. Carving out a space at home solely for work will help with productivity and creativity. Find an area which is comfortable (but not overly cosy), flag it up as yours, and proceed to set up your station with all the paraphernalia required to execute a fine day’s work. Laptop Computer Desk Clock Hard Drive Camera SD Card Files Smartphone Journal 7 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

8. DO THE TIME Being home all day makes you unaware of time flying by. Seconds become minutes, minutes hours, and before you know it, the day is done. Take back control by creating a 4–5 hour work day routine. Schedule breaks so that your loved ones don’t feel ‘’ghosted’’ — spend time with them during your breaks or just to take your mind off work, but be sure to get a total of 4–5 solid hours of work done daily. Chapter 5 Keep that weekly work journal running. Week 1 Create a weekly work journal, listing all your goals and the processes required to achieve them. This will help you keep track of your progress and, if necessary, make adjustments to help achieve these goals down the line. In addition, make it a habit of creating a to-do list the night before so you are not taking time out of your work day trying to figure out what you need to do. This neat trick of 10–15 minutes will save you time and propel your productivity through the roof. Also, take note (actually write down) the progress you’ve made at the end of each work day to identify what needs to be done the next day. 8 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

9. GETTING YOUR FAMILY IN ORDER Getting your business back on track is only one piece of the puzzle. You also have to get your family (yourself included) into shape (and if you take this literally, that would be cool too). Meal prepping is all the rage these days (check out the food storage solutions in Kmart!) and will save you heaps of time. Pick your least busy day to do your cooking, plan menus and portion the food in those handy containers, freeze, and just reheat in the microwave later in the week. For routine housework, draft out a schedule of what needs to be done and get these jobs out of the way as early as possible, so that as soon as you’re back at your desk, all of your energy is focused on your business. 9 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

10. CHAPTER TWO REINVENTING YOURSELF

11. GROUND ZERO Whether you shoot portraiture or landscape, for most photographers lockdown has limited or cancelled nearly all work. This is a good time to ‘reinvent’’ yourself. I don’t mean take a complete shift away from what you love doing, more like a “learn a new skill” kind of thing. Anything ranging from high- end digital retouching, to still-life photography, to hosting online tutorials, etc. LEARN Open your mind to possibilities. Attend a few online classes you may have had on your ‘’to-do one day’’ list, practice what you’ve learnt and identify which niche subjects you are drawn to. As Chase Jarvis, founder of the tutorial website Creative Live says, ‘’one class can change everything’’. Some suggestions for online learning resources are: • creativelive.com • udemy.com • phlearn.com 11 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

12. WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO AVOID Let’s agree that all outdoor photography has been put on hold for the time being. So how can you twist your goals up a bit? Some suggestions are: • Master a new Photoshop skill • Try your hand at natural light food photography • Revamp your website or build one if you don’t already have one • Improve your marketing game and/or change your marketing strategy 12 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

13. • Try a self-portrait challenge • Build an online community or join an existing one and engage with it • Be with family • If it’s permitted, go out in your locale and capture amazing images of quiet outdoors (this could also become a personal passion project with time) Do not avoid activities like upskilling, finishing off existing jobs, staying connected with your client list, appreciating your past work, maintaining your stock library. In a nutshell, don’t be lazy, be proactive! These are just a few suggestions. There are so many goals you could set for yourself, be they personal, photographic or other. With time and commitment, you’ll be able to master one or many of these. 13 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

14. CHAPTER THREE WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS?

15. A SHORTCUT TO A STRONGER FUTURE Every human needs a mentor. Why? Because the road you’re traveling through has likely already been passed once or even multiple times by someone before you. Chapter 3 The global lockdown may not be a popular route but the confused state of isolation is shared. Some photographers or business owners enjoy working in isolation and for them, this was always their modus operandi. But as humans most of us don’t like isolation, we like interaction and sharing our experiences. Reach out to other business owners Reach out to other business owners in your area to understand how they are resolving issues they face with their own businesses — no knowledge is ever wasted. 15 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

16. MATT — COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER” “ Why did I decide to take on a mentor after so many years in business? Multiple reasons. I needed some fresh guidance from an industry insider who understood a creative mind. I also needed to reframe things that were going on in my head, not just creatively but business-wise as well. My problem was that I was trying to over-deliver on a job before I had the job, which was not serving me. Mentoring helped me get back on track. It gave me another rational voice to listen to, and also to hear myself through. It’s very easy to rigidly stick to your own point of view, even when it’s not working for you. We often think we are right and people should just trust or listen to us, because we’re trying to give them all the answers. My mentoring sessions made me realise that all I could do was answer the questions I was being asked, give as much information as possible to help a prospect make an informed choice, and that’s it. Treat it like a numbers game, pursue leads and quotes and not get caught up in why I wasn’t chosen for a job, which was killing me. To get out of a rut, accept that you might not win every quote, but the ones you do win are from clients who have identified the value you offer, separate to the cost. These will become repeat clients, because you meet their needs and more. Mentoring gave me that little shift of headspace into a direction that has seen my business become steadier, but more importantly has taken me out of that place of pain. ” 16 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

17. DAVID — SENIOR AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER “ I was fascinated in cameras from a young age. In my teens I was given a Kodak Starlet camera, and an older friend encouraged me to get me more serious about my photography even though my natural career path was going to be in the family business. Over the years people appreciated my photos enough to suggest I become a professional photographer, and I always strove to improve my skills, eventually completing a Diploma of Digital Photography at Melbourne Polytechnic in 2017. Once I started to do a couple of gigs as a “Professional Photographer”, I quickly realised there is more to this game than just clicking the shutter. I had the ‘’piece of paper’’, but I felt more learning was required in order to be considered a ‘professional’ — I needed to be feel comfortable that I was providing a service equal to the best around. This is where mentoring helped — it filled the ‘’lack of experience’’ gap a new photographer entering the field experiences. It’s a shortcut to gaining confidence, knowing what you are doing and how to approach a shoot. As someone starting this game in his 60’s, I didn’t have as much time as a 20-yr old to make mistakes and learn from them. So a good mentor was essential to benefit from someone who has seen and done it all. 17 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

18. Choose someone whose work resonates with you, and who is honest with you about your own work. In order to grow and improve, you must be able to receive honest, even brutal, feedback. We all have some level of natural talent, whether it be on the technical side or creative side, but exposing yourself to other professionals’ work, and practice, practice, practice, can improve that natural talent to become what you aspire to be. Feedback from someone you trust to be objective is integral to improvement. Coming from an industry where you guard your technical advantages closely, it has been difficult for me to trust that a mentor would freely share their knowledge. Fortunately my mentor Lisa Saad was comfortable enough in her own abilities not to feel threatened by sharing and encouraging others to be better. I think we have both gained from the experience.” 18 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

19. Chapter 3 SEEKING HELP Seeking Help ? ? Just to clarify, mentors are not the same as role models. The difference is that you have a personal relationship with the former, while the latter knows nothing of your existence. Seek out mentors who have been a major inspiration in your life and ask for their guidance with your business problems. Where do you find them? Start with people whose work you admire, some may already offer mentorship such as Gotham Studios in Melbourne. There are also structured programs available by organizations such as Business Victoria and the Small Business Mentoring service. • gothamstudios.net • business.vic.gov.au • sbms.org.au 19 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

20. CHAPTER FOUR HIDDEN TALENTS

21. HOW TO ACCESS EXISTING SKILL SETS It is a rare person indeed who has discovered all that lies within them. As people we are constantly evolving. The mundane daily routine of our existence often pushes our identities into the crowd but we have skill sets we can access if we try hard enough. Life is like a deck of cards, sometimes we need to reshuffle, pick a new one and see what’s hidden behind. The following steps will help you identify any hidden or sometimes plain obvious talents and how to use them. 1. Reflecting on one’s self Grab a pen & paper or a journal, and make a list of things you delight in. Delve into your past and find moments where you attempted new exploits. What about those ideas you birthed during a photoshoot but filed away to explore 21 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

22. sometime in ‘’the future”? Well, this is the future. Each of these skills represent a facet of you, and if expanded, could create a bigger picture of what you may need during this lockdown. Look at that, quarantine is already making a detective out of you! 2. Zoom in on your soft skills There are basic skills many of us are re-learning and harnessing in our daily lives. Some of these include: • Communication through public speaking, creative writing, listening, storytelling etc • Critical Thinking through innovation, creativity, resourcefulness, research, logical thinking etc • Leadership through decision making, conflict management and resolution, delegation, management, mentoring etc • Positive Attitude through confidence, honesty, friendliness, patience, respectfulness etc • Teamwork through collaboration, networking, empathy, self-awareness, influence etc 3. Make enquiries from friends and families with great insight on your life 4. Post a couple of personality review questions online and allow your clients/fans to share their thoughts 22 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

23. Chapter 4 Take an online personality test 5. Take an online personality test You think they are all mumbo- jumbo rubbish? I can relate. 50% (okay, 70%) are probably what you think they are. But in every nonsense, there is sense. Who knows? It may just reveal something new. 6.What do you spend most of your money on? There is an off chance that you subconsciously invest in your area of potential expertise. 7. What do you do for fun? Do certain movies, music or books resonate a deep sense of belonging within you? Have you thought to explore them financially? How can they relate to your photography? All these things can only be achieved if you are open to change. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change’’ and never has this run more true than now, in lockdown. How receptive are you to change? Do you embrace it and adapt or run from it as fast as you can? Once you look at the positive side of change, you will feel a fire rekindling in yourself, that will help you become the greatest version of yourself. 23 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

24. WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THAT IS MARKETABLE? Do you have any hobbies or talents that could catch people’s attention? If for example, you are a foodie who also enjoys capturing moments of couples on their wedding day, this lockdown may just be the universe whispering loudly to you to explore food photography from the comfort of your home. Find things that you can already do and could market, within the realm of photography. wedding photography. Chapter 4 Sew monogrammed pillows to accompany HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS TO INSPIRE YOU: Chapter 4 • Sew monogrammed pillows to accompany wedding photography with your food photos. Make and sell jars of homemade relish • Make and sell jars of homemade relish with your food photos • Print cactus photos onto wooden blocks as home décor • If you have a drone licence, shoot aerials of people’s homes and turn them into private wall art 24 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

25. CHAPTER FIVE HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SKILL SETS

26. In the previous chapter, we accessed some existing and new skill sets. Here, we are going to share a few websites where your work can be valued and monetized. That’s right, paid for. Fortunately, lockdown upgrades you to the elite few who prefer working from the comfort of their homes. With access to the internet and social media, you are more empowered than you think. PLATFORMS TO SELL YOUR WORK ONLINE • Your website. Do you have one? If you don’t, you should consider having one. You get to control the terms and conditions. • Crestock • SmugMug Pro • iStockphoto • Photo Shelter • Adobe Stock • CanStock Photo • Shutterstock • Dreamstime • Etsy • EyeEm • Alamy • Stocksy • 500px Prime Note that not all platforms are equal in income volume, income consistency, viability, etc. Take time out to do some research and find out which one best suits you and your business. Most stock sites yield better profits with time. Patience is key. 26 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

27. STREAMLINE YOUR CASH FLOW If your goal is to keep cash coming in as quickly as possible with as little hassle as possible, streamlining is the way to go. Let’s look at some ways to improve your cash flow. NO CASH PLEASE The first thing you should know about cash flow is that you have to limit the use of cash (sounds counterintuitive right?). Cash is cumbersome and slows down the whole payment process. Make payments electronically where possible (employees and vendors love the message alert when payment is made into their account) via your online banking platforms. You should also enquire if your bank offers automated services for payment. These automated payments are for those recurring payments which sometimes slip through the cracks. 27 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

28. Month PAY ON TIME, JUST ABOUT RIGHT ON TIME As expected with all businesses, it is honourable to pay for services rendered to you in a timely manner. But, there are times after making payments, when something comes up that needs to be attended to or poses a “clear and present danger” to your business. To keep funds within reach in the event of an emergency, pay your invoices as close to the due date as possible. DIVERSIFY This is simple. Create alternative ways of generating income by developing and trying out new services for your clients. Keeping a constant rapport with your clients will give you an insight to what they want at the moment as well as help predict their tendencies for the future. Work this information to your advantage and generate new income streams. In closing, cut off any expense that isn’t essential to the growth of your business. Lean times require stringent measures. 28 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

29. Chapter 5 Keeping your reinvention active post-lockdown KEEPING YOUR REINVENTION ACTIVE POST-LOCKDOWN This part has more to do with consistency, openness to growth and trying new things. The platform of learning and relearning through projects and practice enables you to develop new skills and generates funnels for the influx of clients and cash. Here are some things to keep in mind and put into practice long-term: • Keep unnecessary expenses at bay (review the ones you eliminated during lockdown, do they need to come back?) 29 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

30. Chapter 5 • Keep the communication between you and your clients open. Use social media channels to get their perspective on what aspects of your services can be improved upon or what new grounds you can break. Keep that weekly work journal running. Week 1 • Keep that weekly work journal running. It will keep you on your toes. • Continue spending quality time with your loved ones, these moments will fuel you for the long haul. • Never stop learning. 30 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

31. CONCLUSION With no clear end in sight yet, this pandemic has been a major setback for many of us. However, by implementing the steps in this book, you can single yourself out from the crowd and still achieve your goals (albeit not exactly as you may have planned at the start of the year!) — just in a more adventurous spirit while staying safe and protected from the virus. These moments deserve to be captured and saved. People turn to photographers to preserve memories long forgotten by the human mind. Will you be amongst those who weathered the storm to keep those memories alive, whilst also earning from it? There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, prepare yourself and embrace it! USEFUL LINKS • gothamstudios.net • worksafe.vic.gov.au • business.vic.gov.au • safeworkaustralia.gov.au • business-sa.com • dhhs.vic.gov.au • businessnsw.com • health.gov.au • business.qld.gov.au • moneysmart.gov.au • smallbusiness.wa.gov.au • servicesaustralia.gov.au • business.nt.gov.au 31 GOTHAMSTUDIOS.NET

32. 32 Garfield Street, Richmond, Australia 3121 M +61 422 756 825 E contact@gothamstudios.net gothamstudios.net © 2020 Lisa Saad Photography Pty Ltd Author: Lisa Saad Graphic Designer: Lauren Mills Illustrator: Aldrin Sy