The COVID-19 pandemic, or ‘Coronavirus’ in laymen terms has affected every business sector. Individuals have no option but to stay home to shelter themselves from this invisible enemy. This enemy fails to look at the size of the organization, whether massive corporations or small mom and pop shops or the monetary aspect of the people who it targets. The game of ‘money’ and misconception of ‘power’ take a backseat as the game of ‘immunity’ stares down the frontlines.
With the economy of the world as a whole taking a plunge and being on the brink of recession, the photography and production industry is no exception from financial downfall. Due to photography being more of a want than a necessity, it is safe to assume that the demand for services will gradually decrease, taking into account everyone’s financial situations. This, however, does not stand for established photographers and production houses who have strong contracts and loyal clients backing their business. As a whole, the revenue of this industry is likely to decline.
The photography industry caters to various businesses who are now facing a downward turn in regards to turnouts, e.g., sports events, fashion events, concerts, parties, get-togethers, weddings, etc, have all been postponed or cancelled. Photography is an ‘on-site’ profession and with social distancing being a norm to follow, going to work is close to impossible. However, due to scaling back on fixed and other variant costs being easier for photographers, in comparison to other small businesses, recovery will be less of an arduous affair.
Studio Gaaba is a full-fledged production house catering to the niche categories of fashion, retail, and lifestyle. Showcasing moments in time through their artwork, they collaborate with individuals who possess the same ideas as they do, working towards a common goal, i.e., production at its finest.
TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY:
Travel and Photography go hand in hand. Photography is more of an adventure sport, with the pioneers journeying frequently to various locations to harness their creativity in visuals. When the Coronavirus outbreak first came to light, the first step every Government took was to seal their borders with regards to international travel. According to Mobility Market Outlook on COVID-19, the global revenue for the travel industry for the year of 2020 will lie at an estimate of 447.4 billion dollars, which is a significant decrease of almost 34.7% from 2019. The original forecast for the global travel revenue for the year 2020 was set at around 712 billion dollars, which is quite the difference.
February, a month before border closures and lockdowns ensued, was the month where economies were booming, flight routes were growing and tourist destinations were flooding. ‘Overtourism’ was a concept that came into existence, however, March brought a dramatic change in all the facets of the travel industry, with flights all over the world cancelled and hotel reservations have gone amiss.
Photographers thrive in new places, exciting adventures, and moments that they capture which continue to live forever. The travel industry will not see the same leeway it used to, and in turn, photographers will not be able to go back to their businesses as freely as they would have expected to.
To counteract the effects on their business and their psych as well, photographers in Studio Gaaba and various other organizations are honing their creative side while spending their time indoors, turning to virtual shoots, taking up new skills within their industry (learning about digital and social media marketing, trying their hand at video editing), discovering new ways to retouch their pictures and understanding colour grading in-depth, educating people and disseminating information, regularly keeping in contact with their clients, and giving some time to their work, focusing on personal projects.
These are a few ways in which photographers are coping, but they are also adopting various ‘house-hacks’ to maximize their productivity while their business stint is ongoing. Until travel and large gatherings become more than a myth to look forward to, these along with various other ways are what artists are using to keep themselves busy.
A misconception rages among us as a society, however, that you must be at exotic locations to gain the best visuals. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us rethink this, as now, we begin seeing the beauty in every little ‘ordinary’ thing that usually escapes our eyes.
