My family has been in Quarantine for 25 days as of today.  25 days of no sports, no school, no birthday parties, no play dates, no eating out and no travel.  However, there has been a lot happening in my house that would not normally happen had we not gone under a "Shelter in Place" order and I want to document it in order to look back on this time.  You don't need a fancy camera or a photography degree... you truly just need your phone!

If you are blessed to not be severely struggling in this situation and would like to.... use your phone to document your day to day activities.  They might not seem "exciting" however, when put together they tell the story of the Corona Quarantine.  Here is a list of things I've photographed: watching tv shows, putting together Legos, the empty shelves in the stores, art projects (and the final outcomes), organizational projects, zoom calls, exercise (hikes, training, yoga, etc), school days/work, baking/cooking, journaling, sidewalk chalk art, being outside, etc.  Not every photo needs to show faces or multiple people.... just a quick snap of what is happening at the moment.  

You can choose to photograph the good, or the good AND bad. All of our lives look very different right now and it’s up to you if/how you want to document this. Give yourself permission to take the “real” photos or if you’d like just take your “highlight reel”. Whatever speaks to you in these moments.

Personally, I try to take at least one photo every day.  Remember, it's the small quiet moments too that make up the big picture.

Quick tips:

• If you have an iPhone 7plus or newer, you have the "portrait mode" option which focuses on your subject and blurs out the background giving the image more depth and ends up looking more professional.  If you are not familiar with it, I've found a good explanation of how to use it HERE
• In general you want to be in a well lit area with even light to get the best images.  Indoors, you'd ideally want to be in a room with a lot of natural light/windows. If you need more light, turn the interior lights on. Outside, avoid the dappled sunlight and find a nice shaded area or full sun.
• Get down on your subjects level and don't be afraid to get close!!!  Detail shots are great!
• Utilize your self timer!  You can prop your phone up against something... and GET IN THE PICTURE with your family members!

Right now, I'm just saving the photos to my phone as well as adding my images to my personal Instagram and saving them to my "stories".  In the end, when this is all over I will eventually put the images together in a book and have them printed for my kids.  My favorite places for photo books are: Shutterfly, Pinhole Press and MixBook.

Good luck!  It's not all pretty but hopefully we all can find a few silver linings during this time.