One business that has been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown is photography – but a British photographer has come up with an innovative solution: taking remote portraits via FaceTime.
Tim Dunk’s main business is wedding photography, and that has completely dried up as all mass-gatherings are banned, forcing people to postpone their weddings.
The idea of taking portraits via FaceTime is not quite as crazy as it sounds …
While you might think that you could take your own iPhone photos without the need to pay a professional photographer to do it for you, operating the camera is just part of a photographer’s skill – and not the most significant part.
Photography is about understanding light and framing. While Dunk admits that the quality isn’t going to compare with a shot from a pro camera, what he does is to work with clients to find good places in their home to take the shots, position them to take best advantage of the available light, and then to guide them in positioning the iPhone, and in posing.
Dunk explained his process in a piece on PetaPixel.
Dunk says that he is embracing the lower quality of the camera sensor compared to his usual rangefinder cameras.
Dunk says he’s so far shot portraits via FaceTime for 50 clients.
I add grain as it helps with the lo-fi aesthetic.
You can book one via his website. They cost £40 (approx $50) and the shoot takes around 30 minutes. 25% of the fee is donated to a foodbank organization.