Covid-19 has made us (mostly) confined to our homes. That shouldn’t be a reason for us to get despondent! You may be sitting in front of a TV screen binge-watching the rolling series on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but now it's your time to get back in to shape! 

There are lots of things you can do photographically regardless of whether you have a DSLR or just a phone. Here are some ideas which you will get the fire started in you:

1. Get your camera out! Start with taking some images of your surroundings. At the start you will find that you will gravitate to a particular thing to shoot, it may be yourself, it might be an object, the possibilities are limitless. 

2. Now change the settings on your camera. You can adjust the exposure settings, the ISO, Shutter Speed etc. Not sure how to do that? No problem. A simple search on Google will help you find a free YouTube video to help you with that - it’ll only take a few minutes. You're only a few clicks away - no pun intended! 

3. Feeling more motivated? Try playing with double-exposures on your camera (not sure if you can do this on the phone, but there may be APPs which you could download that create this effect). 

4. Go outdoors into your garden/patio/balcony if you have one! Shoot the first thing or object you see. It could be a flower or a person! 

5. Join a photography group online. This will help you to connect with other photographers. Whether new and experienced, a peer group will motivate and keep you on your game! The Creative Eye Photographers are a supportive group of over 900 photographers who connect several times weekly online. To find out more click here to join. 

I think the most essential 1 & 5 are the most important recommendations. It is so easy to get into our own thoughts and get down. So you have to break the habit and move. Try not to use the above list prescriptively, you will naturally, intuitively know where you need to start.  

Start somewhere, anywhere even if it is for a few minutes. This will get you off your feet and exploring a new dimension of your photography. Once you do, keep moving, go where you feel you gravitate towards.   

Connecting with like-minded individuals online will expose you to different ideas as well as get you motivated to contribute to challenges. Over the next few days, weeks and perhaps months you will develop your photography whether you are just starting off or an avid pro. 

When you look back at where you started and where you end up, you'll be much more confident. You will have been able to adapt to many different situations. So when you are back outside and shooting those landscapes, whether urban or rural, it'll make everything worth it.