Lockdown offers a chance to look for your forgotten photographic gems

I HOPE everyone is managing to get through these difficult times as best they can. It really has been a crazy month, and something I never imagined was possible. It feels a little bit surreal at times, and it could quite easily be a sci-fi movie we are in.

It would be very easy at this time to feel negative. I initially felt really restricted. I didn’t actually realise how much my brain actually needed to be creative, for me to function, until it was no longer possible to do anything.

I have enjoyed having a break from business for the first time in 20 years – but at the same time, something is missing. I crave that creative bug which drives me. Because I am always busy, I have never had that taken away, and now that it is not there I am finding myself missing it.

So, we have two options. We either feel sad and negative, or we try to turn it into a positive.

I like to think, contrary to my online persona, that I am an optimistic and positive person, so I chose the latter. For the past three weeks I have been immersed in creating training content. This is a medium to long-term project but it has been a great opportunity to do this, as it’s something I have wanted to do for ages. It has been a great way to think about all aspects of photography, and possibly look at my own work in a different way.

I have also been creating some YouTube videos, with tips and advice for photographers, and apart from the fun side of doing these projects it has given me a chance to revisit some of my older images. This has been the most enjoyable part of the lockdown period. Looking for images to explain techniques found me searching through my massive array of hard drives, and finding some gems I had overlooked at the time.

I am guilty of having instant favourites from photo sessions and immediately disregarding everything else.

This is something we can all do, and I suggest you do the same. Go back to shoots, edit some different files, and see what you have. I am certainly guilty of having instant favourites from photo sessions and immediately disregarding everything else, then moving on to the next assignment. More often than not, I have missed the best stuff as I was so emotionally invested in the images I chose at the time.

I think it is so important that we all keep our minds active during this time – so make sure, when you go out for your daily walk, that you bring your camera or smartphone, and stay creative. Take pictures, and get into your archives and see what gems are hiding there.

Most of all, stay safe.

I would like to pass on my condolences to the family of photographer Janet McDonald, who sadly passed away recently. When I started my photography business I used to go in to the shop every Monday to have my football photos processed, and she was always very supportive. A sad loss to Caithness, but there is an incredible legacy of local history left as a tribute to her and her late husband Ian.

• Caithness-born John Baikie has been a professional photographer for 16 years and has won awards including Scottish and UK Photographer of the Year titles across several genres. In his regular column for the Caithness Courier he offers some photography advice and gives an insight into his working life.

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