Thelife- Throughout the coronavirus crisis, people have had to rely on video apps to include friends and family in milestone moments like engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and births.
- Mexico-based photographer Ana Hinojosa is making this easier by capturing maternity, newborn, and editorial-style photos via
Zoom andFaceTime . - Hinojosa swapped the usual DSLR camera she'd use for in-person shoots for a laptop.
- The results are extremely powerful, and have compelled the talented photographer to continue digital photoshoots post-pandemic.
Without a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, and has even taught some of us to cherish everyday moments.
Thanks to apps such as Zoom and FaceTime, loved ones have been able to stay connected and share pivotal life milestones such as engagements, weddings, pregnancy announcements, and births.
Now, Monterrey, Mexico-based photographer Ana Hinojosa is making it even easier.
With in-person sessions off the cards, Hinojosa is helping people around the globe share these occasions by booking digital photoshoots done solely through an iPhone, laptop, Zoom, or FaceTime.
Hinojosa told Insider: "These sessions are allowing us to connect and create during the uncertain times we're living in. Love is bigger than ever, special moments are still worthy [of capturing], [and] milestones, celebrations, and everyday life still fill our hearts and form our stories."
Thinking outside the box
Though Hinojosa was surrounded by
She attended a friend's wedding as a guest and shot it for fun. Her friend loved the pictures and hired her for the bigger, legal wedding. From there, Hinojosa began taking on clients.
Then her plans changed drastically during the coronavirus pandemic, as travel was heavily impacted.
She was slated to arrive in Spain three weeks ago to stay with friends and meet the couple's newborn baby. Instead, she saw the couple and their baby constantly via FaceTime.
"I started screenshotting while we were talking with no plan — just like making the baby laugh so I could keep the memory for myself," she said. "Then, my friend and I thought maybe we could do something from a distance."
Hinojosa's friend picked the best lighting and space in her home for the shoot. Then, the magic happened.
The process is surprisingly simple
Her photoshoot subjects use an iPhone 11 with WiFi. Hinojosa then navigates the shoot via Zoom and FaceTime to see which app delivers the best results.
"How it works is I'm on my laptop, I see the person on the iPhone. They should have it on the frontal camera, not selfie mode so they don't see each other, and the camera resolution is better. Then, I do shift/control/3 which is a screenshot," she said.
Though the digital shoots pose a unique challenge, Hinojosa has loved the outcome so far.
"I've had to be very patient. 'Put the phone here, do this, get closer,' and so on. I've had to learn it isn't going to be perfect. It is what it is and that's the beauty of it."
She added: "After the first [Zoom] shoot, I said I'd never do it again."
However, she had what she called an "itch" to continue with the shoots. Soon after, she did a pregnancy shoot with a Chicago-based couple.
"Just letting go of perfection has been it," Hinojosa said, adding that she thrives on the newfound collaboration between client and photographer.
"Another challenge, but I love it, is opening this door of creation together. You have to be involved. It's no more, 'Just sit there and I'll take the photos.'"
'Our lives are still happening inside our lockdown'
Ultimately, nostalgia is the primary inspiration for the photos Hinojosa takes.
"What I see from my story or my parents' story through pictures is something I try to recreate every day," she said. "Now more than ever, that moment is long gone. Now, time feels more elastic than ever. The fragility and fastness of a moment are so valuable."
Even though most of her shoots have revolved around maternity, engagement, and newborn babies, Hinojosa isn't limited in her creative photography prowess.
In fact, her most recent shoot was with her dancer friend and pet cockatoo.
She plans to continue these special long-distance shoots post-pandemic, too.
"I'm loving it," she said. "It's not substituting photography as we know it. I understand that. [But] it's never been about the camera or quality of the pictures to capture an essence, a moment, and a feeling. Even sometimes at weddings, I take my phone out and shoot with it. There are some things your camera can't do, but your phone can."
As a bonus, she also takes video clips of couples' engagement shoots so they can look back on the moment, too.
With the way the world has changed, Hinojosa hopes to virtually capture weddings next.
"Our lives are still happening inside our lockdown and we should continue to document love all around," she said.
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