Hurricane Sandy, Power Outages, and your Camera

I am sitting here in my living room waiting for Hurricane Sandy to make her appearance.  I've been trying to only check on the weather/news minimally.  When I watch too much, it starts to really get overwhelming.  But isn't social media like that?  There never seems to be a middle ground.  Either we can't get information on a topic, or it is everywhere, like a deluge of information.

Being from South Florida, I have a good idea of what to expect.  But at the last news report I saw, they are saying Sandy is 900 miles wide.  NINE HUNDRED MILES WIDE????? I've been through countless hurricanes and tropical storms, including Andrew and Katrina... but I've never been through a storm of this size.

I hope that all the newscasters and weather reports are wrong, but in the event that we will be hit by this massive storm, I figure it is better to be prepared.  We have a decent stock pile here of canned goods, water, and candles/flashlights.  So I am not concerned in that area, but threat of such widespread power outages is where my focus lies.  

The last time I went through a hurricane I was newly married and we did not have any kids yet.  I was in school at the time and remember having to read schoolbooks via candlelight.  There was no TV, no internet, no movies, no a/c... But in the middle of all of it, something amazing happened... suddenly we had so much extra time on our hands.  We played cards, talked, read books, and hung out.  I think the last lengthy power outage was with Hurricane Katrina and we were out of power about a week.  I remember that time with such sweet memories as my husband and I got to really be with each other without the electronic distractions that occupy our daily lives.

I wish I had photographs of that time... of us hanging out or cooking by candlelight.  But sadly I don't.  Even when the power goes out, your camera still works.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to capture these memories with your family.  Be creative with light.  Use a flashlight or candle to illuminate and photograph this special time.  Take advantage of the darkness and practice experimenting with night photography.  Use a tripod so you can keep your ISO low.  Find different things to use as your light source.  Take this time to be creative and experiment.  There are no excuses because there is nowhere else to be except right here.  Live in the moment and enjoy the time rather than "wishing" you were somewhere else.

Here are some ideas of things you can do with your family to pass the time should you have a power outage.

• make a fort
• create a "campfire" out of blankets
• do puzzles
• make shadow puppets with flashlights
• start a journal
• catch up on your magazine pile that you've been too busy to look at
• play board games/card games
• pull out the crayons and color with your little one

But most importantly cherish the moment.

Happy Shooting!

Corrie <3