It’s hard to believe that just four months ago, we left the house mask-free, and interacted with our friends and loved ones with reckless abandon. Laughing while sharing bites of food with pals at dinner was the norm, and now I can barely envision stepping foot in a restaurant. As a consistently busy prop stylist working in the photo industry in Los Angeles, coronavirus stopped me completely in my tracks. Along with most other artists working in this field, I’ve been scrambling to locate new meaning that doesn’t rely on my livelihood. I dream about work, and have been desperate to find other creative outlets to pass the time. 

Last year, I started a still-life magazine called Nectarine, and during the pandemic I decided to curate a web-only second issue focused on isolation. It was a great distraction for myself, and it gave photographers and creators an excuse to make art while quarantining. 

In the last month or so, though, clients and agencies have been cautiously dipping a toe back into the water of creating content again, with skeleton crews and strict COVID-19 regulations. If you’ve been back to work recently, you’ve likely noticed that things are pretty different. 

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Not only is there a long list of regulations to follow in order to be COVID-compliant, there is also a new role on set that didn’t exist prior to this pandemic: the COVID-19 compliance officer. This person’s role on set is to ensure everyone is wearing PPE (masks, gloves if needed), washing hands frequently and distancing as much as possible. Temperature checks are completed upon arrival and recorded daily. Prior to arriving on set, each crew member is required to fill out COVID-19 compliance paperwork.

While I am personally more than happy to abide by these new safety rules, the reality remains that wearing a mask for 12 hours on set under hot lights is uncomfortable. On my most recent shoot, which was a web commercial, I had a raging headache most of the day and definitely forgot to drink water frequently. I can’t emphasize this enough: Hydrate and take outdoor breathing breaks when you can! 

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On my first shoot post-quarantine, however, I collaborated on a still-life campaign with photographer Evan Robinson. We were able to mask up and work at his home studio while maintaining comfortable distance. We kept one of his doors open at all times for maximum airflow, and it never felt cramped. He had the client, Heed Foods, dial in via a live Zoom feed to get immediate feedback. It was the best case scenario despite our current limitations.

The key to successfully shooting and styling during a global pandemic seems to be keeping the crews as small as you can. If you’re a photographer that is able to hire a prop stylist to make a client’s vision come true, that is wonderful—and I think absolutely doable, whether you’re shooting from home or at a studio. Things of course get more complicated as you bring on models, hair, makeup and wardrobe, but certainly not impossible if you’re able to rent a large enough studio or location. Ventilation and spaciousness is important! 

One hurdle of styling currently is the availability of materials. I have a studio where I keep all my props, which has been a godsend; I can source from my own repertoire and avoid ordering items that have long lead times. As openings are constantly readjusting to reflect new COVID-19 case numbers, it is valuable to have access to props without having to rent or purchase them. 

It’s also helpful to have ample time to prep shoots. Not only does prep take longer, as assistants are less common to keep operations smaller, but shooting requires more care and purposefulness than before. It’s definitely more time-consuming when you are taking pains to ensure safety on set. At least temporarily, gone are the days of last-minute-asks and frenetic set etiquette. 

Some clients haven’t been comfortable allowing multiple hands on set yet, and as such have limited crew to the photographer only. I’ve been hired on a few of these gigs to build and source props remotely that I later dropped off. In most cases, a pre-shoot call to go over styling guidelines helped for a smoother shoot day. Not being physically present to style is not ideal, but it is an option in a “pinch”—also known as a global pandemic. 

The New Normal certainly doesn’t feel like what we’re used to, but in some ways, the limitations are forcing us all to be more creative. I don’t want to wear a mask on set forever, and I long for the days of socializing and hugging one another at the end of the day while having celebratory wrap drinks. But in the meantime, this is what we’ve got to work with. It definitely beats being at home. 

Amy Taylor is a prop stylist and set designer living in Los Angeles with her dog, Carol. She works on still-life and sets for editorial features and ad campaigns with photographers, and she is the founder of a new magazine dedicated to still life, Nectarine.