While we are open for things like senior pictures, we know that Coronavirus has changed the way we all operate. Whether that is temporary or some of these changes follow us for a long time to come, we’re all getting used to connecting with others in ways we might not have expected. While it’s absolutely a bummer not to be able to meet up with your friends and exchange hugs the way you used to, there are still plenty of ways to stay connected with everyone even in the time of COVID-19. Feeling a little too isolated and not sure where to start regaining that connection? As your Denver photographer, we love finding ways to celebrate life, so we put together some things to try to bridge the distance with family and friends.
Virtual Gatherings
Zoom and FaceTime have become commonplace in today’s world, and that may not change anytime soon. If you haven’t perfected the art of a good virtual hangout, now’s your chance! Invite your friends to a Zoom Party this upcoming weekend and have fun (almost) just like old times. Catch up with each other, play digital games together, and just bask in the digital versions of seeing everyone once again.
Watch Parties Online
With Google Chrome add-ons and the beauty of hitting play at the exact same time, there’s no reason movie night has to be ruined forever. Facebook offers watch parties, Netflix has a party plugin, options abound for taking movie night virtual. So you won’t be able to share the same popcorn bucket, but you can definitely still enjoy watching something your whole friend group has been waiting on together.
Parking Lot Picnics
We’re slowly opening back up. And while we’ve seen that go poorly in other states, if you’re smart about it, you can take advantage of some of the relaxed guidelines and see your friends in person! As long as masks are on and social distancing guidelines are obeyed, why not bring a homemade lunch to a parking lot and enjoy a meal together, at least 6-feet apart, and share a non-digital wave with your favorite people?
Masked Outings
Restaurants, shops, and more are opening up with strict guidelines in place, and if you’re not high risk, this might be the perfect opportunity to coordinate a masked outing with some of your closest friends (just make sure there are less than 10 of you!) As normal as it all seems, the pandemic is far from over, so ensuring you are as safe as possible when you meet up with people in-person is incredibly important right now.
At the end of the day, hangouts don’t look like what they used to. When and if they get back to normal is going to depend on a lot of factors that are out of your hands. So it’s important to find ways to make the most of what’s available to you now. Whether that’s digital hangouts only because of potential health risks or higher chance of infection, or safely finding ways to be in person together without getting too risky, we encourage you to find the silver linings of what can sometimes feel like a heavy, dark cloud. Whatever normal looks like after this, we can make the most of it together!
Monty Nuss is Denver’s Top Senior Pictures Photographer for over 20 years!