Hey there! As we prepare to capture some memories together, I want to do so safely to dampen any continued spread of the coronavirus. I recently heard, “We shouldn’t be scared, but we should be cautious,” and that sounds like a good way to be moving forward. I take this seriously, so out of an abundance of caution, here are some of the safety precautions I am personally taking for your session!

Before your Photo Session

• Hand washing – I will wash my hands thoroughly right before I leave home for your session.

• Hand sanitizer – I’ll use hand sanitizer (that contains more than the recommended minimum percentage of alcohol) right before leaving my car to come see you!

Health & Safety Precautions during your Photo Session

Wearing a Cloth Face Mask

• I’ll be wearing a cloth mask for the duration of your session, and there will be a filter between the layers of fabric. I wish you could see my smile (since I know you’ll be amazing in your session), so hopefully I’ve mastered smiling with my eyes!

• Other clients have said that they can still hear and understand me well while I wear the face covering.

Physical Distancing

• I will stay at least 6 feet away from you at all times, including while we’re taking photos and while we walk around the area we’re having the session. It’ll feel weird walking at such a distance while we chat, but that’s okay and it’s worth it.

• I’ll use lenses on my camera that allow me to take photos that still make it look like we’re closer to each other, so you’ll still get a variety of wide-angle photos and “zoomed in” photos like usual.

• I’ll use verbal communication when I need you to move a strand of hair or change your pose!

  • This will be one of the biggest adjustments for me – In “normal” life, sometimes I hop on over to move your hair for you or show you exactly what to do, but I’ll tell you and show you from a distance for the time being!

After your Photo Session

• Hand sanitizer – I use hand sanitizer again as soon as I get back in my car.

• Sanitizing wipes – I also wipe down equipment and my camera bag either when I get in my car or immediately upon returning home.

• Cloth face mask – I also leave my mask on until I get home, so any potential contagions on the mask don’t get on my hands by taking it off.

Virtual communication after our photo session

• After I edit your photos, typically we get together in person so I can show you all your artwork options in person and help you decide what to order. These ordering sessions are currently happening virtually via Zoom to avoid close physical proximity. I can still show you my samples on camera and answer all your questions, and we use an online proofing gallery to sort through your favorite photos like usual.

• After you’ve made your photo selections, online viewing galleries and downloadable galleries are delivered digitally as usual!

Safe photo art handling

• I receive your photo art orders at my home office. We’re bringing in all of our mail & packages after we receive them as usual (and then washing our hands), but then we’re letting them sit in an out-of-the-way place inside for 2 days before opening. If it’s something that can’t wait, we’re opening it outside, discarding the outer box into the recycling bin, and washing our hands before touching what’s inside the box.

• We’ll do a contactless photo art delivery, whether that’s at my home office, a home delivery to you, or meeting somewhere between our homes. This could be a porch pickup, a porch drop-off, or setting the photo art down on a bench when we meet so we don’t come within 6 feet of each other.

Health & Safety Recommendations for Photography Clients

Please consider what you can do to err on the side of caution before, during, and after your photo session to ensure that you and those you come in contact with stay healthy! Here are some ideas:

• If you or anyone in your household doesn’t feel well, please reschedule. If you come into contact with anyone who could possibly have the coronavirus within 2 weeks prior of your session, please reschedule!

• Bring your own props and blankets to the session! I typically bring a blanket in case you forget or don’t have one that is a solid color, but I’m going to leave that up to you for now to eliminate any kind of contact or sharing of materials.

• I won’t ask you to wear a mask in your photos… unless you really want to have photos of that to remember this time by 😉

• Wash your hands before leaving your house, use hand sanitizer before leaving your car and when you get back in your car, and wash your hands again when you return to your house. Go back and wipe down any doorknobs and surfaces you touched before you washed your hands.

• Don’t forget to have fun! There are lots of things to consider when we leave home in order to protect ourselves and those around us, but ultimately, we can still have a good time together and forget about our worries and stresses while taking some really joyful & fun photos.

Have any other ideas or suggestions? What questions do you have for me? Contact me prior to your session so we can all be comfortable and have a great time when we get together to capture your memories.