Covid 19 Response Plan

As we emerge from lockdown and adjust to our “new normal”, the first thing on our minds is keeping ourselves, our families and our loved ones safe. The virus will be with us for some time, so I want to reassure my clients that I am committed to providing a healthy and safe photography experience for everyone involved. As I start to take bookings again, I also want to outline the precautions I will be taking to ensure I play my part in minimising the spread of the virus.

Thankfully, as a lifestyle photographer, I only need to make small adjustments to how I work, meaning your experience will not be compromised at all. So, we can carry on capturing beautiful and meaningful photographs of your family, just like before!

Your Consultation Session

A pre-session consultation has always been an important phase in planning your perfect photography session. We discuss your vision, what to expect and how to prepare. The only difference is that now we will also discuss potential risks and agree safety protocols to ensure we are both adequately protected. I will also confirm if you or any family member fall in to a high-risk or vulnerable category so that we can ensure to put additional necessary measures in place.

You will be required to complete a Covid-19 screening form the day before your session, to ensure no family members have symptoms, etc., in which case we will reschedule your session. I will also personally ensure that for every session, I feel fully well and fit to work and if in any doubt, we will reschedule your session. Similarly, if any of my family members are displaying symptoms consistent with Covid 19 we will also reschedule your session.

Your Photo Session

Outdoor Sessions

As a lifestyle photographer, a large portion of my sessions take place outside. With lots of quiet locations to choose from and using my long-range lens as my primary equipment, keeping a 2m physical distance isn’t an issue. So overall, there shouldn’t be much difference to how an outdoor session takes place. The only exception is how I engage with the kids in my family sessions. Previously, I would often ask them to “help me out” with taking a picture, sometimes share a toy or do a little high five etc. While this is now not possible, I have many more little tricks up my sleeve to warm them up for the session!

While newborn sessions more frequently take place in your home, outdoors is also a possibility during the warmer summer months (in fact, I photographed three newborns during my lockdown doorstep portraits series and they worked out beautifully!) This wouldn’t work for other styles of newborn photography, but it works wonderfully well for lifestyle photography, which is what I specialise in.

Indoor Sessions

While outdoors is possible for newborns during the summer months, I would normally visit you and your new arrival in the comfort of your own home. Other sessions, such as headshots and personal branding, also sometimes take place indoors. Of course, current restrictions now need to be considered, but thankfully they don’t pose too much of a problem. As a lifestyle photographer, there is no need for physical contact with you or your baby to create stunning photographs. Lifestyle photography is all about keeping things as natural as possible and when photographing your newborn, it’s less about perfect posing and more about emotional connection! That said, being indoors means taking a few additional precautions.

• Physical Distance – According to current government guidelines, “close contact” means being within 2 metres of a person with the virus for 15 minutes or more. In all situations, I will ensure physical distancing of 2 meters in so far as possible and in the brief occasions where this is not possible, I will minimise any direct close contact and adhere to strict hand and respiratory hygiene practices, as outlined below.
• Hand Hygiene – While it’s possible to completely avoid handling your baby during the session, in the interest of creating beautiful images, there may be situations where I will feel it’s necessary to adjust your baby’s position, or to help you or another family member. I will do so only with your consent and at all times I will adhere to excellent hand hygiene practices – including regular hand sanitising.
• Respiratory Hygiene – Naturally we all need to ensure excellent respiratory hygiene practices to protect each other during a session, but in the unlikely event that I need to be in close contact with you or your baby for more than 15 minutes, I will wear a face covering in that instance. Whilst otherwise at a safe distance, I won’t wear a face covering during your session, as creating natural and relaxed images is very much dependent on how we interact and engage with each other. Wearing face covering for the full duration of your session would negatively impact on our ability to do this.
• Cleaning Protocols – Thankfully there aren’t many frequently touched surfaces involved in a photo session, other than my camera and equipment! But I will ensure to minimise touching surfaces in your home or onsite. Previously, a newborn session would sometimes include me wrapping your baby in a swaddle for some of the photographs, however, until we get more used to living with Covid 19 and the safety guidelines, I will eliminate their use for the time being. If and when I reintroduce them, I will ensure that any items that I offer to use for your session, such as wraps or blankets, will be washed and sanitised prior to your session.
• Ventilation – Whilst shooting indoors, in your home or onsite, I will ensure we incorporate window ventilation to assist with air flow, where at all possible.