I’ve had a few clients ask me about cancellations, people wondering if I’m still shooting, etc. So, I thought it would be a good idea for me to go over all of my current business practices, as they relate to the COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak. I will continue to update this post, as needed. Please scroll down, below the photo, for more information!

UPDATE (3/28/20): In lieu of the most recent orders to stay home, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing, until further notice. I will not be doing any indoor our outdoor portrait sessions at this time.

UPDATE (3/20/20): I still feel great! I don’t know why I had a short-lived, mild sore throat, but I don’t think it was anything to worry about. The only change I am making at this time is to not do any indoor sessions for the remainder of March. I will re-evaluate at that time, whether or not I’ll do indoor shoots.

UPDATE (3/18/20): I feel completely fine this morning! No sore throat and no other symptoms. Furthermore, the individual I came into contact with on Monday has tested negative for the Coronavirus. At this time, I’m going to give it a few more days, just to make sure my sore throat doesn’t return (and to make sure no other symptoms show up).

UPDATE (3/17/20): I have a mild sore throat, but no other symptoms at this point. I am waiting to hear back from my doctor, but at this time I am self-quarantining myself until further notice and will NOT be working with clients at all, until I have answers. In other news…I found out today that the person my son and I were exposed to yesterday (unrelated to the sore throat, due to timing) has been taken to the hospital for testing, but I do not know what the results are/were. Nobody else in our household has any symptoms.

As of today, I am social-distancing myself as much as possible. Not because I’m worried about getting the virus, but because I feel the responsible thing to do is try to not spread it. At the very least, I want things to stop shutting down, so the sooner we all stay home and stop spreading it, the sooner things can go back to normal!

I’m fortunate in that I can still do portions of my job, without being around people, but it does make other aspects challenging. In addition to my photography business, I teach in a classroom setting (computer lab with 24 stations, less than 3ft apart) and am in close proximity with students on a regular basis. Although the past few months have been healthier than average (in my very limited experience), there have been some students with sick family members in the last couple of weeks, so I think it’s safe to say that my exposure has been average in that regard. Today, however, I was within close proximity (about 3ft) with someone who had all of the symptoms of Covid-19, but hadn’t been confirmed. My son, who was with me, had closer contact with him (he handed my son an envelope). Aside from that, none of of us have had any other direct contact with anyone who has symptoms or a confirmed case.

My husband is a first responder and although they are taking precautions, he still has to go to work and be around the general public. I’ve had far more chance of exposure up until this point than he has, but he’s not able to stay home, like I am, so who knows what he’ll be exposed to over the next few weeks or months. He is occasionally around the elderly, so that’s also concerning to us. Two of my children are students: one where I teach (college) and one in middle school (um, hello, germs!). My other kid works at a busy retail store, although they’ve been cutting back on work hours due to the outbreak, so he’s been there less than usual lately. I think that they will be completely closed soon anyway. Why am I saying all of this? Because I want to be completely transparent with my clients. I want them to know what their risk is, if they are going to be around me, so that they can make an educated decision.

So, here’s the scoop…

WEDDINGS…
Places are shutting down and plans are having to be postponed. This leaves couples wondering what to do about their wedding photography. First and foremost, I will do everything I can to work with you on rescheduling. If I am available on your new date, we will just transfer your current contract to that new date. If you’re changing locations or anything else, we may need to sign an addendum, but that’s it. Now…if you choose a date for which I am not available, you will unfortunately lose the retainer fee that you have on file with me. I am, however, willing to transfer your retainer fee to a regular portrait session. That way, you can book an engagement or anniversary session with me (you can even wear your wedding attire if you’d like)!

PORTRAITS…
I am not doing any portrait sessions at this time. This will be the case until further notice.

HOSPITALS…
At this time, I am NOT entering any hospitals for photo sessions. This includes births, fresh-48 sessions, weddings, and even headshots. I do not currently have any birth clients scheduled, so thankfully this is a non-issue, but it will affect those who are either in the process of booking or those who are planning on booking their birth photography with me. Because we don’t know how long this will go on (many hospitals aren’t allowing any extra people, like photographers, in the rooms during births), my plan is to have a waiting list. Basically everyone wanting to book a birth with me will get their on-call time “penciled” in, until the last possible minute, when we either book it or call it off.