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I'm very pleased to say I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and can begin planning my return to work, things will certainly be different but I'm making sure the studio is as safe as possible for you to bring your babies. As you may know, safety has always been my top priority when working so closely with newborn babies, but never more so than now so I'm taking extra care and additional precautions to assure you all that I'm not taking the COVID-19 outbreak lightly, and I will be doing all I can to prevent any spread within the photography studio.
Please see below everything I have in place for the safest possible return, and the steps I will be taking to ensure myself and the studio environment remains safe and clean for your maternity, newborn, milestone and cake smash photoshoots.
Some of these safety measures are existing, and some are brand new.
1. For your reassurance there will be a 14 day + gap between parents leaving hospital following the birth of their baby to coming to the studio, giving them time to self-isolate. For this reason, I will not be booking any newborn photoshoots in within 2 weeks of birth.
2. If you have travelled abroad or been into highly affected public areas you will be asked to wait 14 days before attending your photoshoot.
3. All clients are asked to postpone photoshoots if themselves or anyone they’ve been into contact with have had any COVID related symptoms, as well any other illness as per the usual guidelines. And equally, if I feel unwell I will contact you immediately to rearrange your appointment.
4. Your temperature must be checked upon arrival. This will be checked at the entrance and should any of you have a fever you will be turned away and not permitted into the studio. Your shoot will be rescheduled for 14 days + from this.
5. All props, surfaces & door handles etc are all washed and sanitised as per usual regulations, but I'll be doing this more regularly and giving the studio a deep clean before AND after each session.
6. I will be minimising the number of items I use throughout each session, and not reusing said items until they have been deep cleaned and isolated for at least 48 hours after use. For this reason, if you have your heart set on a prop you've seen in my images, please make this known as early as possible upon booking so I can set it aside for your session.
7. I will be advising all clients to shower/ bath, cleaning hair too, before coming to the studio. I obviously cannot control this but I kindly ask that you follow this advice to risk spread of infection. I will be doing the same.
8. Before entering the studio space, you will be asked to via the bathroom and thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap which will be provided, along with disposable paper towels to dry with.
9. You will be asked to remove your shoes and wear shoe covers before entering the studio. I will also be asking that you only bring essential items in too, so coats/ prams etc to be left in the car where possible.
10. I will be asking all clients to wear a mask for the most part of the photoshoots. I advise you to bring your own but I will have spares should you forget. However, please note that I cannot be held responsible for the effectiveness of the PPE provided. If you wish to have family images, this will be done at the very end of the session when I can open the door for ventilation, and keep 2m apart so you can safely take off your mask.
11. I will be wearing the relevant PPE, including a mask, visor & apron, however, after researching the best hand hygiene it appears it's a lot more hygienic to NOT wear gloves so this will not be my standard practice, and I will wash and anti-bac hands regularly instead. If you would prefer me to wear gloves when handling your baby then I of course will and I do have them in the studio. Please do your own research and let me know if this is your preference.
12. I will be asking you to keep the 2m distancing rule as much as possible. And I have procedures in place which will be explained and demonstrated upon arrival. For this reason, I cannot have parents stood next to me when photographing your child and you will need to remain seated in the parent area.
13. For maternity photoshoots, the Mum-to-be will not be required to wear a mask due to being on camera, but the 2m rule must be met at all times, and the back doors will be open for ventilation.
14. Instead of one or more photoshoots daily, for the foreseeable future I will be inviting clients to attend their sessions every other day to allow as much time in between people in the studio for cleaning and ventilation of the room.
15. Siblings will be asked to join at the end of the session for family images, and cannot stay for the duration of the session until further notice. Due to the fact they usually like to 'help' me, run around, and couldn't wear a mask.
16. There will be a longer wait than usual for your photo viewing, it is usually 2-3 weeks after the photoshoot, and it will now be 4-6 weeks due to needing to prioritise all postponed sessions before babies get too old. This is just temporary until we're caught up.
17. All photo viewings will be spread out throughout the day but new procedures are in place. Masks aren't mandatory as long as we remain over 2m apart at all times, and for this reason the door will be open (which you sit next to) for fresh air, so you may want to bring a couple of layers incase it's a colder day. I will be unable to hold your baby to sooth them whilst you choose images, but they're still welcome. Clients will no longer be permitted to touch my laptop to reduce any touch spread, and I will control all devices. As above, temperature checks, hand washing and shoe covers will be required upon arrival.
18. Products purchased at your viewing session will be ordered immediately as per usual, but delays may occur (product depending) as some suppliers don't have full staff and things could take longer. This will be explained to you before purchasing so you are aware of timescales before committing.
19. Collections will now be contact free, I will have your order ready at the arranged time, but I will ask you to call me when you're outside so I can safely place your items in the entrance and open the door for you to pick up with me at a safe distance.
20. If anyone in your household develops symptoms within 7 days of attending your photoshoot, I ask you to inform me immediately. This means I will need to postpone upcoming photoshoots. Therefore, this could affect your booking if a client before you does this.
Please note:
1. The building is shared with 5 other businesses, meaning the entrance, toilet and kitchen are all communal areas. So whilst I will ensure all shared areas are as clean and sanitary as possible before your arrival, I cannot guarantee others will not be using these areas too.
2. My partner is a key worker and is surrounded by colleagues at work on a daily basis. It’s the same people he see’s who he assumes are following the social distancing rule, but due to the fact he is not self isolating I cannot 100% guarantee we are a fully isolating household.
3. My daughter will be with childcare where she is mixing with a self isolating family, so the same applies as per above.
4. I am opening my doors based on mutual honesty between myself and each client, and I know these photos are so precious but at a time like this and you may not want to jeopardise your photoshoot but I need everyone to be completely up front and I am urging you to respect this rule.
Upon booking your photoshoot, you will be sent a waiver that I will ask you to sign. Before signing this, I'm asking you to read my new policies and do your own risk assessment, and then make your own informed decision about attending.
If you have any questions or concerns at all about anything in this post, or in addition to this, then please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be more than happy to discuss procedures with you for your upcoming photoshoot.
Stay safe x
