Coronavirus Safety Guidelines for Portrait Photography

Coronavirus Safety Guidelines for Portrait Photography – Outdoor Photography Sessions

Family photos in El Dorado park, Long Beach, CA

New Photography Guidelines for Outdoor Photo sessions

As of today, there really haven’t been many guidelines or specific restrictions in relation to outdoor portrait photography due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sure, there are articles about keeping a safe distance, wearing masks while in close distances to other people and making sure your hands are often sanitized or washed with soap. But, in terms of not being able to photograph people, not many specifics can be found.

This can be due to the fact that photography is used in so many different facets of other businesses and personal lives. Between commercial photography and personal photography, the spectrum is enormous! There are many photographers that weren’t affected much by this pandemic simply because they don’t photograph people. But for portrait photographers, there’s a lot going on!

The entire events & wedding industry is shut down because there are current orders in place that do not allow large crowds of people to congregate. Those photographers didn’t need to be told to stop operating… their calendars simply cleared up in a matter of a few weeks because all the hotels and venues are simply following the social distancing orders. Many portrait clients have canceled their sessions in making sure that they are following those guidelines as well.

Family Portrait at the Beach under a lifeguard tower, Hermosa Beach, CA

New social distancing orders are being placed

We’re now in the second week of May 2020 and Governor Gavin Newsom of California is looking at slowly lifting some restrictions, and making sure that many still stick. Los Angeles County officials on Wednesday announced that the county would be reopening certain businesses and outdoor areas on Friday, May 8th, 2020, based on new guidelines from the governor. Here is a list of industries that are opening:

Stage Two involves gradually opening some lower-risk workplaces with modifications.

• Retail businesses

• Manufacturing companies

• Allowing a broader workforce to return to work

• Opening offices when telework is not possible

• Opening more public spaces such as trails and parks

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also said he is lifting restrictions in the city’s Safer-At-Home order. Garcetti said the city’s trails and golf courses would reopen, as well as the city’s book stores, toy stores, music stores, sporting goods stores and clothing stores starting Friday, May 8th 2020.

Family Portrait in El Dorado Park, Long Beach, CA

New Photography guidelines

We’re super excited about the possibility of starting to book portrait sessions again and creating amazing memories for our portrait clients. With that thought in mind, we know that how we conduct sessions will look a little different in how we interact with our clients. Here are some things we are putting in place to make sure that our clients’ health and safety are a #1 priority.

Booking Sessions Online

As before, all our sessions will be booked online through our online scheduling portal. This is not only convenient for our clients but aligns with social distancing guidelines.

Outdoor locations

Every portrait session will be planned in a location that follows the social distancing guidelines. This means that each location should have plenty of space to walk around and should not be too busy with other people.

Social Distancing

We will make sure that we keep a minimum of 6 feet between you and the lens. This can happen quite naturally by using lenses that require the photographer to step back in order to capture the right photo.

Face Covering

We will bring a face mask for us. You, of course, would not need to wear one unless you want us to capture a “sign of the times” type photo.

Digital Image Delivery

As always, your digital images will be delivered via download. We also store any purchased images for 5 years, giving you the peace of mind that you can access your images anytime within those 5 years and download them to any device you’d like.

Custom Product Delivery

In all our package options, we offer tangible, professional prints or canvases. We are opting to safely ship those items to you for a contactless delivery option.

Family Portrait in the South Coast Botanical Gardens, Palos Verdes, CA

In any and all cases, our clients’ safety and confidence is our #1 priority. You can be confident that we will take all measures to make sure that you feel safe in hiring us for your personal portraits. If you have any questions or concerns about your session, please feel free to reach out to us. We are always here to help 🙂

To book your next local session, please visit our online booking portal page.