If you follow my page on Facebook you probably saw my announcement that I am reopening the studio in a limited way from Monday 22nd June. So I thought I should post an update here just to let you know exactly what ‘reopening in a limited way’ means in practice and the changes that I have made to facilitate social distancing.
Limited reopening initially means that I will only be doing ‘School Photo Do-Overs‘ and only one per day until I know that everything I have put in place is working as intended and hopefully the pandemic starts to ease up further.
Once I see that everything is working and hopefully as we start to come out of the other side of the Coronavirus crisis I will be able to reintroduce further services.
The Changes
So you’re probably now wondering what I have changed on-site to help comply with Social Distancing requirements and keep everyone as safe as possible.
Well as you can see from the image below when you arrive at the studio I can’t see that your outside and you can’t see where I am inside without actually coming inside.
So I have made the simplest possible modification;
….I have added a doorbell, not so that I can come and let you in but rather so that you can give me a warning and I can move an appropriate distance away from the door so you can enter and maintain your social distance.
I have also added to the door a push panel…..
…the Push panel is a simple steel plate that I will ensure has been disinfected (as I will the doorbell) before you arrive so that you know that it’s a clean surface when you push the door open.
On entry to the studio, you will find a low (for the kids’ benefit) table on which I have placed hand sanitiser, and I ask that everyone sanitise their hands on entry.
You will note from the picture I am sure that the table has quite a bit of space on it, this is to provide you with somewhere that I have sanitised that you can place any personal possessions such as handbags etc. that you might not wish to keep on your person, knowing that you will be picking it up from a clean surface on the way out.
On the left, as you come in I have provided a coat rack so that you no longer need to take your coat to the changing area.
The rack is metal and easy for me to disinfect before and after each visitor.
Within the studio, you will still be able to get a drink…
the counter will be fully restocked before we open, the main difference now is that I will ask you to sterilise your hands and prepare your drinks to keep that social distance, everything on the station will have been sanitised before you touch it too. And when you leave I simply ask that you drop your container in the bin yourself on the way out unless you’re taking it with you.
The Shoot
Within the Studio, I will have placed a chair for your child in the appropriate place in front of the lights and I will ask you to go with them and stand off to one side to maintain that ‘social distance’ – I will then take the shots as normal. I won’t be default wear a mask as the most important part of photographing a child is to communicate and make that connection so that you can get a genuine reaction and I think that will be very difficult wearing a mask….but I do have some set aside and if you would prefer I wore one then let me know and I will be happy to do so.
Just so you know chairs and even the floor will have been disinfected before you arrive. We won’t be able to do any full-length shots as there is no clear scientific advice on whether the background paper can ‘hold the virus’ and for how long so as I can’t disinfect paper there won’t be any standing on or touching it etc it will just hang in the background.
You will still be able to use the dressing table if you need to tidy up hair etc, it will have been sanitised after each visitor.
After the shoot.
When it’s time to leave the studio, so long as you open the door using the extra handle I have added you will be using a surface that will have been sterilised.
Suggestions
I’ve done everything I can think of to ensure that your time in the studio is as safe as it possibly can be and that ‘social distancing’ can be adhered to…..but if you have any suggestions for more I can do I would be happy to hear them.
