COVID-19 Preparedness While Photographing Chicago NorthShore Families
Many families in Chicago’s NorthShore suburbs have questions about how businesses are planning to protect their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The very nature of my portrait photography business allows me to interact with small groups of people and keep social distancing recommendations in place. Here are a few key elements to understand if you are considering a family or high school senior portrait session.
1. As a photographer of families and high school seniors, the nature of my work is to interact with small groups of people, 3-5 members of a family. I can still capture beautiful pictures of these small family units and maintain the recommended 6ft distance to protect all individuals involved in the session.
2. As a natural light photographer, I do not travel with a lot of gear for my photography sessions. I have my camera, a few lenses and sometimes a step stool. On occasion, I will use a reflector too. I always carry my own equipment, and rarely have my clients touch my materials, as I am usually shooting them as we move from one location to another.
3. I have several different lenses I use during a photo session, one of my favorite lenses happens to be one I need to maintain a significant distance from my clients to get them in the frame. In addition to maintaining adequate distance from my clients, this lens creates gorgeous images with beautifully blurred out backgrounds, ideal for portraits. See the images below to illustrate
To get a headshot I need to stand approximately 6-9ft away
This is the image I captured with my 135mm lens at 9 ft from my daughter.
To capture a full body image I need to stand 25ft or more away from my client.
I used my 135mm lens and was standing approximately 26ft from my daughter.
4. In general, I try to avoid touching my clients during a session. If I need them to get into a certain position or pose, I can successfully, demonstrate a position and have my clients mirror my movements. I admit, young children will be a little harder to position, but at this time of our lives, all my directions would be to the parents to move and situate their children.
5. I always encourage clients to schedule sessions early in the morning, just after sunrise or in the late afternoon/evening about 1 hour before sunset. This time of day provides the best light suited for creating images with soft flattering light. These times of day are also ideal for this moment in our lives, as less people will be in areas popular for photo sessions. For an added measure I would suggest a mid week session. Weekends tend to be busier, with more people seeking outdoor activities on the weekend.
6. During this time, I will plan to wear a mask during our session and I will have sanitizing hand wipes with me at all times.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!