The New Normal | Post Covid Senior Portraits
This time of year, I usually am starting to plan for a season of Senior Portraits. This year it is really not very different. The only thing different is how as a photographer I will be navigating the post-Covid Senior Portrait landscape.
Luckily much of what I do for Senior Portraits is outdoors. Many of my clients prefer outdoor locations because we live in such a gorgeous area of the country. We have forests, lakes, mountains–you name it. Luckily for me, my very first portrait photography mentor drilled into me that many people do not like to be touched during portrait sessions. I had to learn how to give verbal instructions very precisely and effectively. Therefore, I have never been overly “touchy” with any of my portrait clients.
But what to do about the more traditional Senior Portraits? Many schools want their High School Senior students to submit a picture to the yearbook that is the classic head and shoulders shot with a studio backdrop. This will necessitate an indoor environment and traditional lighting scenarios.
I have actually been giving this a lot of thought lately. Client safety has always been very important to me, so Post-Covid Senior Portraits will not be vastly different. Obviously, I will probably need to wear a mask at least for the indoor sessions. I will also need to completely sanitize everything that people come in contact with. This extra step will necessarily impact the number of sessions I do per day. I will need to schedule at least an hour between the end of one session before the start of the next to allow for cleaning. On the client end, that will mean people will need to make sure they are making their appointments as soon as possible to make sure they get their photos done and turned into the yearbook advisor ASAP.
We may actually need to switch to some form of online gallery viewing. However, I really hesitate to do this because clients often get overwhelmed if a gallery is posted with no guidance from me. Part of the service I offer my clients is to help them quickly make a decision on what they actually want to use for different applications. People also like to see the actual products I offer to get a sense of the quality of the items they purchase. I am thinking if we all wear masks, we could do in person appointments. However, that will not really showcase our products in the best way.
I would love to hear some of your thoughts on post-Covid Senior Portraits, so drop me a message or call me at (518) 584-4237. I really look forward to some hearing about some creative solutions!
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