A Safe Set

This pandemic has affected everything from how we shop to how we socialize. It has affected how we produce photo shoots as well! My colleague Rebecca Peloquin of Rebecca Peloquin Photography in LA shared her protocols of how she’ll be producing on a safe set. She completed the Safe Sets International COVID-19 course which I have done as well thanks to her sharing!

Here is what to expect as we navigate the new world of pandemic photo shoots:

1. Updated contract language: we have updated our photo shoot agreements to include COVID-19 language. We ask that you take your temperature before the photo shoot, confirm that you do not have any symptoms and that you have not been exposed. We will do the same.

2. Masks: these are a non-negotiable. All persons on set will wear a mask.

3. Distancing: All clients and persons on set will maintain a minimum of 6 feet from each other. We will setup a computer that is tethered to the camera where possible so clients and team members can review the images. Anyone who can view from afar will not assist with the set styling or adjusting at any time during the shoot.

4. Remote: If at all possible, members of the crew or client team members will remotely login to view the tethered images and/or join virtual calls to go through images. It’s not perfect, but we can make it work for everyone’s safety!

5. Hand-washing & hand sanitizer: We will continually wash our hands while on set and if this is not possible due to the location, hand sanitizer will be available at all times. We require that all persons on set follow the same protocol. We will have gloves on hand as well.

6. Meals on set: All meals on set will be individually wrapped, including all drinks. Personal water bottles will not be allowed.

7. COVID questions: Prior to any persons coming on set, we will ask some or all of the following questions: Do you have any COVID-19 symptoms? Have you been exposed to anyone with COVID-19? Have you traveled to a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days? We also ask that you take your temperature prior to entering the set.

8. COVID-19 diagnosis: If our team or the client team contracts COVID-19, symptomatic or asymptomatic, we will reschedule the shoot a minimum of 14 days out.

9. Be flexible. We are shifting to accommodate the new way of the world and we ask that all photo shoot team members are flexible and understand that this won’t be the way we used to do this. We are changing our workflows and onset production to work in the most safe way possible and we ask that all team members do the same. Photo shoots may take longer than they have in the past - we must clean more often, separate ourselves from each other and continually wash our hands. Have patience as we work through this together.

Thank you in advance for working within these new protocols. We want to get back to work but we want to do so safely.