Now that I’ve returned to semi-regular work at weddings I wanted to take a moment to write to all my remaining couples for this season to let them know what I’ve been doing to keep myself, my clients, and their guests as safe as possible during COVID-19. As a vendor who is present at multiple weddings in any given month, it’s really important to me that I act responsibly, so I’ve come up with a few strategies to keep everyone safe and to keep myself healthy so that I can be there with you to photograph your big day!

MASKS
I will be wearing a cotton mask with a filter insert while I am indoors, whether it’s a public or private space. On hotter days I will take a few breaks away from the crowd to take my mask off and re-hydrate, but I’ll make sure to only do so during moments of downtime when I won’t miss anything important. I will also try as hard as possible to keep my distance from any guests who have chosen not to wear a mask, for their safety and my own.

EYE PROTECTION
Because the eyes are just as susceptible to contracting a virus as the respiratory system, anytime I am in a close quarters, indoor situation where I cannot reliably maintain a six foot distance from others, I will be wearing eye protection as well. This will likely take the form of small safety glasses, but could potentially be in the form of a full-face shield.

DANCING
I completely understand that weddings are a celebratory occasion and many people like to celebrate by getting their groove on. When there is group dancing, I will be photographing the bulk of it from the perimeter of the dance floor to avoid being in close quarters with people who are engaging in something physically demanding like dancing. This won’t effect the quality of my photographs in any way, as I have the equipment necessary to effectively shoot in this manner, while still capturing essential moments.

EATING
Since eating requires the removal of my mask, I will be taking my dinner break away from guests. I will ask the caterer myself to serve me separately, so it won’t be any extra work on your part. If that’s not a possibility at your wedding, please let me know and I’ll make arrangements to get food or to bring my own.

GROUP POSING
I have decided to leave this up to the individuals in the photograph. If they are comfortable being close to one another, I will happily take the photo, but I won’t specifically ask anyone to get in close. Same goes for removing masks. I won’t specifically ask anyone to remove them, but they are free to do so on their own.

I’ll be taking these steps at every event this season to keep myself healthy for your wedding, as well as all the rest of the events I’ll be photographing. I really appreciate your understanding as we all figure out how to navigate events safely during these times.

I’m really happy that I’ve been able to institute these changes into how I approach shooting without it having an impact on the quality of my photographs which is, after all, why you’ve chosen me, a professional, in the first place.

If you have any suggestions of things I can add to this list, please let me know! I’m sure it will grow as I shoot more weddings and discover new ways to help keep myself, my clients, and their guests safe.

Thank you!

James Bitz