COVID UPDATE 03/01/21
 

LOCKDOWN IS BACK IN EFFECT, however some services are permitted.  The following provisions are in place for your safety and to stay within Provincial laws.
 

As most of you know, a Mandatory Mask policy is in effect here in Simcoe County and elsewhere in the province.  Any person over the age of 5 is required to wear a face covering in any public place of business, including inside our studio.  Luckily, there are provisions in place that allow that mask to be removed so you can be photographed.   Only the person being photographed may remove their mask, and even then, only for the time they are being photographed and must wear the mask at all other times in the studio.

 

If you come without one, we have some here and can give you one if you need it, but to keep your photography costs down, it would be very helpful for you to bring your own.  We have provided hand sanitizer and every person entering must sanitize on their way into the studio.

 

We have mandatory health questionnaires and contact tracing forms for EVERY SESSION. We will not photograph you without it, and we will also do a mandatory temperature check at the door.

 

If you cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition or are not able to put one on and off by yourself we will ask that you include that in your health questionnaire.  We will not force you, but we do need it recorded so we don't get fined.  Masks are currently required for outdoor sessions even with the 6 foot distancing rules followed.  I will wear one for all allowed outdoor sessions, and every client must wear one at all times EXCEPT the brief time we are taking photos. 

 

Our studio doors are locked to the public.  I wear my mask and shield at all times when I even walk into the studio, and all common areas and surfaces are sanitized both before and after EVERY single session. Any non-sanitizable props and surfaces have been closed off and will not be used, so please respect boundaries in place to keep you off furniture and carpets that cannot be easily sanitized. You are safer here than in a photographers home where they go maskless as do their children and pets and we are dedicated to providing the highest safety protocols possible.  We will wear a mask at ALL times during your indoor session and we only shoot in studio every other day at minimum and even then no more that 2 clients per day to ensure any airborne germs have cleared themselves out.  It is the safest environment we can provide, so that when you take your mask off for that short time, please know you are as safe as we can make you.  Every person is medically screened before they enter our studio via the health questionnaire.

 

NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT  *For newborn or immunocompromised persons, we will wear FULL PPE, including hair coverings and disposable gowns to keep you and your infants as safe as humanly possible.  There is nothing more important to use than your safety.

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NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT  *Children may have one adult family member with them, Newborns may have both parents or one parent and a helper.. We have clearly marked floors to maintain social distancing at all times.   We can show you how to pose and advising you verbally only on anything we need you to do.
 

Please read all remaining policies to ensure you are aware of changes and MANDATORY requirements.
 

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1) HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE: Clients MUST fill out a brief health questionnaire before your session. This must be completed and returned to me the day BEFORE your session.  You can fill out the form at the bottom of this page.  You will be required to sign the form you filled out for our records when you arrive.  You will also have to sign a waiver and release upon arrival, as they are mandated for contact tracing and insurance requires the release.  Without these we cannot photograph you. A temperature check will also be done at the door. You MUST sanitize before you do anything else upon entry.
 

2) PAYMENTS: We can no longer take payments on site, so payments will have to be made via our safe, online invoicing software or e-transfer before or immediately following your session.  You may use your credit card on site with contactless tap, but any cards that require keypad entry or insertion will not be used, as we use my personal phone for transactions. Debits have a tap limit of $100 so cannot be used in most sessions. Yo u may bring cash if you like, we have a sanitizing unit we can put that in.
 

3) HOURS: Our doors will be locked and only opened for the client we are shooting at the time. We will NOT be in the studio, and keeping up with the "stay at home" initiative when we do not have shoots.  You must have an appointment as per government regulations.
 

4) PROTECTION/SANITIZATION: A hand sanitization station will be set up at the door, so you must sanitize upon entering and leaving. I will be wearing a mask for any indoor session at this time. I may wear one for outdoor sessions as well, depending on the circumstances.  We will leave enough time between sessions to clean and sanitize the used space.

5) AMENITIES: While we will have a bathroom available in case of a restroom emergency, we must to keep the whole back of the studio closed off from clients as it is packed full of props and clothes and we can't clean and sanitize everything. Please be sure to dress in your outfit for your session and use the washroom before arriving. The coffee maker and water cooler will be off limits until further notice (so sorry).  We ask that you not touch anything in the studio that you don't need to, we will happily show you the samples, go over props and backgrounds etc.  If you bring in a coffee, or bags or a diaper, please take it out with you. We will have ample "grocery" bags for you to take your garbage with you. This keeps everyone safer.
 

6) CORPORATE PHOTOS:  * AVAILABLE * Corporate clients needing headshots will be able to get them, in studio or outside. We will have the floor marked in safe, social distances practice guidelines.  We cannot photograph groups at this time, unless you live in the same household.  We will have no change rooms for the time being, so please come dressed and ready to go.  We will NOT BE looking at, choosing and editing the images AT your session, for the time being. We will have them to you the SAME DAY via a private gallery where you will pick your images and we will then edit and return them to you within 24 hours of your choices being made. We will NOT be going to indoor locations/offices to shoot unless all social distancing and Government guidelines are met there as well.
 

7) FAMILY SESSIONS:  * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT * Groups/Family Sessions will resume outside, keeping the 6 foot social distancing rule in place, provided that the group size (including myself), does not exceed current Government allowances (10 people total). We will not use any area closed to the public, until allowed to do so.  We will NOT be going to indoor locations/homes to shoot unless all social distancing and Government guidelines are met there as well.  We are choosing to only allow members of the same household in the studio for family shots.  We will do other groups (within provincial and federal guidelines) outdoors only.
 

8) NEWBORN SESSIONS:  * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT * If you prefer us to have no contact with the baby we can do newborn sessions, either in a lifestyle fashion (you holding your child), or we can also instruct you on how to pose or wrap your baby using our professional weighted newborn training doll.  If you DO want posed photos, we will allow you to do as much of the posing as possible, and in an abundance of caution, we are going OVER AND ABOVE guidelines and wearing FULL PPE, including disposable surgical gowns to keep your baby as safe as humanly possible.  Even then we will maintain a 6 foot distance as much as humanly possible.
 

9) VIEWING/ORDERING SESSIONS:  * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT * All viewing sessions will be held Via Zoom online meetings. You will be able to watch your slideshows, go over all the images with me and ask your questions, live and for free. Orders can then be placed online with me or on the online software and will be delivered anywhere in Collingwood free of charge, with no contact.

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10). GRAD PHOTOS or Prom outfit shoots. * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT *  We know you are sad there will be no proms and some of you did not get Grad photos. We will be doing grad images with print packages and digital files for super affordable pricing. We have gowns and caps, 6 sets of them.  2 Kindergarden (Burgandy and Black), 3 Gr8/HS (Red, Blue, Black) and a black College/Univ gown.  Grad gowns will be washed after every use, so we can only book one Grad per gown, per day the studio is open. Again, we will have no change rooms for the time being, so come dressed and ready to go.  We will also be doing Prom Minis, where your child can wear their Prom outfit and have photos with the friends or date (provided groups are allowed). We will capture this moment for them. I promise.
 

11) PASSPORT PHOTOS: * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT * These will only be done only by appointment. While I am processing your images, please be kind enough to wait outside or in your car.
 

12) MAKEUP SERVICES: * NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT * Because Sarah's makeup services are literally in your face and hands on, she has a different set of rules and guidelines to meet, both Provincially and Nationally. We will be offering her services in our studio again just as soon as she is allowed to open up again, and when we do, the strictest sanitary guidelines will be met, as always!  You can keep up to date on when Sarah is open again here: www.beautymarked.ca

13) BOOKING FORMS:  We require booking forms for all sessions more than 2 weeks out.  We don't generally take them for sessions within 2 weeks, except large families and Newborns because they require special setups or more time/care.   All booking forms have been updated to take COVID-19 Restrictions and illnesses into account.