The Impact of Covid-19 on my Small Photography Business

Hi, I’m Rebecca and I am a self employed photographer with a home studio based in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire UK. I am a Maternity, Newborn, Childhood and Family photographer with a passion for capturing personalities. Below I answer some questions from Lisa King.

How has Covid-19 affected your business?

I have had to temporarily shut. I have postponed all photo shoots until the government tells me it is safe to reopen. I have no monthly income and unfortunately as I am a new business I do not qualify for any help from the government. Having said that though – my husband is still working and we have sat down, made a plan and we are confident everything will be ok.

Have you done anything unique to keep going during this time?

I am using this time to take a step back and have a much needed break from the busy work schedule I had prior to closing my doors. I am keeping my social media presence up and I have had a giveaway to generate more interest on my pages. I am still selling gift vouchers too. I have various ideas flying round about how to improve my studio as well as reorganising and decluttering my props. I have cleared space on my hard drive and cloud to help improve my computers performance. All of the above I haven’t had time to do recently. I did think about doing a little extra online learning but I have decided against it. I want to spend some quality time with my kids and family as I feel I will probably never get this opportunity again.

What do you see changing for your business in the future as a result of this? Positive or negative?

I think I will be very busy in the first few weeks once I reopen. That’s a good thing obviously but I hope I don’t get too overwhelmed. I have quite a few clients who unfortunately missed out on very special shoots with me (newborn’s/1st birthdays etc) so they will be my first priority. My main concern is that I was having such a good few months I was just beginning to hit all my financial targets and felt my business was really taking off! Bookings were coming in thick and fast, I was just beginning to get to grips with certain aspects of my business and, for the first time since I started, I was achieving above and beyond my dreams. I just hope I can regain that, ideally pick up where I left off once I am able to.

Will you change anything about the way you work in response to Covid-19?

As a photographer I work very closely with clients, my studio is small and it is in my home. Hygiene is and always has been a top priority in my studio. All my blankets, wraps and props are washed down after each session. The surfaces in my studio are wiped down daily, the floor is hoovered daily. My equipment is cleaned and maintained daily. My hands are washed before, during and after each session and I already use hand gel on a regular basis. As extra precaution in light of the new advice from the government I will be limiting touch with clients wherever possible and, if the parents would like me to, I will wear a mask when handling babies.

I have asked my clients to get in touch with me if they feel unwell, I will happily rearrange their session. I will supply hand gel for my clients and ask for them to take their shoes off upon entry to my studio. I have asked them be as hygienic as possible when they are in my studio. All of this information is sent to my clients prior to each shoot so they are aware and can ask questions before if they would like to.

Covid-19 has also taught me 2 things in business. The first is that as a self employed person I need to be prepared for a sudden loss of income. The second is that my business would be nothing without all my lovely clients and the people of our local area.

Thanks for reading. I hope you are all staying safe and well.