COVID-19 Update and Safe-Session Policies

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I hope you are staying healthy and safe in these unusual times. I’m taking the current events of coronavirus and COVID-19 very seriously. I want to share these coronavirus safe-session policies and procedures I’m implementing to protect everyone on our photo shoots.

West End Photography will resume photographing your senior, engagement, family and business portraits outdoors.  For the time being these sessions will take place at a non-studio location. This could be outside near the studio or at a nearby Boulder park. It could be outside at your location.  For clients looking for a personal lifestyle look, we can photograph downtown in Boulder or Denver, or on the Boulder Open Space after June 1st.

For safety and liability purposes, I won’t be opening up my studio for portraits until July 2020. This date may change.  When shooting on location, I can provide the same setup that I do in my studio.

Going forward, these new coronavirus safe-session policies and procedures will apply to all photo shoots and will continue to evolve as the situation dictates.

  • Equipment will be wiped down with sanitizing solution upon set up prior to client’s arrival, and in between clients.
  • Photographer (and makeup artist when scheduled) will wear a mask at all times.
  • Client will wear a mask to session and immediately following session.
  • Client will review images on line.
  • Photographer and client will keep at least 6 feet from each other at all times.
  • A no-touch policy will be in place which means no handshakes, no adjusting of subject’s hair, makeup or clothing. Photographer will direct subject to make adjustments.
  • Photographer, makeup artist and subject will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon arrival to location/set and every hour. Photographer will provide hand sanitizer.
  • 24 hour cancellation policy waived if illness occurs.
  • Large in-person gatherings and in-person meetings of more than ten people are prohibited on set until further notice.
  • If you witness or become aware of any employees or other individuals violating this policy, please report them to Daniel immediately.
  • All visitors are prohibited unless they are essential to the performance of the job.
  • If either photographer or subject feels sick in any capacity prior to the session or day of, especially fever, cough, or fatigue, photo session will not take place under any circumstances and will be rescheduled.
  • If client or photographer feels unsafe at any time during the session, session will end and both client and photographer will determine how to proceed.

I am watching the situation closely and will update this blog as things change. To book a non-studio session, please contact me at 303-415-0545 or Daniel@westendphotography.com. Feel free to call me with any questions.

In good health,

Daniel

Karena and Tyler’s Boulder Farm Wedding

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Karena and Tyler are such lovely down to earth people with the dream of having a farm of their own one day.  Their wedding was at Pastures of Plenty.  This wedding was a mix of digital film presets and Kodak Portra film.  I love the warm earthy skin tones and undersaturated green tones here.  There is something real and organic about film that was spot on for this small outdoor wedding.

Chautauqua Senior Session with Megan

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Chautauqua is bright and beautiful on a summer morning and a little less crowded than the afternoon.   It’s not easy to work with bright Colorado sun.  Fun session with this high school senior who goes to boarding school in North Carolina!

Karena and Tyler’s Engagement Session

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I adore this couple!  They are so down to earth, natural, and just amazing lovers of life.  Karena is a fan of real film so I shot their engagement session with a combination of real Kodak Portra 400 film and digital images adjusted to look like film.  Can you tell the difference?  Having learned on film in art school and having shot film for the first 10 years in business, I’m excited that it is making a comeback.

Melissa and Jim’s mountain meadow wedding

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Jim and Melissa and their friends were fun, kind and adventurous. There really isn’t anything more beautiful than a Rocky Mountain meadow for a Colorado destination wedding. It’s a small risk with the weather, but with a tent and the right vendors it can be quite luxurious. I loved her beautiful custom made dress by Wai-Ching Studio. It’s pretty amazing what a skilled caterer like Black Belly can do even at 8,300 ft. The music by amusicplus had people dancing on and off the dance floor. If there are more people like this fun group from Seattle I have to visit.

Hope and Tom’s Destination Wedding

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Hope and Tom had a small, intimate ceremony at the Flagstaff House in Boulder, Colorado.  They had to postpone the ceremony because of rain, but this gave us the most beautiful light to photograph the details on the covered deck.  I love the soft light that makes the flowers look like they were photographed with Fuji film. Rabbi Scott Segal from Aspen officiated at this beautiful ceremony and Ketuba signing and Austin Ellis provided some amazing acoustic guitar.  Mozel Tov!

Three things your Colorado wedding officiant probably hasn’t thought of

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wedding ceremonies

It’s a mixed blessing that anyone can marry you in Colorado.  On the one hand you get to have someone with a meaningful history to officiate at your wedding, but on the other, it’s probably their first time officiating and they probably haven’t thought of these things that help the ceremony and the wedding photography run smoothly.

  1. Ask the guests to stand when the bride comes down the aisle and sit before the ceremony begins.  People need this direction and the green light when it is ok to sit back down.
  2. Talk about an exit strategy after you walk down the aisle.  When I was starting as a photographer I kept getting this terrified look and question after the ceremony from the bride and groom – “Now what do we do?”  Figure out ahead of time what you want to do.  Are you takeing 15 minutes in private, doing a receiving line, or going to a special spot for family photos?  The end of the ceremony with 200 people watching isn’t the time to figure it out.
  3. The officiant should move after announcing, “You may kiss the bride”.  Otherwise, you will probably have a strange partial head in the photo looking at your first kiss as husband and wife.

I’ve seen many ceremonies performed beautifully by first timers so hopefully these recommendations will help make it go even more smoothly at your ceremony.

Michelle and Steven’s Boulder Wedding

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Michelle and Steven had a beautiful April wedding at Rembrandt Yard.  Before the wedding we walked up to the Bitter Bar before they opened to recreate a dyptic painting, or two individual pieces that work together as one (kind of like a marriage!).  On the way back we stopped at a few of my favorite downtown Boulder locations.  One thing that struck me about this couple is how much they enjoy each other’s company.  Once they start talking the rest of the world disappears – great for getting candid shots of them.  It was a pleasure working with them and Shayna from cherry-bomb events.

CU Senior Graduation Portraits

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The rain held off for a wonderful portrait session with Tailor, a graduating CU senior.  Although I get to meet students from all over the country, it seems like the majority who do photo shoots for announcements are from southern California.  It’s an exciting time for these impressive young college students.  Good luck Tailor!