Coronavirus Pandemic Safety Tips for Wedding Photographers — Wedding Photo Hangover

It’s difficult to stay safe right now as a normal human, just trying to get groceries and make a living. It’s more difficult if you’re an event or wedding photographer during this coronavirus pandemic. As an event photographer or wedding photographer, you might be exposed to crowds of people from all over the country, and in some cases from all over the world, and you have no idea if anyone has COVID-19. Recently someone asked for practical steps wedding photographers could take to stay a little safer while shooting. This is for people who have to shoot, because their clients aren’t rescheduling and they need to make money. Here’s our list of practical steps you can take to stay a little bit safer.

Best Tips for Staying Safe As a Wedding Photographer During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Here’s the TLDR list if that’s all you want. Under this we’ll go through each thing we recommend and talk a little more about each one to flesh out how it might look on the day.

It’s Okay to Say No
Talk to Your Clients in Advance
Stay Distant
Wear a Mask
Bring a Second Mask
Bring Disposable Masks
Use Longer Lenses
Avoid Cramped Spaces
Suggest Brides and Grooms Get Ready Alone
Avoid Open Dancing
Wash Your Hands Regularly
Always Have Hand Sanitizer on You
Bring Disinfectant Wipes
Don’t Touch Knobs, Handles, or Switches
Avoid Handshakes
Pack Your Own Food
Avoid Riding in Buses, Trolleys, and Limos with Your Clients
Don’t Carpool with Your Second Shooter

Below we’re going to break these down and flesh them out a little more.

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It’s Okay to Say No

This is great advice for any time. Your safety is important. If your client asks you to do something that is unsafe or just feels unsafe, remember to say no. COVID-19 is dangerous and your continued safety should be your upmost priority.

Talk to Your Clients in Advance

Let people know that while you can still capture their wedding, you are concerned about COVID-19. Tell them in advance you’ll be keeping your distance and wearing a mask. A little talk pre-wedding day with the client about best practices for keeping everyone safe might go a long way on the day. Suggest they have hand sanitizer on tables at the reception and smaller bottles in the bathrooms. Suggest they have disposable masks for guests to wear in case those guests forgot their masks. Like I said, a little pre-talk where you establish boundaries and make suggestions can do a lot to make your day safer.

Stay Distant

Whenever possible, make sure there’s at least 6 feet between you and everyone else. This isn’t always easy, but it’s the best advice. Also, stay distant from other wedding vendors and your second shooter as much as possible too. The coronavirus is spread through airborne droplets and gravity is your friend. If you’re further than 6 feet away then almost all droplets exhaled by others will end up on the floor instead of in your face.

Wear a Mask

If you have an n95 mask (or even a kn95 mask), this is when you should wear it. That’s the way to help keep yourself safest. If you don’t have a mask like that, wear a cloth mask or 3 ply disposable mask (surgical mask). These don’t keep you nearly as safe, but if you wear a mask it’s more likely other people will wear a mask around you or stay distant from you. People respecting your boundaries will keep you safer, and a mask is a good way to let them know you’re taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously even if they are not.

Bring a Second Mask or Even a Third Mask

From experience, masks got sweaty and wet. That makes them really uncomfortable. You don’t want to get fed up and take your mask off when it becomes uncomfortable. So bring a second one and step outside to change it out with a fresh one. If you need help with what to look for in a good mask, check out this blog post from Van Elk & Co about the best masks for photographers.

*We know you’ve probably already seen this image, but come on, having multiple masks is a good idea. Just make sure they all work.*

Bring Disposable Masks

You don’t have to tell anyone they have to wear a mask, but bring a box of extra disposable masks. A 50 pack should do good. Set them out during getting ready photos and just say that they’re there for anyone who wants one. You might run this idea past the couple before the day, but even if you don’t, as long as you don’t try to force anyone to wear a mask you should be okay. And the best part about the surgical masks is they’re actually the second most effective masks at preventing the spread of COVID-19 droplets (second to N95 masks, which are reserved for health professionals in most areas).

Buy in bulk. It’s like $20 for a 50 pack, and it could save your life. (plus, it’s like $20 for most packs with 10 too, so you might as well get more for your money).

Encourage People to Wear Masks

You’re already leading by example and that’s great. Now let people know it’s natural to have a mask on in photos, and that you are okay with it. A lot of people are worried about masks looking weird in photos. Compliment guests on their masks and tell them you’re excited to be able to document how much they care about the people around them. Also, letting them know they look great will do a lot to getting them to keep their masks on their faces. You can also tell them the photos with the masks look better and more accurately capture this time in the world, if they seem to care about history.

Use Longer Lenses

If you normally shoot with a 35mm, consider switching it up for a 50 mm. If you normally shoot with a 50mm, consider using an 85 mm. This will help you stay distant, because you’ll be forced to take a few steps back in order to compose similar shots to what you usually shoot. Plus, you might like the compression of a longer lens. This could change the way you shoot entirely in the long run, but in the short run it’s about distance and safety. I typically shoot with a 50mm for portraits. For recent engagement shoots I’ve been using an 85mm and it’s been great.

Avoid Cramped Spaces

A big stress point for wedding photographers is the getting ready shots. Brides and grooms often get ready in tiny, cramped rooms with bad light. Those are the places where coronavirus spreads easiest because everyone is so close together that they can’t stay socially distant. Most of us already move our clients to spaces with better light for their getting ready shots. Now, try picking a bigger space where you can stand further away. Or, even move your clients outside once they’re decent. Some fake getting ready shots in a forest might not satisfy the photojournalist in your heart, but it’ll allow you to stay a little bit safer from the risk of catching COVID-19.

*The bride was helped into her dress by just her mother in a very large room. This was shot on a 50 mm from a ways away.*

Suggest Your Brides and Grooms Get Ready Alone

Suggest your clients get ready alone or with a limited number of people (just mom/dad for instance). I love photos where the wedding party and family members are helping the bride or groom get ready, but maybe now is the time to find beauty in the solitary moments.

Avoid the Open Dancing

Avoid getting in the middle of the dance floor if they have one. I usually shoot with a 35mm once the open dancing starts, and I get up in the mix with the guests. I like the look of this on the dance floor and think it makes for great shots. But now, I’m going to step back with a longer lens and shoot from the outskirts. I’ve tried this before and I know it’s frustrating. People will get in between me and my subjects as they dance, but I know from experience that I can still get great shots.

*This was shot with a 50 mm from a ways away, and then cropped in to focus on just the girl helping her brother off the floor during open dancing.*

Wash Your Hands Regularly

I usually tell photographers to drink regularly to stay hydrated. Now, I’m adding in to wash your hands regularly. If you’re walking past a bathroom with a sink and soap, take 20 seconds to wash your hands real quick. No client worth your time will be upset with you for doing this.

Bring Hand Sanitizer

Grab a bottle of hand sanitizer and throw it in your camera bag. If you can, get one you can just clip onto your zipper or the strap of your bag. That way it’s always out and available. And a note from me if you’re washing your hands and using hand sanitizer frequently, bring some hand lotion. Your hands will get dried out and you don’t want them to get so bad that the skin becomes irritated or cracks.

We recommend this 20 pack of hand sanitizer with built in clips, because you will go through one of these at almost every wedding you shoot.

If you don’t want a hand sanitizer with a clip, we recommend this hand sanitizer. It works and smells good, and is there anything else more important than that?

With hand sanitizer, no matter what you buy, you should buy in bulk. You’ll go through it fast.

*This isn’t the greatest photo, but you can buy hand sanitizer that can be clipped onto a carabiner and attached to your bag for easy access. We highly recommend this.*

Bring Disinfectant Wipes

You’ll want to wipe down your light stands at the end of the night. People always grab them for some reason during the reception. So a quick wipe down will do wonders.

These disinfectant wipes are available on Amazon if you don’t already have a ton of wipes, and again this is something you should buy in bulk. You’ll go through these faster than wedding guests go through cake.

Don’t Touch Knobs, Handles or Switches

Door knobs, door handles, and light switches are all things that are touched frequently. Avoid them. If you touch them then wash your hands or sanitize immediately afterward. If you’re in a bathroom, grab a paper towel or bit of tissue and use that to open the door. Bring tissues with you in your camera bag and use those to open doors. If you really need something, grab a lens cloth and use that. You can wash and sanitize your lens cloths when you get home (or just throw it out because they’re relatively cheap).

No Hand Shaking or Hugs with the Clients or Any Guests.

I’ve had a few clients try to bump fists or bump elbows. This is awkward and weird. It also encourages contact and being closer than 6 feet apart. Don’t do it. If you somehow find yourself in a situation where you’ve had your hand shook unexpectedly, then use that hand sanitizer right away. And in my opinion, go ahead and use it immediately after the contact, while you’re still possibly talking to the person and making direct eye contact. Okay, that might be a little much, but it’s important not to touch people.

Guide Your Clients to Smaller Weddings

In your pre-wedding talk, mention to your clients that they might want to cut their guest list to ensure people can social distance. Your clients know you’re a professional and thus they are looking to you to lead. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting something, just don’t push for it if your client seems uncomfortable with the suggestion. Also, bring up that maybe they should consider the possibility that people in Covid hotspots won’t be able to attend so they start thinking about the risks they’re taking. This will get them thinking about the possibility of a smaller guest list if nothing else does. Suggest maybe an elopement with a reception at a later date. I know we all need money, right now especially, but no amount of possible money is worth your life.

Take Breaks

Weddings are always dangerous when there’s any kind of flu around. Right now they’re much more dangerous. Odds are this is taking a mental and emotional toll on you throughout the wedding day. Take breaks to get outside and away from people do you can take some deep breaths. Your physical health isn’t the only thing at risk right now.

Pack Your Own Food

It’s in my contract that the couple provides a meal. This has been about convenience and comfort. I don’t want to carry a bunch of food with me all day and especially cold food that won’t taste or smell as good as what the guests are eating. But, that’s all gone out the window this year. I pack my own food for every wedding now. Buffets are hazardous, but if I can avoid any food that’s been prepared in advance and then left in a warmer for an hour or two then that’s probably a good idea.

*Maybe put food in your cooler, not beers… but this photo wasn’t taken with this blog post in mind initially.*

I had to buy a new cloth cooler with a strap to bring food (not the one above, which was a product I photographed for a client), because I wanted something small and easy to carry on the day that would also keep my food cool. This is what I bought and recommend. I’ve used it at the past 4 weddings I’ve shot.

Avoid Carpooling, Buses, Trolleys, and Limos

A lot of times on shoots, the client will suggest carpooling from one location to another. Or a lot of times on a wedding day the clients will ask if a photographer can ride with them in their bus or trolley or limo. If you can avoid these altogether. It’s a cramped space where you’ll be around a bunch of people (many of which might not wear masks once inside the vehicle especially if they’re drinking). If your client wants photos inside their transportation, hop on for a few seconds to do some photos before the driver takes off. Then hop back out and drive yourself to where you need to be.

Don’t Share a Vehicle with Your Second Shooter

At a lot of weddings, photographers and their second shooters meet somewhere and then ride together to all the different locations on the day. This puts you in close quarters with another person for a lengthy period of time. Avoid this. If for some reason you have to do this, just make sure that both you and your second shooter wear masks while driving. Also, don’t forget to put the disinfectant wipes to good use at the end of the day on every surface of your car. Of course, if you’re living with your second shooter then it’s fine to ride together because you’ve already been exposed to all their germs/bacteria/viruses at the house anyway.

Group Photos Are Always Voluntary

This isn’t so much a tip for your safety, but for everyone else’s safety. Remember that participation in group photos is always voluntary. If people want to stay out of those photos, that’s their choice. If they want to wear masks or take them off, that’s their choice. You can’t be responsible for their decisions. If worse comes to worse, and you really need a group photo with people unmasked but who don’t want to be close, throw your camera on a tripod and get ready to photoshop them together in your post production. It’s a weird time.

Stay Safe

Stay safe and avoid doing anything that makes you worried about your health. And remember, if you fear for your safety you can, and should, say no.