Updated on 3/18/2020

As the news headlines on the COVID-19 coronavirus and this global pandemic we are in get worse daily, I’ve been washing and purelling my hands more than ever before, been working from home, and staying in at night and bingewatching Netflix into the wee hours.

Tech writer Jaron Schneider recently posted (from his home in Portland) about the impact the virus is having on gear companies and how tech releases are being delayed. And I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the financial impact this pandemic is having on wedding photographers. You don’t want to get sick, be sick or get others sick but you are also all small business owners who are most likely getting hit with a tsunami wave of cancellations. It’s beyond frustrating, especially when people keep saying to “just work from home.”  

Read: How the Global Pandemic is Affecting the Photo Industry

In a post by photographer Susan Stripling on her Facebook page, she really drove home that point: “For those of you flippantly talking about just ‘working from home’ can you please take a few seconds and think kindly about those of us who work in the service industry? If we don’t have clients to serve, we don’t have money – we CAN’T ‘work from home.’ It’s not how our jobs go. It’s not as simple as ‘just don’t go to the office.’ If stuff shuts down, WE MAKE NO DOLLARS. Zero dollars. Not a single dollar. And then we have to deal with cancelations and rescheduled clients and it’s a MESS for us. Thanks, and let’s be nice to each other out there, yeah?”

Susan went on to say that while she has adapted, as other commenters suggested she do, she’s as diversified as possible. “I do offer group and 1-1 courses, I do mentor, I do a decent amount of product photography. I had about $10k worth of that commercial work that has canceled in this month alone because no one can travel to the shoots and no one wants to go into the office. All the theatre work that I do for a school? Gone because they’re not coming back from spring break.” 

Another photographer commented that the peach orchard where she does her sessions just shut down so that just took out her entire month of shoots. 

The message is clear: It’s rough beyond compare right now and you can do what you can do but the ripple effect going on in the industry makes it tough to do much of anything other than trying to keep moving forward day by day. 

[See our COVID-19 resource page for business information and creative inspiration that will help you rise to the occasion.]

I reached out to a wedding photographer friend of mine in Seattle, Lynnsey Phillips of Lionlady Photography. to ask her what it’s been like for her right now, since I know she travels a lot for work.  

“It’s definitely crazy,” she wrote back, having just returned home from a wedding shoot in Sayulita, Mexico. “The Scotland wedding I was about to travel to next just got canceled and the couple have decided to have an intimate ceremony here in Seattle instead. Three upcoming weddings in the PNW region have postponed this month with no set date yet.”

I asked Lynnsey how many weddings she had scheduled for the year before the virus hit. “Twenty five,” she responded. “Three in Europe, Scotland was moved to Seattle, and then two others in Italy and France in the fall so TBD on those. The rest are in the U.S. but about 50 percent require air travel to other parts of the country. Luckily, I had a trip to Africa planned this April so I didn’t book anything that month so I’m not feeling the effects as much as others are right now.”

Lynnsey went on to say that all future bookings have halted for now.
“Un-booked couples that I’ve spoken with have paused wedding planning and portrait clients are postponing or not booking at this time. I do have insurance but it doesn’t cover this situation. Luckily, Washington State has a paid leave program for freelancers that I opted-in to last year. So if things go south I can rely on that. I also have savings with a few months of living expenses.”

Photographers everywhere are struggling right now. But, says Lynnsey, her community in Seattle is offering as much support as possible. And she’s done her part as well. “I’ve paid all my second shooters their full rate for canceled weddings to help take care of them during the loss of income. I’m trying to lead with my heart and do my best given that I’m not at rock bottom. Not everyone is in that position, unfortunately.”

And as city by city, we are all be asked (and in some places mandated) to stay at home and restrict our movements other than to get groceries, walk dogs or pickup medications, photographers are reaching out to each other on social media to lend support. Charmi Patel Peña wrote on her FB page that she is planning a Google hangout with other photographers every Wednesday or Thursday morning, so, she says, “we can focus ourselves together, get some goals together and not feel too alone.” 

And really, that’s all we can do right now, beyond taking the proper safety precautions. Be there for each other (even if it has to be virtually) and listen to and support each other. Because, people, we are all going through the same thing. 

Stay safe and know that the Rangefinder and WPPI teams are thinking about you in this time of great uncertainty. I’d love to hear how you are oping as business grinds to a halt. Feel free to email me at jacqueline.tobin@emeraldx.com.

Sending virtual hugs to everyone! 

Jacqueline Tobin
Editor-in-Chief
Rangefinder