I hate to add to the plethora of emails that you are receiving right now about the coronavirus, but we have some pretty big things coming up in the studio that need to be addressed! So here goes…
First, we want to acknowledge the severity of this pandemic, and also acknowledge that absolutely NONE of this is a surprise to our God. He goes before us in every single situation, and this one is not excluded! So embrace that Hope that we have in Him! It’s so easy to become anxious and terrified.
This verse from 2 Timothy (1:7) has been a constant reminder to me of the strength that the Lord has given to us:
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Take hold of that promise when fear presents itself, and LOVE your neighbor. I’m preaching mostly to myself here, but use this crazy time in life to serve others well. It’s hard to worry when you’re focused on how you can help your brother or sister out, right?
Now, what is going on at Collin M. Smith Portrait Photography?
Truthfully…a lot of the same with some extra sanitizing precautions thrown into the mix. We are monitoring the guidelines set by DHEC and the CDC to make any adjustments needed. As you know, we work by appointment only and there is never a large crowd in our business. This fact alone allows us to abide by social distancing standards. There have been a couple of sessions that have needed to be postponed due to the threat of the virus (for instance, right now I should be preparing the studio for a newborn triplets session, but that obviously isn’t happening!) and we beg you to let us know if you feel the need to postpone your session because your child or anyone in your family is sick.
Easter Session Precautions:
Thankfully, these sessions are all outside anyway! That is truly a blessing! In the past, when you have come to the studio for an Easter session you have walked through the studio and into the portrait garden. This is not how we will do Easter sessions this year. Instead, we will meet you outdoors in the front and you will enter the portrait garden through the garden gate pathway to the left of the house. There’s really no need to enter the studio, so we just won’t do it! Additionally, we will be utilizing moms to position children where we would like them to stand. We will direct you on where we would like your child to be, further limiting contact and allowing us to all maintain six feet between us. ALL areas will be thoroughly sanitized between each session. Also, the flowers in the portrait garden are blooming now and it’s truly beautiful! We would love to move some of our Easter sessions up since people are out of school and work right now anyway. This will allow us to stagger sessions a little bit more and offer more time for an individual session if it is needed.
So if you are able to move your session or if you do not have an Easter session scheduled but would like to book one, please email us!
collin@cmsmithportraits.com
We also plan to have fun little (stuffed animal!) creatures hidden in areas (out of reach!) in the portrait garden for your little ones to discover! We know it’s unbelievably tough to be cooped up in the house with young children, so we want to make their Easter session a fun distraction from quarantine life!
Please know that our family is praying for your family, our community, and the entire world. Small business is obviously very important to our family. The Lord has used families like yours to provide for our family for nearly twenty years now, and we are so very grateful for your business. Truly, we could never express how thankful we are. In times like these it’s more important than ever to shop small and shop local, so when you can, please do! Florence is an incredible place to live because of the people who live here! I have been so encouraged by our community in the past week. We know we will get through this, and have some pretty amazing memories from it. Thank you all, and stay safe!
