March 19th Studio Update on COVID-19

Hello Everyone,

With the COVID-19 situation that we are all faced with, we wanted to take a moment and reach out to everyone and provide you with some information about how this has impacted our studio, and how it will impact the families, couples and events we photograph.

Below you will find detailed information on how this has affected us, how we will be preceding forward and how it might be impacting your wedding, event or session. This blog post will be updated as the situation evolves. We will also do our best to address you via video each time there is an update so you can find out quickly what has changed.

Change Log

Blog Post Created – Thursday, March 19th, 2020

Added extra links and most recent news cast from Global National – Tuesday, Mar 31st, 2020

Is the studio still open?

We most definitely are 🙂 as long as there is not a government restriction in place for me to photograph an event, wedding or family I will be there. Please send us any work you might have.

So what this means is we are still good to photograph outdoor family sessions, as well as any events and weddings under 50 people. Our studio is open for virtual and in person consultations, as well as design sessions. Outside of that if we are not working we will be self-isolating for the foreseeable future to minimize our risk of exposure and transmission. At the studio we have also taken additional precautions to increase the sanitization of the space we are in and with ourselves as recommended by Canadian health officials.

As always we encourage everyone to follow the guidelines set-out by the government, as we will be doing the same. This includes the number of people gathered as well as sanitizing / cleaning recommendations. As a studio we will be doing everything possible to help slow down the spread of COVID-19.

How has this affected our Studio

While our studio has been heavily impacted by this situation, we remain positive and hopeful for our future. We are seeking out as many different opportunities to diversify during this time. Also we wanted to be sure we were as transparent as possible so you are fully aware of our current situation.

Our studio to date has lost just under $15k in revenue and we have no booked work anymore with the exception of one wedding until June. Our incoming leads have also seen about 70% reduction which is unfortunate but understandable. Seeing as we are a single income family of three this puts us in a rather tough financial situation. With all that being said we are hopeful that as the restrictions are lifted over time that we will be able to recoup some of these losses. In the meantime we are currently seeking out the financial assistance that the government, banks and service providers are offering. If this has a longer duration, I’m very fortunate to have a strong network and multiple skills that I can apply to other work environments to sustain us until this has passed.

If you know of any resources or companies that need assistance please let me know as we are open to all opportunities available.

New inquiries with our studio

We know with the outbreak of the Coronavirus some people have put things on hold. However, we are still booking family sessions, small events and meetings with couples. We are able to do virtual video consultations, or have you into the studio if you are okay with that. Either way we are happy to accommodate you however you are most comfortable.

Our studios current plans for events, weddings and shoots

We will use this blog post to keep you up to date with relevant information as the situation evolves. We will also watch for updates from the government, and pass those along as they come through, adjusting if needed, as we have an opportunity to connect with each of our couples. As each event approaches or once there is a firmer anticipated timeline for social distancing and self-isolation to end, we will reach out to each of you to discuss your event or wedding. Your health and safety, as well as that of our studio team members is of utmost importance to us. Below we have addressed our current stance on what will happen if you need to reschedule or cancel your wedding or event.

How does this impact my event?

Depending on the duration of the COVID-19 restrictions and the date of your wedding, this will be different for each couple. Depending on these factors you may need to reschedule your wedding date, cancel your wedding or change to an elopement style wedding with a limited number of guests. There is no one right solution for everyone so we are happy to work with each of you to ensure you have all the resources to make the best decision for your wedding, whenever that may be.

Will you still come out and photograph our event:

100% for sure, as long as there is not a government restriction in place for me to be there, I will be there.

Recommendations for events in the next 4-6weeks:

• Reach out to all your vendors and see how they are recommending to proceed.
• If your venue is putting pressure on you to make a decision, don’t panic, connect with us and any of your other most important wedding day services, so we can help you select the best course of action for your day.
• Assess which of your vendors are most critical. This could be based on several factors, amount you are spending with them, most restrictions around deposits and retainers, or ones that you consider most important. Touch base with them weekly to reassess the situation as it evolves.
• Be patient, take things on a week by week basis and proceed like the event is still going to happen.

Recommendations for events in June or further out:

• Plan like your event is still going to happen as planned.
• Read up on the cancellation policies for each vendor to see how they may affect you.
• Reach out to us if needed as we are here to support you in any way we can.

What if we have to cancel our wedding or event? Or move our date?

In the case where you have to move your date, we will be handling it on a case by case basis, however here are some general guidelines;

Cancelled Weddings or Events:

All retainers and monies paid are non-refundable. As this is a loss for the studio and based on the situation we are unable to refund anything.

Our Contract States “If the Client fails to supply written cancellation or cancels within ninety (90) days of the contracted date, the Client shall be required to pay the full balance of the contract.” With regards to this, based on the situation, we will NOT be enforcing this clause, as even though it is a loss for the studio we want to ensure there is no greater financial hardship for you in having to make such a difficult decision.

Rescheduled Weddings or Events:

We are committed to doing whatever we can do, to reschedule your wedding date. Reschedules can be accommodated to any new date, that we are available for up to April 30, 2021. If you are doing this, we recommend that you contact all your wedding vendors to get their availability over a 2 month period so you can align as many of them as possible, to the same date. In these cases we will apply your previously paid retainer and anything else already paid on your current contract to the new contracted date.

If you have to cancel or need a date further out than April 30, 2021, your current booking will have to be cancelled, and your non-refundable retainer would be lost. The reason for this is once we reach the May to October time frame in 2021 we would be giving up dates that would have booked to other couples, resulting in an increase in the financial losses incurred by our studio. If you are interested in a date that is during the week over the May to October 2021 timeframe we would be happy to discuss rescheduling without loss of your retainer and payments.

What can JM Photography do to help us out during this time?

We have a large network of people we know that includes vendors of all kinds. If you are looking to change your date and one of your currently booked vendors are unable to accommodate your new date, we can provide you with some options that may work for you. If we can’t help you, chances are good we know someone who can. Also if you just need to talk or need some help with a complex problem, let us know as we are here to help in any way we can.

Helpful resources for information about COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

COVID-19 info for Albertans
https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx

Current Situation in Canada (Interactive Map)
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

Cases in the United States
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

World Health Organization – Information Page
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

World Health Organization – Global Map of Situation
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd

Final Thoughts and Suggestions

1. Most importantly stay safe and healthy.
2. Try not to worry too much and know we are here to support you in any way we can.
3. Give us a call if you need anything, we are here to help.

We hope everyone is safe, healthy and able to maintain a positive outlook during such a difficult time. If there is anything we can do to help you out (even if it’s not photography related) please let us know, as we would be happy to help in any way we can.

Wishing everyone well,
Jeremy and the JM Studios Team 🙂

Additional Studio Blog Posts for the Coronavirus

We have two other sites for our studio and each has a blog post with it’s own relevant content. Click the button below to visit our other sites.

Video Message Log

The following will be a list (with the most recent at the top) of all our past video messages released by our studio to our families, couples and companies that we photograph.

Global National News Cast

We will do our best to update with the evening news cast from Global National

Learn more about our studio

JM Photography offers Calgary families the very best in portrait, event, and wedding photography! Our unique style and best in class experience is one of a kind. Each session is treated with the greatest of care and creativity, resulting in breathtaking imagery. We also offer Calgary newborn photography, capture maternity sessions, portraits and Calgary Wedding Photography.

We are one of the top studios in Western Canada, servicing the Calgary area, including but not limited to, Canmore, Banff, Cochrane, Chestermere, Airdrie, Lethbridge, and Red Deer. We also offer coverage in Edmonton, Vancouver and to destinations worldwide.