We are getting into the thick of this Covid-19 stuff, and it’s only been in the last few days that it really started to sink in that we are going to have a very hard few months financially coming up. I’ve done as much as I could by cancelling unnecessary subscriptions, deferring payments and made a firm budget for the next few months prioritizing what really needs to be paid, and what could go a little longer. And Im sure you may have too.
Like so many of us, we have hit the point of pivot. Shifting directions in our business to see what else we can do to generate some kind of income in a world where businesses are being thinned out day to day. Over the ten plus years I have been doing this business, I have ventured out many times to shoot just for the sake of shooting. To be creative and capture whatever my eye might see, so with that I have so many old “non people” photos that needed a home. The thought of running a print shop was something that I had been kicking around in my head these past few months before the pandemic. Now more than ever, I think the world needs some happy photos that bring joy. My hope is that there may be at least one photo in this gallery that you will enjoy, too.
There’s a lot of people weathering the same storm right now and though not every storm is the same – I can bet a lot of us are climbing into the same boat. You know the one. It’s a heavy boat. The “every dollar I make could be the last dollar I make for awhile” boat.
So, instead of making a gallery with set prices, I am sharing the links to the gallery and ask people to “Pay What You Can” for access to them. Monetary Payments made to Venmo (@SaraPurdyPhotography) or to PayPal (sarapurdyphotography@gmail.com) help ensure we still have some income coming in while Florida is under a mandate that says non-essential business must halt. As of now, that’s until April 30th. Which means that coming out of my “off season” these mandates happened right when I would have started picking up for my spring season, one of my two busy seasons for the calendar year. Spring wedding season/portrait season is now non-existent with weddings being moved into fall (at the very soonest) and spring of 2021. I haven’t had a chance to look back to see how much income we are actually losing, because if I being honest I think I would have a mental breakdown.
As of today, all 5 of our April weddings have officially postponed, until fall of 2020 or Spring of 2021, our May wedding has cancelled, and we have yet to see what will happen in June. This means that not only is income delayed but those are wedding dates I won’t be able to add for new clients in 2021. So it doesn’t matter if you decide to pay $5, $10, $100, or whatever you feel — it all goes to our bills right now (mainly groceries, and our kids health insurance) until the summer when things hopefully start to return back to some kind of normal.
In this gallery you can choose from a variety of sizes, from sizes suitable for printing (high resolution) to social media sharing (web). You can download a print from the gallery straight to your phone or computer, and you also have the option to order a physical print as well — though, our print shop is currently on hold for the time being due to cover-19. Once they are up and running however, orders will be shipped out as soon as possible. If you make one donation or leave one review you are still welcome to download all of them.
For those of you who love these photos, but are floating in that boat like me and can’t really afford to spend money on anything but the necessities right now, I would absolutely love if you could leave a review on my Facebook Page, on Google (just go to Google and type “Sara Purdy Photography” into the search bar – you’ll see the business page pull up and a “write review” option), on The Knot, or on Wedding Wire.
(You can also copy and paste the review onto the other areas so that you only actually have to “write” one.)
Reviews help so so much with SEO, (which helps future clients help us when they search for a photographer on google) and you also may end up being the deciding factor between myself and other photographers. Plus, everyone likes to read nice things about their businesses. 😉
Other ways you can support my family (and other photographers as well!) during this time are to:
1. Purchase a gift card for your self, or for a friend for a future session. Until the end of April, we are offering mini sessions for the summer months for just $100. These sessions are just 20 minutes in length and include 5-10 digital images. The gift cards are delivered digitally for you to print safely in your home.
2. If you are one of our upcoming brides, you can make payments (small or large) on your weddings for late 2020 and 2021 (if you can). I’m thankful to the couples who have already done this – it has been so helpful in minimizing the from spring income being postponed/cancelled!
3. You can share my blog posts/business posts to help me reach new potential customers for when this dies down. This blog post that you are reading right now is a great one to share to on social media or with your friends! (Please & Thank You!)
4. You can like and comment on FB and Instagram posts (this is SO incredibly helpful!)
Here’s a link to our Instagram to get you started. & our Facebook one as well.
*here’s a side thought, you can also do any of these for your other friends who are creatives or small business owners as well!*
You can access the gallery here: The Print Shop
(There are 5 different galleries to choose from, all filled with a huge variety of things!)
As a side note, I have been tagged in many “front porch sessions” or things close to that nature, but they aren’t something I’ll be doing. Though it was a great idea when it started, and a lot of other photographers are doing them, I don’t feel its the right move for me, (or my family), even if it is trending and very popular.
I wish I could reach through the screen and give you a huge hug if you’ve taken the time to read through this. If you share this article, if you pay what you can and download all the images, if you order a print, if you leave a review, or send a referral, if you comment on a social media post… please know, I am so so SO grateful for you and know that it means more to our business and our lively hood than I can even put into words.
From the bottom of my heart, and from my family to yours,
I am so thankful for you.
-Sara
Photo shot by Haley DeSouza of Native Expressions
Ps. Go wash your hands.
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