Polaris Creative COVID-19 Safety Plan

Polaris Creative has several procedures and safety protocols in-place to keep people safe to keep people safe and infection-free while working on either Polaris Creative premises or on client premises.

Elimination efforts:

• All consultations and meetings with clients are online. No walk-ins are allowed.
• Whenever possible, all photoshoots are done remotely with limited staff.
• If circumstances where photoshoots are done in-studio, staff is limited to one photography assistant and one tech assistant, with the client attending remotely.
• In circumstances where the shoot needs to be done on the client’s premises, we can only attend if staff is limited to the following roles: Client representative who makes decisions regarding final photos, the person cooking the food, the person styling the food, the person styling the props, the photographer, one photography assistant, and one tech assistant, for a total of no more than seven (7) people on premises.
• All personnel must be masked.
• All personnel must be fully vaccinated.
• All personnel must have a temperature check before coming onto set.
• Anyone showing any signs of a cold, flu, or illness cannot work in-studio or on a client’s premises.

Barriers:

• Where possible, each activity needed during photography will be done in five distinct areas within the studio and on-site shooting locations, with at least 5 metres between them. This means:
  • Designated cooking area
  • Designated food styling area
  • The prop styling person will work on their own on the actual set, switching out with the photographer as needed to get everything setup as needed.
  • Designated area for the client to sit with the tech assistant to approve the shots. The client and tech assistant will be at least 2 metres apart from each other.
  • Designated area for the photographer and photographer assistant to wait until they are needed, with each at least 2 metres apart from each other.

Administrative:

• Polaris Creative Staff and Client Staff will remain in the following pods:
  • Cook, food stylist, and prop stylist
  • Client representative and tech assistant
  • Photography assistant and principal photographer
• In situations where the principal photographer is also doing styling roles, then there will be two pods:
  • Cook, photography assistant and multi-role photographer
  • Client representative and tech assistant
• Traffic between work areas will flow in one circular direction. Polaris Creative principal photographer and the client representative will have an online meeting at least two weeks prior to on-site photography to map out how this flow will look, create a plan for load-in and out that only involves the tech assistant, and go over the procedures with everyone who will be on-site during the shoot.
• Everyone who will be on-site during the shoot will meet two days prior the shoot to go over the safety plan for shoot day.

Masks:

• Due to the long hours and proximity that cannot be avoided during a photoshoot, everyone must be masked. No exceptions. Masks must be at least three layers or, in the case of cloth masks, has the ability for a filter to be inserted.
• Polaris Creative staff will be provided with masks with filters. Polaris Creative staff will not attend locations that do not have the same masking protocols.

Cleaning and Hygiene:

• Where it will not damage equipment and painted surfaces, surfaces will be wiped down with either disinfectant wipes or a mixture of bleach and water between use.
• Tools used during the course of photography, such as props, food styling tools, camera, batteries, camera stands, lighting, tables and desks, will be cleaned before each use by the person who has to use them.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be setup at each workstation.
• Hands must be sanitized if someone leaves their station: both on exit and re-entry.
• Hands must be sanitized if pods cannot avoid mixing.
• Shared surfaces in studio such as doorknobs, toilets, and light switches will be cleaned before and after the day by the photography assistant.
• Each staff member will have their own designated work areas that they are responsible for cleaning at the beginning and end of the day.
• Each staff member will have their own designated lunch and break dishes that are responsible for cleaning after use.
• If use of the coffee pot is required, one person will be designated to make the coffee, prepare the coffee for serving, and clean the coffee pot between use.