When Prue Peters was forced to reschedule all of her 2020 wedding bookings she did not lose hope, she pivoted.
Instead of her normally overflowing diary of wedding dates she focused on capturing micro weddings, family, maternity and newborn portraits.
It was not business as usual but Prue Peters Photography was still in business shooting throughout the entirety of the first instalment of stage three restrictions.
With no information specific to photographers in the Department of Health and Human Services literature, Mrs Peters has been regularly in touch with Business Victoria to ensure she followed the rules.
When the return to stage three restrictions was announced she made another call and received an unexpected response.
“In the first stage three I was able to photograph families on their properties but this time I called and they said no.
“There was no explanation.
“I don't understand what has changed.”
Having already lost $50,000 to the collapse of the event industry and commercial work in hospitals, Mrs Peters said the inconsistencies made running a business impossible.
“I'm allowed to photograph a wedding, there can can five people and I can be the witness and the photographer but I can't photograph a family of four outside with social distancing,” she said.
“The only difference is one is wearing a wedding dress and the other is in civilian clothing.
“It's not about the money, it's about being able to do what you love.”
The advice gave Mrs Peters no choice but to reschedule more than 40 families booked in between last Thursday and mid-September.
One family even chose to brave a sunrise maternity shoot on Wednesday to make sure they did not miss out of their chance to capture the milestone.
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