So, seventeen months later and we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Don’t get me wrong, having a brand-new baby – Mason – last February was a very welcome distraction in that whole uncertain time however it brought its challenges too!
I had worked right up to the day before Mason was born to make sure that our calendar was filled with work for my six months maternity leave, determined to take the time unlike when Darci was born. And then wham, the rug was pulled from under me. One week after the pandemic hit, I was back in work managing cancellations heartbroken that firstly, I had to leave my two-week old baby to go back to work and secondly to see all my hard work gone down the drain. Every single sale cancelled or postponed.
Those of you who know me know that I totally adore my job, I mean who doesn’t like sitting in hotels drinking coffee while agreeing the finer details for hotel photography shoot or even sitting down with a client reviewing their architectural plans and thinking where the timelapse cameras or drones will fly to capture optimal footage. The night feeds were the most challenging, not because Mason was waking me for multiple bottles which incidentally 17 months on, he is still doing (note to self to start the weaning process) but that was when the worry would hit. Question after question rolling around in my head…. financially how will we cope, we have two small children how will we provide for them, how will Colm and I rebuild the business, will there a business left when the pandemic is over, will the government let us re-open, will people want us in their premises in the future, do we call it a day do we keep plodding along?????
I am an older Mam – so before my babies arrived ARC was my baby; I am 29 years self-employed so I am used to hard work and tears but this has been the most challenging time of my career yet. We opened our doors for twelve weeks in 2020 and seven of those were before the pandemic so you can imagine our stress levels were through the roof. We are heartbroken to see the effect this pandemic has had on the hospitality sector because we specialise in hospitality photography and videography which we have done for twenty years now. And then to see construction closed in Ireland I mean, for God’s sake my dad was 13 generation stone mason, I feckin called my son after him.
With both our speciality sectors now reopened we are looking forward to filling our calendar again with video shoots and photo shoots and slowly (albeit a little slower than I would like) we will rebuild our business and in turn contribute to rebuilding our country for our children’s future.
It really has been an unforgettable and challenging 17 months for our family business and companies in Ireland but we are going to stay positive, continue to support local businesses and shop Irish. We really understand how this pandemic has affected many hotels, bars, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, retail and construction sectors across Ireland.
So, if you would like to show off your business in the most professional way, whether is professional photography, drone photography / videography, product or headshots, please don’t pass on us, we would be happy to work with you and your team just to make you stand out even more then you already do!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog! Stay safe but keep smiling!
Down But Not Out, Photography Carries On Following Covid.
