Well, to coin a phrase, that escalated quickly. As you can probably imagine, it’s not an easy time to be running a business that relies on people getting together and having a good time. It’s difficult to have a good time with people when you know that there’s a risk, however slight, that you might transmit a potentially fatal pathogen to them. If that sounds like a pretty blunt and grim thing to think about, then it’s because this is a serious situation that requires everyone to have a serious appreciation of the risks.

If you haven’t gotten the message now, then we’ll repeat it. Social distancing is very, very important. You should be minimising your physical contact with other people. You should be staying at home wherever possible.

We know that, for most of our customers, the prospect of not seeing friends and family for months on end is unlikely to produce any kind of smile, cheesy or otherwise. Even when you’re in prison, there’s an element of social interaction, and this gets taken away as a form of punishment: ie. Solitary confinement. This is because being alone with your own thoughts is, for most people, very difficult. Thus, you can expect that when this unpleasant episode is over, most of the people you know will be a little bit different.

When you’re self-isolating, you should take every step to safeguard your physical and mental health. That might mean going for a jog (while being careful to avoid others) or it might mean practicing mindfulness meditation at home. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of online resources available to help out.

This is one of the places where digital photography can be of enormous benefit. If you’re feeling like the outside world doesn’t exist any more, and that all your friends are off in inaccessible little bubbles, then taking a look at the time that you were all happy can be enormously positive. Plus, digital photos can be transmitted from place to place in an instant, without you ever having to worry about things like contagion.

Over the years we’ve been operating, our photo booths have taken pictures at hundreds of happy occasions. Weddings, birthdays, office parties – all full of smiling faces, laughter, and, let’s face it, people who’ve had one too many Proseccos. We like to think that you’ll all be able to look at the copies we’ve printed, and the digital ones too, and be able to extract a little bit of solace during what is a very troubling time.

To all of our customers in Buckinghamshire, London and further afield, look after yourselves!