The Studio
Founded in Wollongong in 1998. Presently in its second generation of ownership, and its twenty-eighth year of continuous trading.
1998 — 2014
The studio was established by Margaret Hallam, who had spent the preceding fourteen years photographing school portraiture for a national firm and had formed firm views about how it ought to be done. She opened premises on Crown Street with one assistant and a client list of three preschools.
By 2004 the studio held engagements with twenty-two services. By 2011 it employed four photographers and had begun working with primary schools in the Shoalhaven.
2014 — Present
Ownership passed to Margaret's daughter, Anne Hallam-Reid, in 2014. The studio's photographic standard, its retention policy and its practice of offering existing services first refusal on their dates were all retained without amendment.
The studio now engages seven photographers and works with eighty services and schools across three regions.
Principles of the Studio
Consistency
A portrait must be comparable with the one taken the year before. The lighting arrangement, seating and crop are specified in writing and are not left to the preference of the individual photographer attending.
Permanence
Every original produced since 1998 is retained in the studio archive. A family may request a reprint from any season, however long ago, and a considerable number do each year.
Procedure
Consent verification, session sequence, and the handling of absent or unsettled children are all governed by documented procedure rather than by judgement made on the day.
Compliance and Records
| Working With Children | All seven photographers hold current New South Wales Working With Children Checks. Card numbers and expiry dates are verified by the studio annually and supplied to each service in writing before attendance. |
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| Insurance | Public liability and professional indemnity cover is maintained continuously. Certificates of currency accompany every written proposal and are reissued on renewal. |
| Consent verification | The service's consent record is reconciled against the studio register on the morning of attendance, in the presence of the nominated supervisor, and the reconciliation is signed by both parties. |
| Retention | Original files are retained indefinitely in the studio archive. Families may request deletion of their child's images at any time and such requests are actioned within one business day. |
| Data storage | Australian-hosted, encrypted, with an offline duplicate held at the Crown Street premises. |