Porch Portraits – Warwick, NY

A couple of weeks ago, I had been thinking about our photography clients -they are our neighbors, our friends and many start out as clients and become friends. I was wondering how they’re doing. And how their kids are doing during this strange time.

To make me feel a little more comfortable in this unpredictable time, I tried to look at the big picture, to better put things in perspective. I thought, one day this will all be over. How will we all look back on this time?

Thinking about this made me really want to photograph our clients and what their lives are like right now. I really wanted to photograph them documentary style but I knew I couldn’t go into their homes right now. So the next best thing would be to photograph them in front of their homes. I wrote about these thoughts and ideas in my notebook. That night, I woke up at 2am thinking about this idea and thought of the name Porch Portraits. I went back to sleep. Later that morning my husband and I were watching the Today show while enjoying our coffee. We saw the story about Roger Hoove photographing families on their porches. I was completely blown away that he had the same idea. So, it turns out my idea wasn’t unique after all, but I still felt the need to do it.

Last week I took these photos of our friends and neighbors. I stood about 20 feet away on the sidewalk, in the road and sometimes across the street. Some of the photos look closer because I cropped them in post-production. It was really strange to shoot a family session with a long lens. It’s unlike any session we’ve done with them before. It makes me happy that they have something to help them remember how old the kids were and what everyone looked like during the historic pandemic of 2020.