COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Across Canada and around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped us all in our tracks. Photographers who thrive when working with people were faced with an unprecedented situation.
Creating documents of family life and using photography to foster connections and community is not an unusual part of the job. Social distancing and home isolation became a barrier, but working within confines often breeds the highest levels of creativity. In the season of quarantine, lockdowns, and “Stay Home, Be Safe,” photographers persevered to find a solution. In spring 2020, a trend emerged. #Porchtraits (porch portraits), #Doortraits, and #Windowportraits became a way for photographers to maintain social distance and document families during this extraordinary time in history.
Understandably, the photo trend faced contention from some health officials and professional organizations; but, ultimately, and quite clearly, the photographers and participants have created documents of our time, intending to unify and uplift. We asked three photographers from across Canada about their experiences.
When I saw a CBC article about photographers Pat Kane and Alistair Maitland doing door and window portraits in their communities in Yellowknife and Whitehorse, I thought that it was such a great idea. I was inspired to do this in my own neighbourhood.
What has been the most challenging part of portraiture from a distance?
The most challenging part of taking these portraits, in all honesty, has been not being able to hug my friends or the people whom I’ve met who have become new friends. I’m a person who loves physical contact and I love hugging my friends.
What has been the best reaction from a socially distant portrait session?
The best reaction I’ve had to a portrait session was from a woman named Laura. She asked me take a photo of her, her mother, and her daughter on her daughter’s birthday. She told me that she’s usually the one who takes the photos for birthdays, so she was thrilled to have photos of the three of them together. She said that looking at those photos brought tears to her and her mother’s eyes.