An Important Read: Why I AM NOT Doing Front Porch / Stoop Side / Front Step/ Community Deck / Front Door Family Love Sessions and Why You Should Reconsider Participating In These As Well.

I’m going to touch on this just this once because many people have asked me to do them and are wondering why I am NOT doing them.

For those that don’t know, The Front Porch Project (which now carries many different names) emerged from a photographer in the US as a way to document families from 6 feet away during this pandemic. Some are doing it for profit, some for personal projects and some for donations.

Don’t get me wrong, those who are doing them, I know are doing so with good intentions and the thought is a lovely one and by no means am I trying to attack anyone. In the beginning I also thought this was a nice idea. Not one I wanted to copy, and not one in all honesty I had time to participate in at that moment; after all Paisley was off school and I cherish every moment I have with her where we can spend quality time together, plus I still had clients orders to finish up.

However as COVID-19 has progressed and the numbers continued to grow, I realized just how serious and deadly this pandemic was becoming and that this was not a good idea. My hope is to shed some light on why we should rethink these sessions right now.

I’ve spoke to numerous people in health care and law enforcement and listened to countless news briefings, talked to relatives in Italy and have my own personal opinions as well.

These are the most important reasons to me, why I will not be doing these photo sessions:

{EDITED} When I originally wrote this post, I had seen a lot of reports and articles stating that COVID-19 can stay in the air for extended periods of time and as such I obviously was very concerned with air moving and being home is our safest location which was the point I was trying to make. I have since been sent more information about how accurate this actually is and as I’m not a doctor or scientist and the last thing I want to do is spread information that is incorrect, I’m going to leave you with this link for more information on how it is spread: https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations?fbclid=IwAR06NCsuRWXp0UrWWzmpH0ZCxOgob8Gzp6YQPP0Y5GoyALybx6aSAiSXK9A
Another photographer in our province who also works in health care also touched on the concerns I had in my original point, give it a read too: http://www.ten2tenphotography.com/11-things-to-do-instead-of-front-porch-sessions-fps/?fbclid=IwAR2QG376w8FuFm9OdMRIbI4dHcmPhVmPtApjbXZtB7Iz6JZGs_F7g5jG-aI
Bottom line and the point I’m trying to make is that the safest place to be is home if it is not essential to be out. Essential means food and medicine, and other such necessities.
It is now illegal for non essential businesses to operate and not only can the photographers be fined, but so can anyone participating. It doesn’t matter if this is a personal project, a fundraiser or for profit. Finding a loop hole doesn’t make you above the law and when we are using essential services (law enforcement) that are short to begin with to have to shut these things down, you are wasting their time and resources.
COVID-19 is highly contagious and so much is still unknown. You walking on your own streets might be one thing, but when you have to start getting in a car .. getting gas, maybe stopping for a coffee or food, these are all potentially exposing you and others to the virus.
Can YOU even GUARANTEE that you do NOT have COVID-19 yourself? Have you been in your house for 14 days with zero exposure to anything on the outside? I don’t think most people can even guarantee that at this point since there are so many silent carriers and a 14 day window before even showing symptoms. A simple trip for milk or gas can expose you.
Our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has said time after time “GO HOME AND STAY HOME”. I’d like to lead by example and do just that. There are several photographers in every town across Canada and the US that I see offering these. That is a lot of people out unnecessarily.
Our health care providers have told us to stay home. There is no one in the world that I give more credit to and when they tell me that I am helping them most by staying home, I will listen and do my part.
After talking to many nurses on the front lines, most all agreed that although they love the idea of supporting hospitals and health care workers (for those trying to raise money) they don’t think these sessions are a good idea right now. Right now most nurses said they need PPE (personal protective equipment) supplies not money anyways. - I’ll touch more on this.
I don’t want to be on full lock down like other countries so I am NOT going to take advantage of my fresh air time. We try to spend our outside time on our property. When we do need to stretch our legs a bit more and our lungs, we’ve tried to go for walks in quieter areas, kept our distance and moved quickly past others. I don’t want to take advantage of the fact we still have some freedoms.
I don’t personally think that a picture perfect family on their front porch depicts any of the realities of what we are facing today. It makes this look like a damn holiday (no offence). Want to create some thought provoking art? Maybe step inside your own home and capture the reality of isolation, the good and the bad. The unposed. The real stuff that’s actually happening.
I am taking advantage of this time to love on my family. To spend quality time with my daughter. To do all the things that we are normally too busy to do with school and extra curricular activities and work. Paisley spends the weekends at her dad’s and so any extra down time I get with her, I am so damn grateful for. Maybe that’s a result of our circumstance but I don’t think it is.
Our household is in no financial situation to use up more resources than necessary (gas / wear and tear on equipment etc.). Most of us are feeling the financial strains of what is happening. I don’t know about you guys, but the way I see it is the faster we start taking this seriously and just stay home, the faster this thing can end and the faster we can all get back to work and life and not have to worry about how in the hell we are going to put food on the table and pay our bills.
Insurance (business) will not cover you if you are out and about with your camera right now. Not essential, not covered.
I have seen the state that Italy specifically is in and I don’t want to get there. They are suffering. We have a lot of family in Italy right now. I’m scared for them and my heart breaks for them. And yet, my family there has told me, even in the state they are in, there are still so many people out socializing. Want to know one of the reasons it escalated so intensely? Yup, that would be it. And I see that same trend happening here.
**Scroll to the end of this to see what one of my cousin in Italy has to say about their full lock down and the advise she has for us**
Want to know another scary fact, I don’t know how many more deaths of family members my grandmother will be able to live through right now. She is the last sibling in a very large family that is standing and is currently planning her funeral. Last time I saw her she told me I’m only allowed 2 photos of her at her funeral. I can’t tell you how much it kills me to hear her speak like this because she is the strongest most stubborn and smartest women I know. She is a survivor. She has made it through war and famine. She could survive anything without a damn outside source. And she has so much life still in her. So when I hear her defeated because of a broken heart, god it kills me.
Although I am not necessarily afraid of what this virus will do to me, (I’m a fairly healthy-ish young-ish adult so my chances of surviving it seem to be ok-ish), I am deathly afraid of being a carrier and passing it onto others that may not be able to beat it. I am so scared for my grandparents right now. They are both close to 90 and if they were still in Italy and contracted the virus, who know if there would even be a ventilator for them and a chance of surviving this. Just thinking of it makes me tear up. My dad who has had more chemo and radiation pumped through his body than any one person should, who also has heart issues; I couldn’t even imagine what this virus could do to him.
Because I have family on the front lines. My brothers specifically who both work at TTC and are considered essential working in one of the most germ filled areas. They don’t have the option to just stay home or work from home.
Because I know that each and every person in health care and on the front lines would so rather be home with their family and yet remain at work to help the rest of us.
Because so many of the front line workers are being exposed, testing positive and in quarantine and there are shortages of some of the most essential services.
Because I’ve also heard a lot of photographers say they are protecting themselves with gloves and masks doing these sessions .. where are you getting these gloves and masks?? Our health care workers are in desperate need! So if you have extra, you should be donating them, not using them to protect yourself from doing something you don’t need to do right now. Fun fact, did you know that after approximately 30 minutes of wearing a mask that it becomes penetrable with moisture and will no longer protect you. I learned that from a nurse friend the other day.
Because the PPOC (Proffessional Photographers of Canada) association has advised against any and all photography involving people at this time.

I didn’t think this list would be so long. These are not all my reasons but these are the most important reasons for me. Seventeen. Seventeen of the most important reasons why I will stay home to help flatten the curve. Why I will not find a loop hole to keep shooting outside of my home. Why I don’t agree with front porch sessions no matter how safe you think you are being. Why I don’t think you should participate.

Need a creative outlet, think of something else and BE CREATIVE at your own home.

Want to raise awareness with your art, photograph the actual realities of isolations and quarantine within your own walls.

Need a family portrait, wait til we are safe to do so and book your favourite photographer.

Want to support a non essential business, if you are lucky enough that your income is not affected, book a future session now, buy a gift card. If you’re not in a financial position to support a small business in that way, you can still support us by leaving a review, give us words of encouragement and share/recommend our businesses.

Want to support your hospital, donate for the good of donating not to exchange for something right now. If you are lucky enough to have the extra income to donate, just do it. If you have unused boxes of gloves, masks, gowns or protective goggles, donate them. You do not need them if you are staying home.

Want to support our front line workers, cheer them on. Text them. Call them. Ask them if they need something. Pick up groceries for them and leave them on the porch. Send them virtual hugs. Praise them publicly. Listen to what they are asking for. Stay home so they do not wind up overwhelmed.

Stay home to keep each other safe. Stay home to protect those most vulnerable. Stay home and appreciate what you have. Stay home and love on your family. Stay home and purchase only what you need. Stay home and stop hoarding essential items. Stay home and stay off the roads so that there is less chance of using up resources if the unthinkable happens (this past weekend my fathers cousin passed away in a tragic freak car accident coming home from Florida, his wife in critical condition, 6 other vehicles involved). Stay home people.

Home is not roaming the streets. Home is not fresh air with friends. Home is not lawn chair parties 6 feet apart. Home is home. Be grateful you have a home. Be grateful that our biggest service in our life right now is to stay home to save our world. Our grandparents served in war. You just need to stay the F home. How privileged are we. We are facing a global crises and our biggest fear is running out of toilet paper.

Watch / read the news. Listen to the facts. Don’t dwell on them but understand them and listen to what we are being asked to do. You don’t need to consume your life around them but know enough to keep yourself and most importantly those around you safe. Stay positive. Laugh. Encourage each other. Check in on each other. Send those funny memes. Remember how much there is to be grateful for. Know there is so much good in this world even though it can sometimes be a scary place. Understand that we are all afraid. Know there is hope. Know we will come out of this in time. Know the faster we flatten the curve and stay home the faster this will pass. Know that there is so much love in this world and so much beauty even on the darkest days. Know there is HOPE and LOVE.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every front line worker. But especially those in healthcare/emergency services because you guys are the true heroes of this world. And even those essential workers that are really providing the essentials; grocery store clerks, truck drivers, manufacturers, transportation services ect.

So to the real heroes of this world, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I will stay home for you. I will cheer you on. And I will not be out any more than absolutely necessary.

To all of you, please stay safe. Stay home. Spread some virtual love.

With Love,
Diana

A note from my cousin, Cinzia, in Italy on full lockdown and her advise for us Canadians:

“So, here I am. Today it's my 18 day at home. We are allowed to go out only for necessities as buying food, medicines or going to work. But by working means only few cases (I'm teaching and I'm having classes online, my husband is a surveyor and he is doing home office as well, my sister works at the train station's bar and they have closed it, too because very few trains are running). I think this virus will spread all over the world, it is impossible to isolate it! When your politicians will decide for the lockdown, you SHOULDN'T PANIC at all, groceries and pharmacies will keep on working, so you don't need to crowd. Just buy a lot of wheat, so, in case, you will be able to bake lot of things (many Italian people -even I- are baking pizza, bread and so on almost every day, at least we are learning how to cook 😂). Women will always have to do with children and by house caring, for men it can look a bit harder just staying at home, so having an indoor hobby can help. Being busy is the solution to get out from the quarantine safe and healthy.
The infected cases in some cities are increasing. People working in a private clinic and in the company for waste collections are infected. Those people were still allowed to be around, so everyone of us could have met them. Yesterday I was worried, today I’m scared.”
-Cinzia

**If you have also written about this subject please send me the link and I would love to include it in this post!

A wonderful post from Ten 2 Ten Photography who is also a health care worker in regards to the Front Porch Project: http://www.ten2tenphotography.com/11-things-to-do-instead-of-front-porch-sessions-fps/?fbclid=IwAR2QG376w8FuFm9OdMRIbI4dHcmPhVmPtApjbXZtB7Iz6JZGs_F7g5jG-aI

The last photo I have of us all snuggled up at home. It’s not picture perfect but it’s real. And we are together doing our part, safely and that’s all that matters.