FAMILY FUNDRAISING PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN
THE Story of my 2020 project: ‘On My Doorstep’
I am a Wimbledon wedding, family, and portrait photographer raising money for Wimbledon Guild local Charity by taking beautiful photos of SW19 and SW20 residents on their doorsteps (from a safe distance) documenting this unprecedented period in exchange for a donation
My reason for starting this project (on Monday 4th May 2020) is to help my local community to embrace positivity during the lockdown period. Families find themselves isolated during this pandemic.
My aim is to bring a smile to people’s faces, taking their portraits on their doorsteps, respecting the social distancing, with the desire to make this unprecedented time count and not to be forgotten.
WIMBLEDON GUILD is a well-established local charity that has been helping people in Merton since 1907.
Their aim is to reduced social isolation, loneliness and provide for the most vulnerable with practical and mental support.
StayAtHome to save lives, was the mantra repeated again and again.
On Monday 23 March 2020, suddenly everything came to a halt.
Streets were deserted, shops closed, schools empty, everybody was working from home, travel was not allowed and the unknown was very tangible.
Overnight our world stopped!
We all had to stay at home. I remember thinking, I never felt like this, it was such a strange moment.
It was scary and beautiful at the same time.
So wonderful to stay in with my whole family a kind of Christmas without the Christmas tree and the presents. We played board games, cooked together, every day was a special day.
The sense of community spirit was so real, so exciting to be able to help each other in any way we could.
And this is when I started pondering the idea of fundraising to help a local charity.
I came across someone online in the USA taking pictures of local residents outside their front door to document the unique time that the lockdown was imposing worldwide.
So, through a friend I got in touch with a local charity, Wimbledon Guild explaining that I was keen to help to raise money while taking pictures of local residents on their doorsteps. Adele from the charity helped me enormously and this is how at the beginning of May 2020 'On My Doorsteps Photography Project' started.
I chose Wimbledon Guild because I knew how much they were helping local residents including many of my friends.
It was a wonderful way to support and help at a time when everything was so critical, so fragile.
Travel was not allowed, we could only go out to exercise and for food, shopping locally.
Perfect, I thought, I was going to do the project using just my bike.
Everyone who booked the photo session would see me arriving by bike, it was so refreshing not having to use my car.
Mostly the pictures were taken at golden hours, a perfect time of the day with the most magical light.
It was heaven!
I still remember how special cycling around my neighbourhood to take pictures of people I’ve never met before.
Looking at the images now, one year later, I feel so happy to have been able to document such a strange time.
On my Instagram, every picture is accompanied by a little story, that each family shared with me about the lockdown experience.
The more that I shared the project, the more people were booking and the more money I was raising for the charity.
My initial goal was £500. I reached that very quickly, so much so that soon the amount raised, was doubled.
What I will treasure from this experience is:
The sense of happiness when cycling at sunset with my husband, people's faces and kindness, the power of community spirit, the calm of streets free from traffic, the sense of discovering places I’ve never visited in my own neighbourhood, the togetherness with my amazing family.
In this project, I conscientiously focused on the positivity of staying at home. I asked people to share the good side of the lockdown.
Framed by their unique front door every family in this project is photographed with a strong sense of optimism.
Words can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who supported and encouraged me on this project.
A big thank you, goes to my amazing family and my husband that cycled with me during the project.
With a heart full of gratitude!