Doortraits – documenting life with portraits during the COVID-19 lockdown

What are Doortraits I hear you ask, well they are Doorstep Portraits, they have been my way of giving back to the NHS and photographing portraits at this time of lockdown.

Well life does seem to be starting to coming back, okay gyms and nail bars are not yet open but i have a hair appointment booked Yippie!  It’s been a very strange time and i am sure it’s going to be a bit different for some time to come.  It’s been three months since I was photographing weddings and portraits I really missed meeting people and finding out their story.  I was starting to go a little crazy in a household of boys so when it was safe I started taking portraits of people and families on their doorsteps to document life during the COVID-19 lockdown

As the Coronavirus started to spread across the globe earlier this year, a new way for photographers to take family portraits from a safe distance began to emerge

Like everyone else, I saw my work as a wedding photographer come to an abrupt halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting me to start this project and help lift the spirits the people in my area.

I am still working as a photography teacher at our local high school setting students tasks to document their lockdown lives and the environment around them so I put a post out on social media asking anyone in my area to DM me if they wanted to be part of the project. I made it clear that it would take no longer than 10 minutes, families would receive their images via secure download, and, most importantly, I  would be practicing social distancing by using a long lens.

I either travelled on the bike, foot short distance in my car (camera bag is a heavy beast) and take the portraits.  Of course it always takes a bit longer than it should because of all the chats, I love meeting people and have a good natter.