Brooklyn Stoop Portraits
While social distancing with my husband and 3-year-old son in our Brooklyn Home, I started a personal project: BROOKLYN STOOP PORTRAITS, documenting friends and neighbors on their front steps (from a safe distance).
I started these photo sessions in early April, at the peak of coronavirus in NYC. I was nervous at first, but found it relatively easy to be careful, if I keep the shoots short, and wore a protective mask the entire time. I stand 10 feet away, and do most of my directing from afar. I give tips about posing by email, in advance of meeting up to help make things go smoothly. My subjects respect our boundaries and the passersby on the sidewalks keep their distance too.
I have been receiving a lot of interest, as many friends and neighbors are not only excited to get dressed up with their families to take pictures, they are happy talk to a familiar person even if through a mask. Some of my subjects are parents of my son’s school or playgroup peers. Some are longtime friends, but others are strangers and have contacted me from hearing about the project.
I have documented a 1-year old’s first steps, a dad’s newly shaven head, an aging dog’s 12th year, engagement portraits and 2 maternity sessions on stoops so far… It’s been a cathartic and meaningful experience for me and for my subjects, to capture this time in history.
