PORCHTRAITS: IMAGES FROM ISOLATION

SOCIALLY DISTANT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

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.

N8 IMAGES Victoria, BC

IG: @n8images

Nathan Smith is a self-taught portrait photographer. Growing up in Jamaica, he enjoyed a tropical life: weekends at the beach in his childhood, dirt-biking in the hills as a teen, and crewing on a sailboat as a young adult, learning life lessons from the captain and working as part of a crew. Shortly after moving to Canada in 2014, he picked up a camera for the first time and discovered a deep love for photography. One project Nathan is especially passionate about sharing is his ongoing series Profiling Black Excellence, where he documents the stories behind instances of racism or racial profiling faced by people of colour in Victoria and Vancouver.

What made you decide to start this project?

I always strive to use my photography to empower my subjects and benefit community. When lockdowns began, I was worried that I didn’t have anything to offer my community.

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.

n8images.ca IG: @n8images

DHANI OKS Toronto, ON

IG: @dhanioks

Dhani Oks is a commercial photographer, mu lt imedia producer and community programmer. He has worked with Vice Media, Canon, Arc’teryx, Virgin, lululemon, Roots, ScotiaBank, and many more.

What made you decide to start this project?

I had already been walking around my neighbourhood with my camera for a number of months thinking about a community-based project. When COVID hit, I felt it was even more important to do something with an emphasis on helping people in need. I think it’s important to document this time and thought my neighbours might like to do so too. I printed up some flyers and delivered them to mailboxes on my street.

What has been the most challenging part of portraiture from a distance?

I had expected more community interest in this project at first, and that didn’t happen. I think people were a little skittish about interacting. Slowly, emails and text requests trickled in. I think sometimes it takes a bit of work to get people to open up. Soon, I had people from all over the city asking me to come and photograph them.

What has been the best reaction from a socially distant portrait session?

I’ve had so many texts and messages from people who are now donating to Feed It Forward, a non-profit organization in my neighbourhood. Through this project, more families are getting healthy meals in this very critical time. Here’s my favourite email from a couple that lives on my street:

“Dhani, Thank you so much for our portrait. I have happily donated $50 to the Feed It Forward Meal Plans for Families. - Jenny.”

dhanioks.com IG: @dhanioks

JULIE VINCENT Calgary, AB

IG: @julievincentphotography

Julie Vincent is an award-winning commercial and documentary photographer. Her day-to-day work is focused on real estate and architectural photography.

Documentary and street photography projects are her creative focus. Featured work includes a collaborative six-year street photography project, Tripping the Streets Fantastic, with her colleague Chris Tait. Her 2019 series, INDIAN. RELAY., with Jason Lawrence, documents an Indigenous extreme sport. Her upcoming project, SCAR, will survey the stories behind people’s physical scars.

What made you decide to start this project?

I heard about this idea through the news. Yellowknife photographer Pat Kane had been making portraits from the street of his friends who were isolating. A photographer in Calgary had started doing this and had become overwhelmed with requests, so suggested others jump on board. I initially didn’t understand the importance of this work, but it became clear the families I was making these photos for want to make memories of these uncharted, unique times. These images document people during a significant world event and will be important in family archives when the situation is a memory.

What has been the most challenging part of portraiture from a distance?

Doing them justice. Fifty years from now, these will be images people describe as “Remember when…?” or “I was a little kid when that happened.” These images are no less significant than images made of people living through other significant world events.

What has been the best reaction from a socially distant portrait session?

Two stand out for me: one was a note of thanks, as the #Porchtraits were their first visual documents as a newly blended family; the other was thanks from a couple who were set to be married and whose wedding has been postponed. Every story I hear is significant in terms of how people are coping, what joys and discoveries they’ve had whilst being at home, and the extent to which people find humour and peace in such unpredictable times.

julievincentphotography.com IG: @julievincentphotography