The Front Steps Project started in Needham, MA as a way to document the times and to bring a little joy to a neighborhood. Within a very short time the movement grew, spreading across town, state, and ultimately across the country. You can find the information about the originators and the entire movement here. Click below to see the images I took spanning the Blackstone Valley and beyond. I spent a month driving around and photographing members of my extended community. In a time where people were staying home in hopes that a few weeks of self-quarantine would make it all go away, the joy of having to do something like put on pants in order to be photographed was met with sheer joy and purpose. I encountered, "We're SO excited to see someone besides each other" more times than I can count. I photographed over a hundred families and each one brought me joy. I made sure to use my longer lenses and maintaining at least 10 feet of distance. All I asked was that they donate to the People First Food Pantry of Uxbridge. Together we raised over $3000!
The above image wasn't staged at all. I showed up at their home as planned, except they had completely forgot about it. Mama was cleaning all the groceries before bringing them in the house. Dad is an essential worker in a hospital and had just gotten home from work, still in his scrubs. When I asked the family to scooch in closer their daughter, who had been told not to touch daddy until he had changed out of his work clothes, immediately made this face of disgust as dad put his arm behind her and moved in closer. Everything about this photo is a complete sign of the times.