May 7th to June 27th.
Total photo sessions: 101.
The total number of photos taken: >15000.
The total hours spent: Average 18 hours each week for the last eight weeks.
Each donation check size: 30 dollars to 800 dollars.
The two organizations that received donations:
Frontline Foods Silicon Valley
These are the stats from my recent mini-project named “The Front Steps” for Palo Alto City. “The Front Steps” is a nationwide movement by photographers to take pictures of their neighbors from at least 10 feet away during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quick 15-minute session is conducted outside the house, typically the front steps.
When I first started the project, I wanted to have a legit excuse to get out of the house. As a photographer who travels frequently, I haven’t stayed home for more than six weeks in the last year. There is something exciting about picking up a camera, shooting, and capturing a moment to freeze it in time.
Little did I know more than 140 families had signed up in the first three weeks, including the adjacent cities such as Menlo Park and Mountain View. Soon I realized I would really only be able to take 10-15 sessions each week. My sessions are 15 minutes long, which isn’t nearly enough to get to know everyone, break the ice, and have everyone relaxed. I consider it a challenge, not just to know your clients, but also to work with the limited environment you have. Before I arrive at the front door of each family, I often don’t know the setup of the front yard, if it’s an apartment or house, or which direction the house is facing. Yet, I must try to get the best picture out of that 15 minutes.
Over time, for me the project has become less of an exciting adventure into the neighborhood and more of a deep appreciation of my community: through my lens and the brief interaction with each family, they let me into their world, at many different stages of life where I see my own past and my future. I’ve felt excited to see families getting ready to welcome a new baby, families with a new baby, and families who have several new graduates. For the graduates, despite the limited celebrations possible, the families were all cheerful, and some saw this as a silver lining because they have their college kids home.
There are so many photos I love, it would be hard to pick a few from the 15000 images. Here is a small clip of those wonderful memories you shared with you, thank you, my neighbors!
