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Coronavirus News: Porch projects bringing families together during COVID-19

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Friday, April 17, 2020

Front porch photography takes off on Long Island

Sam Ryan reports on Long Islanders who are paying good deeds forward through family portrait photography

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Porch Project" photoshoots are popping up across the country to document togetherness while being quarantined at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Area photographers and community members have been working with residents to arrange family photoshoots that take place on the front porches of homes.

Colleen Radcliff has photographed more than 125 families in the Bethpage School District in Nassau County.

"I placed an ad in the Bethpage Moms group, and I expected to get about ten maybe 12 people," said Radcliff. "I have had to shut down the page three times."

In Suffolk County, Morgan Walker and Robin Rosenberg have both arranged porch projects in the town of Sant James with photographer Rob Cuni.

"With everyone being homebound, I started to notice so many people out on their front lawns and their porches. People were just waving, giving that compassionate smile to their neighbor. I thought this would be great to capture all this," said Walker.

Many families are really getting into their individual photo shoots.

"Some people will get dressed up, or come out in their pajamas or sweats to give that real feel of what it is like to be in quarantine," Walker added.

Rosenberg said that she was surprised by the number of people who had signed up for the porch project.

"We just posted, a coming soon, this is what we are doing, and then we did a sign-up sheet, and it filled up immediately," said Rosenberg.

The St. James porch project has photographed over 200 families in exchange for a $20 donation to the Stony Brook University coronavirus crisis challenge.

In Bethpage, the request is to do something nice for someone else.

"All I say is - pay it forward," said Radcliff. "I don't care. You do not have to tell me how you pay it forward. It could be in two months. Pick up a coffee for someone."

Both projects, while in different counties, with various families, in different homes, share a similar sense of togetherness.

"It has had unintentional consequences that I did not expect to have in terms of community and connection," said Radcliff. "Kindness matters, kindness counts."