#thefrontstepproject

For the last week or so I have been seeing posts from other photographers who have offered to take photographs of families during this period of social distancing in our country in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.  I saw small neighbouring towns participating in this activity and even though I don’t typically take photographs of people I thought, hey, its free, its fun, its history and its just a couple of photographs.  No posing, no direct contact.  So I posted on Facebook that I would be willing to do this in our community.

Within a couple hours I got a message from a family who lives in Killarney and runs one of our campgrounds during the summer but winters in a warmer location.  Ron & Cheryl spent their winter in Blythe, California and had every intention of staying there until mid-April until they were notified by their health insurance provider that they needed to be back on Canadian soil before March 23rd.  They headed home and arrived in their motor home, at the campground on March 21st.  They did not stop for groceries, they didn’t pick up their mail.  They went home, set up their home in the deserted campground.  They had a family member deliver their groceries and they began their 14 day self-quarantine.

I know that there has been a lot of talk in this small town about who should be out and about.  Being in self-quarantine because you have just come back from another country does NOT mean that you cannot go outside and go for a walk or walk your dog.  So if you plan on calling the snitch hotline, don’t waste your time.

Cheryl and I discussed before-hand what kind of photos we wanted to take and I just followed them.

And while I look like I’m pretty close, I am not.  I used my 300mm lens for all of these shots.  Hence, some lost clarity and lack of depth of field.  Regardless, I love them.  These are the two most photogenic people I have ever encountered in my life.  I’d love to photograph them after their quarantine.

Thank you Cheryl & Ron for letting me do this with you today.  I can’t tell you how happy this made me.