When social distancing started I didn’t think it would last more than a couple of weeks. I just thought ...great I will have some forced downtime and start working on the projects I keep pushing off and this will pass. School shut down and more things shut down. I finally came to the realization that we were really in this for the long-haul.
Thrust into homeschooling my 5yr old and having events cancel, sessions reschedule and plans put on hold, I still didn’t let the panic set it. I guess I was still naive that this would last as long as it has. I knew it would be a few more weeks before thing were normal again.
Then I saw an article on the news about a photographer on the East Coast photographing families while following socially distance guidelines. I can do this!!! I thought it was a fantastic idea something that I could use as my creative outlet but also give back to the community and to document this history in the making for my clients and their families.
I had a few people reach out that loved the idea but didn’t have a front porch. “No porch, no problem.” I photographed some families on their balcony’s and some in alleyways. Brittney and Joe reached out to me and wanted to participate in the front porch project and have their quarantine documented. At first I completely forgot that we lived in a high-rise in downtown Long Beach. Then I thought…
Been there done that… Not that I didn’t want to photograph around downtown again but we had JUST photographed them in front and around their building last year for their engagement photos. I suggested photographing on the top of a parking garage across the street. I have photographed at this location before I knew it would be easy to access, isolated, and the perfect backdrop/view from their “porch”. They stepped out of the car and it took everything in me not to run up and squeeze them both. I haven’t seen them since their wedding day but that was months ago.
We had so much fun in a quick 15min session. I learned that Joesph has taken up guitar building and beard growing while Brittney has started home improvement projects and teasing me on instagram with all the yummy foods they have been eating…. definitely craving some Lolas green sauce and margaritas. It was so much fun to see these two and finish out my day watching the sunset over downtown Long Beach. I think this will be one of my favorite locations to photograph this summer. Who wants to photograph here?
Here is a little peek at their wedding also local to LBC. Long Beach Museum of Art is one of my favorite venues in the city.
Long Beach Museum of Art