Photographer provides families with free '~porch portraits'

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Jeffersonville resident Lori Reeder is spreading some joy amid the coronavirus pandemic with her new Porch Portraits photography project.

A couple weeks ago, Reeder began taking free portraits of southern Indiana residents as families stay isolated at home. As she keeps a safe distance, she takes photos of families outside their homes, and she has been sharing the portraits on Facebook.

During these tough times, she wanted do something that would bring smiles to faces, she said.

'œIt gets people back in their comfort zones doing something fun,'ť she said. 'œIt gets their mind off of everything that's going on.'ť

Reeder has been a photographer for nearly her whole life, and she has previously operated photo studios in both Charlestown and Jeffersonville. She now works in the human resources department at Greater Clark County Schools, and she hasn't been taking as many photos in recent years.

'œI haven't really been doing it as much for the past couple years, at least not as a business,'ť she said. 'œI forget how much I love it sometimes - it's something I absolutely love.'ť

Reeder is following social distancing guidelines by staying at least six feet away, and she is using masks and hand sanitizer as she takes the photos. Good family portraits are often taken from about 10 feet away, she said, so it made sense to take on this kind of project during the pandemic.

The porch portraits started out by taking portraits of friends, and soon, she was taking photos in several neighborhoods in Clark and Floyd counties, including her own.

'œIt doesn't cost anybody anything, and it doesn't cost me anything but time,'ť she said.

Jeffersonville resident Jennifer Brooks posed for the Porch Portraits with several family members, including her three children. She learned about the opportunity when it was posted in her neighborhood Facebook group, and she appreciated the opportunity to document this moment in their lives, she said.

'œIt's good to have documentation showcasing what this time is like,'ť she said. 'œIt's a piece of history that the kids are actively part of right now, and this is something they'll be able to remember.'ť

The family did silly poses and held up signs spelling out 'œHELP'ť to poke fun on how they've been 'œdriving each other up the wall'ť as they are stuck at home, Brooks said.

'œOf course, the kids are crazy and rambunctious, and they just want to go outside and play,'ť she said. 'œHow it normally is that they would be able to go across the street and play basketball, and they could visit other kids in the neighborhoods and ride bikes and talk to everyone.'ť

Jeffersonville resident Israel Graves lives across the street from Reeder, and her family was one of the first featured in the Porch Portraits project. The portraits included herself, her boyfriend and their daughter.

It was a kind gesture from Reeder, she said, and the portraits showcased her family in their natural element.

'œIt's definitely something that helped us build joy from the situation,'ť Graves said. 'œNormally, getting photos can be kind of stressful with having to get your makeup done. For someone to take raw pictures of us in our element that are so natural during a time like this - it's nice to have that done. It made me appreciate having a happy, healthy family.'ť

Jeffersonville resident Angela Lashley said she's usually the one to take photos of her family, so she was excited to pose with her daughter and two dogs for a Porch Portrait. Reeder took portraits of her family about 12 years ago, she said.

She is trying to look for silver linings during the pandemic, and that includes projects such as Porch Portraits.

'œI hope this (pandemic) makes us see differently about what we need and what we don't need and sheds light on things we overlook,'ť she said. 'œPeople have hobbies they did not have before, and people are realizing, it's not about spending money - it's about spending time.'ť

Reeder said she is the type of person who likes making other people happy, and these portraits provide a small way to do something nice for others during the pandemic.

'œThis is probably a once in a lifetime occurrence, so what better way to preserve it in a positive way?'ť she said.

To request a Porch Portrait, send an email to lorireeder@yahoo.com.

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Source: News and Tribune