It is interesting to hear about creative ways people can come together in a community, especially during this trying time when people are separated from friends and family.

A local photographer in Kyle, Saskatchewan decided she would take a great idea she got from her cousin in Naton, Alberta, who was capturing images of residents out on their porches.

The photos show residents having fun, smiling and showcasing the unique ways they are choosing to make light of their time in self-isolation.

Rachelle Wright, a photographer for Rachelle Hodgins Photography, explains,

“The actual idea I got was from my cousin.  She’s a photographer in Nanton Alberta. Her business is Loree Photography. She did it first for her Nanton porch project. So she had posted about that and I immediately thought I'd jump on board with that and do it in my town.”

She adds,

‘I thought that would be a great way to kind of give back to the community that has supported me.”

Wright made a post on her Facebook page asking if residents would be interested in the idea and she immediately received positive responses from 10 families.

Once she set the date, she hit the streets of Kyle sharing,

“I just walked up and down the streets and people would see me and pop out of their house and I took portraits of them. I ended up doing about 38 photos. I had a lot of people phone relatives and phone the health center place and any place that was interested in. So that was cool. And also, it was a nice day that day, so people were out and about in their yards and they wanted to be involved and they were excited to do it.  It was a lot of fun.”

It took Wright a few hours on that one day for her to complete the community porch project. At this point, she is undecided if she will do it again.  There were a few residents who missed out and let her know they’d be happy if she came back into town again.

When asked what she plans to do if the self-isolation restrictions become tighter, she replied,

“If restrictions get where we shouldn't be driving around or anything, I've got a lot of behind the scenes business stuff I'll probably work on.  Also, if there is interest and people want to work on some photography while they're at home, it could be about learning some basic editing or getting some ideas on what to photograph, to tips and tricks on taking pictures. It might be fun for them to try.”

At the end of the day, Wright describes that she wanted to create happy memories that people could share with their friends and family and that the porch project was a safe way for community residents to check in on each other and to have a positive keepsake during this difficult time.