Photographer capturing family moments with a ‘porchtrait’ all while keeping his distance
Posted Mar 26, 2020 6:48 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — A picture is worth a thousand words and one local Calgary photographer is helping families capture a unique moment in their lives with a photoshoot on their front steps.
Neil Zeller is taking his camera across Calgary to snap photos of families from a distance.
“Every time I walk up to a house I don’t know what to expect and every house is so excited that this is the highlight of their day,” Zeller said.
#Porchraits highlights from yesterday! pic.twitter.com/2l9ysQCJEh
— Neil Zeller (@Neil_Zee) March 26, 2020
“When I get there I get out of the car, I stand on the sidewalk and wave at the window until they notice that I’m there and they’re excited to see me and they’ve prepared for the day and they’re ready to go and it’s always a lot of fun,” Zeller said. “I’m avoiding touching anything when I’m out there, I’m wiping everything down when I get back in the vehicle and just being safe and making sure that I can carry on doing this cause it’s just a lot of joy.”
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Zeller says it’s becoming more than just photos for some of the families. Some are getting dressed up and making the most of their free photoshoot.
“People are getting ready for me and they’re dressing up in faux furs and they’re rock bands and coming out in crazy pajamas and they have themes and it’s so much fun because I don’t know what I’m coming into,” Zeller said. “Some of them are pretty standard portraits and they’re beautiful and some of them are proud of their porches, it’s funny cause they’re some really beautiful portraits in this city, and others are proud of their pets, they want to show off their dogs and cats and hamsters and a fish once.”
Zeller says there are no set fees for the photos but donations are accepted.
He is also offering photoshoots to Calgary’s most vulnerable populations. Right now the waiting list sits at over 300 people.
— With files from Amber Owen
