A front porch view of a pandemic

CHENEY – With the closure of Cheney schools and subsequent cancelation of spring sports, local photographer Bridget Mayfield found herself with a lot of time on her hands. That’s when a friend tagged her on a Facebook post about a national movement called the “Front Steps Project.”

“I thought what a fabulous idea to do,” Mayfield said she thought after reading the post.

According to a March 27 article in the Times-Picayune newspaper, the project began on March 17 when Needham Massachusetts photographer Cara Soulia set out to “create some positive energy during these days of semi-isolation” by essentially taking portraits of families on their front steps, or porches, while maintaining social distancing requirements.

Other photographers around the nation were joining in, and Mayfield decided she would launch her own, called “Front Porch Cheney.” Mayfield said her idea was to support the community by making people smile while also documenting history.

“It’s just to capture this moment in time,” she added.

Mayfield first set up a Facebook page and then shared it with friends and family so they could latch onto the idea if they wanted. Soon, the word spread, and after shooting pictures for a week she was up to 60 families, with 40 more on her list as of April 10.

“More requests came in every day,” Mayfield said. “I wasn’t prepared for the volume or the interest. It’s spread by word of mouth. People see it and message me and others.”

Mayfield’s process has developed over time, but it’s all built around social distancing requirements of keeping at least six feet between her and the people she is photographing. In actuality, the distance is even further.

Mayfield said each night she picks a neighborhood in Cheney and within a 10-mile radius of the city where she will be the next day. She reviews her list and selects up to 10 families who live in that neighborhood and contacts them to see if they will be available the next day — asking for a thumbs-up response if yes.

Once she has her list, she messages the families again when she is about 60-90 minutes away from being in their neighborhood. Five minutes before she arrives, she messages them again so the family can be ready on their front porch.

At the home, Mayfield said the whole process takes between 3-5 minutes, getting out her car, working with the family on some photo staging, taking the shots and heading to the next appointment. Some families pose just as they are at that moment, while others dress up or pose with animals — including one family who brought out their pet python.

“It’s just 2-3 photos and I’m out of their hair,” she said. “I never have to tough anything and they don’t have to get any of my germs.”

Mayfield downloads the photos to the Front Porch Cheney website, as well as an Instagram page, where families can go to view them and download a copy, although that copy will have her watermark. She added that families can purchase photos without the watermark as well.

Inquires have been coming in from around the county, she said, but added she intends to keep it local to Cheney for now.

“I’m told it’s often the highlight of people’s day,” she added. “Kids get on in the morning to see who’s new on the page.”

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.