With her son John’s first birthday days away, Erin Halat of Freehold realized that April 15, 2020, would be remembered for many reasons beyond her son’s milestone.
While there was no big gathering of family and friends, little John got to have his (cup)cake and eat it, too, as photographer Elizabeth Wiltshire was there to capture the moment for posterity.
“Like many families, I like to take yearly pictures to mark the milestones of our family. This year our son John was turning 1,” Halat said. “We had a photography session booked, but when it was cancelled I was worried we wouldn’t get any photographic proof of his day. I didn’t want to wait too long and miss his 1-year-old moments.”
Wiltshire, a resident of Freehold and a sophomore at Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y., started a special project in and around Monmouth County to help people remember their time in quarantine in a positive way. Photographs, she said, offer people a wonderful way of capturing time in a flash – literally.
The Front Porch Project offers residents a $50 mini photo session in front of their home. Wiltshire is donating a portion of the proceeds from the project to Jersey Cares and the family receives several photographs to share with friends and family and to keep for the memories.
Jersey Cares, based in Livingston, Essex County, “identifies initiatives that use community engagement and volunteer service to support low and moderate income young adults develop the skills they need to prepare for college and careers,” according to JerseyCares.org
Money donated from the Front Porch Project will enable the agency to help more initiatives.
Wiltshire, a self-taught photographer, likes to do portrait photography, but shelter in place
guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic are making that impossible at the moment. So she thought of a way to keep her skills sharp and give back.
“We set a time for the session and people bring out their whole family, including their pets,” she said. “I stand 8 to 10 feet away and capture the moment.”
Aberdeen Township resident Whitney Taylor heard about Wiltshire on Facebook and said she immediately wanted to schedule a photo shoot. The photos Wiltshire took show Taylor and her happy family, including her husband, Sayreville Police Detective Jeff Taylor, and their daughter, Kylee, 9 months.
“We are used to memorializing happy times,” Taylor said. “But during these days, when
things are so different, I thought it was important to capture a moment in time when things could be so much better. In the future, with these photos, we can remember these days and see how far we have come.”
Wiltshire has also captured a front lawn Easter Egg Hunt and an 18th birthday drive-by celebration, among many family shoots. She may be reached at ewiltshirephoto@gmail.com
“This is a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and graduations. These are all special times when we would be gathering with loved ones. The least I can do is to help people capture their special moments,” Wiltshire said, noting that while proms may not be held this spring, she would be happy to take photos of girls in their dresses as a special keepsake.
Halat added, “I know looking back I will be able to remember the crazy time we spent stuck at home together for weeks on end. Both kids are little, so it will be a great reminder to me of our young family, but also a glimpse into world history for them. They will be able to say they lived through COVID-19 and have proof of the quality time we got to spend together.
“Plus, the photos came out great. Elizabeth captured some truly candid moments that really showed the kids’ personalities. I can’t wait to get them printed and displayed, and to share them with our extended family,” she said.
Wiltshire said she started the Front Porch Project as a way to make people happy.
“This is a very hard time for people emotionally and it’s great to be able to give people a little bit of a sense of normalcy. They can dress up and smile and they will have a photo to keep while they are also doing something nice for Jersey Cares,” she said.
