SYDNEY RIVER – A Cape Breton photographer is capturing families doing all that they can to stop an outbreak.
Cassie Gilmour of Sydney River says she piggybacked off a growing trend started in the United States known as the Front Steps Project.
Out-of-work photographers are now documenting a new way of life for residents as they socially distance themselves from one another in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The 30-year-old said she heard of the project through an online forum.
The expectant mother figured she’d give it a try, as she often drives around with a restless toddler.
“It kind of documents an interesting time in our lives,” said Gilmour. “Being 30 years old, I have never experienced a pandemic before and I’m sure most people haven’t either. It’s just such an odd time to be going through.”
Gilmour started snapping photographs of families, many of whom are shown in their warm winter coats with their pets.
Instead of charging clients for front step pictures, Gilmour has been accepting pay-what-you-can donations via e-transfer. Having already raised $160, Gilmour visited the Cape Breton Regional Hospital on Monday where she dropped off several boxes of pizzas to healthcare staff.
“I’m hoping to just sort of pay-it-forward and treat our frontline workers at this time,” she said.
“Just to kind of show them everybody’s appreciation and respect for their bravery.”
In one of Gilmour’s photographs, a family jokingly holds up a ‘help’ sign while another laments the suspension of NHL hockey games.
As the owner of Gille Moire Photography, Gilmour typically works with families and newborns in very intimate settings.
“It’s definitely very different from what I normally do,” she said with a laugh. “I normally never take photos from my car.
“It’s cool to pull up to a house and see a couple little girls wearing princess dresses and things like that. It definitely puts a smile on my face.”
The snapshots are taken from at least 20 feet away with a telephoto lens, or in some cases, from the window of Gilmour’s car.
Sarah Landry was among the clients who took part in the project with her husband, Adam, and their children Maisie, 5, Lennox, 2.
“I think we’re all kind of feeling a little bit isolated,” said Landry. “It’s just nice to get out and connect with somebody and just have something positive to remember in all of this negativity.
“I think we’ll all look back on these times as ‘Hey remember that time we couldn’t go anywhere? But we still got a family portrait out of it.’”
Another portrait participant, Jen Maher, posed for a photograph with her husband Shaun and their children Ethan, 5, Eleanor, 2, and their dog Jack.
“I thought it was a really nice way to show solidarity with other families who are listening to their moral conscience,” said Maher.
“It’s a funny thing to say but it’s a memory to have, to look back on, and kind of puts things in perspective, so hopefully when everything calms down, we’ll have that picture and we’ll remember the happy times and that we were still smiling.”
Gilmour said she already has roughly 100 addresses sent to her from families wanting to take part in the project.
“If I get to 100 that would be cool,” she said. “I don’t have goal in mind. I’ll just do as many as I can, as safely as I possibly can.”
