Front Door Photo
1423. Jenny Smith
Jenny Smith, from North London, is a photographer who has been taking family portraits during lockdown in exchange for donations to the domestic abuse charity ‘Refuge’ through her ‘Front Door Photo’ project for which she has so far photographed over 490 families in North London.
Unable to carry out her normal portrait photography due to lockdown, but reading how ‘Refuge’ had reported a 700% increase in traffic, Jenny decided to repurpose her usual front door shots to reflect the current crisis and offer a way of not only allowing families to remember this time, but support those struggling to escape domestic violence. Her project has raised over £21,000 for the charity.
In a personal letter to Jenny, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I wanted to express my admiration for the way you have used your gift as a photographer to create special memories for hundreds of families, while simultaneously fundraising for victims of domestic abuse.
“Despite its challenges and frustrations, many people have cherished the extra time with their families during the lockdown and your Front Door Photo project has created a unique memento of this exceptional period.
“But for others, the lockdown required to defeat Coronavirus threatened to trap them in the horror of domestic abuse. So it has been particularly vital to help them to reach the support they need. Your fundraising for the brilliant charity “Refuge” has made an important contribution to that crucial mission.”
Jenny said:
“Thank you for recognising the ‘Front Door Photo’ project, it’s an honour to be among so many other amazing fundraisers and volunteers. ‘Refuge’ is a lifeline to so many women and children and even more so during this pandemic. Raising over £21,000 for them is the thing I’m most proud of in my career so far. I photographed over 490 people in my local community and the project taught me one simple thing: that people are kind. During the two months I spent taking these photographs one of the most common questions I’d get asked is, am I going to approach Number 10 to get the ultimate Front Door Photo? It’s been on my ‘to do’ list ever since and so I guess there’s no better forum to ask the question than here. What do you say Mr Johnson?”
Pictured below: a montage of some of Jenny’s Front Door Photos
