Episode 120: Front Porch Sessions- Do or Don’t?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple weeks, you’ve likely seen Front Porch Sessions on Facebook. These are professional sessions of families at home on their porch. They’ve been highly controversial in the photography world; some people are loving them & finding ways to supplement their income or donate profits to causes, and other people are slamming them HARD, saying they are unprofessional and even illegal. So where do we lie on Front Porch Sessions? Are these a do or a don’t?

Julie & Kate both agree that Front Porch Sessions are a DON’T. At least for right now. In California (where we live) and the majority of other states, there are currently shelter in place orders. This means that non-essential businesses should close, and unless absolutely necessary, people should stay home. No matter how much we preach about photography being important, it is NOT an essential business. Therefore, legally, we are not permitted to conduct business right now. And even if your state ISN’T a shelter in place state, it’s still a good idea to stay home. This Coronavirus stuff isn’t going away anytime soon, and we NEED to flatten the curve.

Think about this worst case scenario… what happens if you’re on your way to these shoots & you get in a car accident? Not only are you taking valuable first responders away from other cases, but nobody can come visit you in the hospital. You’re completely on your own. Personally, that doesn’t feel worth the risk.

Even if that doesn’t happen, you still have to stop at the gas station at some point, touch the pump/keypad (gross!) and risk bringing the virus home to your family. Not to mention once you’re out of the house, it’s significantly more tempting to stop somewhere you otherwise wouldn’t be temped to stop.

Lastly, we know that copycats are big in our industry. Newborn photographers often admonish newer, less practiced photographers who copy their ideas in unsafe ways. This is the same thing. While YOU might photograph a family from 20 feet away with your zoom lens, a copycat photographer might not have the equipment to keep them far enough away. It’s just a slippery slope, and one PhotoSpark suggests avoiding until shelter in place orders are lifted.

For other ideas on supplemental income during Coronavirus, check out Coronavirus Series Part ONE: Survival Tips for Photographers

And in case you missed our announcement, we are co-hosting a live Masterclass on how to save for taxes and manage cash flow with Braden on April 8th!! We’ll be chatting about how to set up a cash flow system which is SO incredibly important. To register, visit https://www.bradendrake.com/photospark