RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. – With everybody staying safer at home, photographers everywhere are participating in a national movement called the Front Steps Project. When local photographer Ute Reckhorn lost all her business due to COVID-19, she decided to get involved as a way to stay creative and to help out one of her favorite local charities. 

“I think this is like my 11th family,” said photographer Ute Reckhorn. “I set up my GoFundMe at $10,000 so it will be a while so few more families to go.”

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Reckhorn is supporting the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank so she’s asking families in her Rancho Palos Verdes community to make a donation. In exchange, she’ll drop by and take a family portrait on their front steps. 

“I chose the L.A. Foodbank because I thought a lot of families might run out of food, necessities, you know and I felt this might be a good cause to motivate my families here to give some money for a good cause,” said Reckhorn.

With parents working from home and students back from school, she wanted to capture this time while families are quarantining together. She stays 10 feet away and the session takes no more than five minutes. No need to dress up. The idea is to be yourself. 

“I think it was fun to just capture what my family's been doing during the quarantine and to kind of be able to document this time in our lives since it probably will not happen again,” said student Abby Lapine after her family took a portrait together.

 
 
 
 
 
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These #thefrontstepsproject pictures are my current lifeline. I love connecting with friends and neighbors from a safe distance. We’re so close to hitting $1000 on our GoFundMe! Book your session today. Life during the COVID-19 quarantine will hopefully be a distant memory, so we should capture it while we can! DM me to book a shoot now. . . . . . #WeAreInThisTogether #lobk_letsallbewell #theteenage_hub #tth_Positivity #loveourbigkids #mmm_AtHome #becstayhomechallenge #tsap_AtHome #dym_StayHome #LLB_Home #cai_BetterTogether #sc_theme372 #tsj_LifeAtHome #cw_StayHome #shareyourlove_Siblings #siblinghoodlove #Illuminate_Connection #cai_BetterTogether #tpn_Together #sf_StayHome #jjitskids_dads #honestly_TheNewNormal #palosverdesfamilyphotographer #palosverdesmagazine #palosverdespeninsula #palosverdes #palosverdesphotographer #palosverdesphotography #southbayphotos

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Originally from Germany, Reckhorn moved to the US 14 years ago and has been living in Rancho Palos Verdes for five years, but after being stuck at home for a few weeks, she missed taking photos. That’s when she heard about the Front Steps Project.

“What I really love and what makes pictures more interesting for me if they bring up stuff that they love like their animals, their dogs in this case,” said Reckhorn. “I think that it’s making pictures a little more memorable and meaningful.”

The photos may be personal, but they’re meant to connect a community that can no longer get together like we used to. 

“I hope we will be able to look back in like 10 years or 20 years and have those memories to share with our kids, our grandkids and say, 'Wow this was the time when we were all quarantined and when we had to stop our normal lives to have these pictures,'” said Reckhorn.

Pictures to remember your quarantine life by.

To book photographer Ute Reckhorn for a family portrait, please visit her GoFundMe page.