May 2021

Essex based photographer Amy Peck, of Amy Peck Photography, has raised £1700 for the NHS from taking doorstep lockdown photos of families coming together. Due to COVID19, Amy made the decision to temporarily close her photography studio, based in Havering-Atte-Bower, in early March; and like many self-employed people worried what the future could hold. This is where the doorstep photos began, and in Amy’s words “at such a scary time it was nice to be able to capture families coming together, staying home and saving lives. Whether that was from their doorstep or through their window, it will be a memory for families to look back on in years to come, and it was genuinely a pleasure to be a part of that. It’s been amazing to meet so many people at a time like this and hear so many lockdown stories”.

Amy has photographed around 100 doorsteps throughout Essex, with every penny going straight to the NHS. “It didn’t sit right with me to make money out of the current situation but it did make sense to try and give something back, so I set up my just giving page with the initial intention to just photograph friends, family and some regular clients and from there, word spread and it just went crazy. There was no set donation amount, simply whatever they could spare for the cause”.

Families were able to dictate the feel of their shoot, with colour pops of people’s balloon and symbolic rainbow displays being a huge favourite. Amy told us how people would suddenly become very aware of their front doors and would start cleaning and de-weeding before her arrival. People really took this opportunity to create the best photo moment they could.
To ensure she was adhering to government guidelines, doorstep images were completely contactless. A time was confirmed prior to the date and Amy would turn up outside beep, and most of the time could take the photos without leaving her car. In Amy’s words, “a few clicks, smiles and a few cheers for the NHS and I’m off!’

At a time when small businesses such as Amy’s needed help, Amy selflessly decided to help the nation’s NHS heroes. Amy’s time, Amy’s fuel costs, but all for an amazing cause and in Amy’s opinion, worth every moment.
With us now seeing the ease of some lockdown measures, Amy is taking steps to get back to work, starting with social distance outdoor sessions for now, with the hope to get back under the studio lights for her regular cake smash, newborn, birthday and all other available shoots sometime in the near future.