Photographs by Scott Streble
Mom dad and daughter sitting on front steps of their house
In the early days of COVID-19, when most Minnesotans were sheltering in place, photographer Scott Streble was going all over the place. At the suggestion of his partner, Jessica, Streble and his camera ventured out to document the shared experience of the whole world at home. The project proved so fruitful that he turned it into a book, Front Porch Portraits.
“It was really fun,” says Streble. “I was able to meet a wide range of interesting people. I realized that Twin Cities residents are optimistic, happy, resilient people who have a great deal of pride in the Twin Cities and their individual neighborhoods.”
The willingness he encountered along the way encouraged him to push the project forward. And portraits were taken free of charge, allowing room for a wide range of participants. Neighbors bonded as they took their turns up and down the street. They even chided each other from afar.
And while word of the photo shoots was originally spread by Nextdoor volunteers, the project took on a mind of its own, totaling 550 portraits by the end. Of those, 250 made it into the book (printed and bound in Minneapolis and available at MNPorchPortraits.com). In the process of taking all those photos, Streble found his way onto some notable doorsteps, including those of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and his wife, local musicians like Adam Levy and Paul Metsa and their families, and even the first family of Minnesota.
In addition to people wanting to immortalize the moment life turned upside down, it was evident that doing so would bring people together when they’d never been further apart. “It is such a historic moment, and every single one of us is affected by it,” says Streble. “As a photographer, you realize you are capturing history in ‘real time’ and giving people a visual record of [COVID and how it affected their lives].” And while every photo captures the profoundness of living through a pandemic, in many, Streble simultaneously captures other singular instances—the day before a move into assisted living, the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis—that offer a reminder that life goes on, even when the world stops.
The project may be over, but Streble’s still snapping. A recent road trip allowed him to capture the effects of the pandemic across the country, an idea he’s been working on that will take him through back roads up to Duluth this month. He’s also excited to get back to his ongoing series of free portraits in senior homes (which has been paused).
For now, though, he’s training his camera on one last pandemic angle: documenting some of HCMC’s first COVID vaccinations.
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Two women and their dog standing on the front steps of their house
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Older couple standing on the front steps of their house
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Dad and mom standing on their front steps with their two daughters
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couple standing in front of their front door with their dog
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Young couple standing on their front steps with their two cats
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Dad mom and their four children standing on their front steps
