Skip to content

Ponoka photographer’s front porch project spreads smiles, supports local business

Sam Leavitt Photography started a front steps project in March

For about a month now, Ponoka business owner and photographer Sam Leavitt has been taking “porch portraits” of Ponoka families from the safety of their front steps.

The response since she started the project, free of charge, has been “pretty amazing” says Leavitt.

She has now done somewhere between 40 to 50 families’ pictures.

Although there’s no fee, Leavitt asks families to pay it forward and support a local business in some way, such as making a donation or buying a gift card for future use.

Leavitt says local businesses are, “the backbone, a bit, of the community, and the glue that keeps things together.”

“It’s a pretty scary time for business owners, which I can tell you first hand for sure.”

Leavitt owns the Ponoka Jiffy Lube with her husband and has been a professional wedding, engagement and family photographer for over six years.

Some photo clients have chosen to donate gas money to her photography project, which helps “keep her on the road” but she hasn’t asked for it, she says.

Leavitt says all the portraits she’s taken have been quite memorable.

She’s done the typical family-on-the-porch shot, to pregnancy announcements, grads and birthdays, all using a zoom lens from a safe distance.

She calls her 70-200 mm zoom her “corona lens,” as its minimum distance requirements forces her to keep a distance, which is helpful as she says she’s usually a hugger.

Leavitt says she’s enjoyed seeing people — some she’s known for years, and some that are knew to her — from local business owners, to front line workers and farmers.

One photo she did was a group shot of Victim Services volunteers in front of the Ponoka RCMP detachment.

As a group that doesn’t always get a lot of public recognition, the volunteers wanted to do something fun and positive and asked Leavitt to come take their photo.

“All have been memorable, and quite impactful for me.”

Through the whole process, she follows social distancing practices. She pulls up to a house, the family comes out, and she stays on the sidewalk or shoots from across the street.

“Every family’s been amazing with it.”

The best part is giving a family five or 10 minutes of just smiling, with nothing else to think about.

“They are smiling, and then go back into the house and hopefully have a good day after that.”

Some have said it was great to have a reason to put on real pants, or do their hair and makeup, says Leavitt.

“This is a pretty awesome little town and this has just helped me realize how awesome it actually is.”

Leavitt is putting together a community gallery of all the families she’s photographed and will share it when it’s done.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I’m Emily Jaycox, the editor of Ponoka News and the Bashaw Star. I’ve lived in Ponoka since 2015 and have over seven years of experience working as a journalist in central Alberta communities.
Read more