Coronavirus: Dancing on doorsteps to send positive vibes during lockdown

The Lowry family outside their home in Jordanstown

Shelley Garrett and Ricky Torrens, a married couple from Newtownabbey, came up with the idea of snapping people on their doorsteps to promote the ‘stay at home’ message.

Shelley, 32, said: “All our weddings have been postponed and rescheduled for later in the year so at the moment I consider myself unemployed.

“We’re based in Newtownabbey but we have a studio in Belfast. They have put a three-month pause on the rent for us which is amazing. At least for three months we know our studio is safe.

“I think the world is going to change completely after this so we’re trying not to think too much about it.”

Explaining how the idea came about, Shelley said: “I was sitting thinking before even things were like they are now – we’re not going to be wedding photographers for a while, so how can we make something good out of this?

“We started just over a week ago. At that stage people had started self-isolating so we contacted people who we knew were doing it and asked if they’d let us take a picture of them on their doorstep.

“Everyone was so nice about it.

“Then it turned into dancing on the doorstep, for anyone who didn’t want to come out we called it ‘wiggle at the window’.

“We’re trying to advocate the stay at home message. People weren’t taking it seriously so we wanted to do something to encourage people to stay at home.

“Everything was done from the car at a safe distance. When lockdown came into play we’ve been encouraging people to send their own in. We can’t be telling people to stay at home then we go out taking pictures and videos.”

Shelley, who is originally from Ballymena, said: “In this wee country we know the best way to have a bit of craic in the midst of a crisis.

“We’ve grown up through difficult times. I remember the tail-end of the Troubles, the military on the streets.

“I don’t think anyone ever expected to be living like this, but if you don’t keep it light-hearted there’s only one road you go down.”

She continued: “Mental health is a big issue, suicide rates in Northern Ireland are high, there’s a worry this could end up making them higher.

“You have to put out some good news or happy news to restore people’s hope.

“We know some people will maybe see it as too light-hearted in the face of what’s happening. People don’t have to look at it if they don’t want to. It’s there for the people who are up for a bit of craic.”

The photos can be found on Instagram @myporchportrait