What is A Roc Moment? At the end of March, I started feeling restless and helpless. Quarantine was hard for us all and though I am a total homebody, I felt the need to work and get out. My passion is capturing moments and this moment in time is also a moment in history!
I imagined this “American Gothic” type photo in my head. The realness of what’s going on. We are home, we are immersed in our family. We are messy, tired, scared and overwhelmed. We are a unit and though we sometimes have to leave our house for work or other necessities, this is where we are planted. Our jammie pants, our uncombed hair, working from home, homeschooling… It’s a lot! I wanted to capture just that. Not the dressed up, posed family but the messy and amazing family of the moment!
I don’t want it to reflect the sadness or struggles. I just want it to reflect who we are right now. It’s ok to wear sweatpants all day, it’s ok to skip the daily shampoo, it’s ok to look a little disheveled in these photos, because we are all a little disheveled during this time! Some of these families are working, some are not. Some are retired, some have minimal financial changes and others are struggling. However, not one of these families are unaffected by this pandemic. They are nervous about income, they are alone, they are scared to shop, they are missing their extended family, and yet, they smile through it all.
I am not charging for these shoots. I pull up to your curb, play for 10-15 minutes, from a distance and take off, sadly, without hugs. In addition to it helping me to stay creative, this project has allowed me to give back! By not charging, I’m asking families, if they are able, to donate to local small businesses and nonprofits of their choice. Donations have been made in the name of ‘A Roc Moment’ to places like Willow Domestic Violence Center of Greater Rochester, Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester and Bivona Child and Advocacy Center.
As we continue to move through this and face our “new normal” there are many small businesses and non-profits who have had to shift their practices to fit within guidelines, to keep themselves and others safe and to simply, stay in business. My goal is to highlight them as well as the amazing families in our community.
This is such a passion project and sharing it with my community means so much to me!
Thank you so much for taking a look and for following @arocmoment on Facebook and Instagram.
