MILLEDGEVILLE – If you're a professional photographer, April usually is occupied with senior photos, outdoor family sessions, and possibly a wedding or two.

With photography studios in Illinois shut down since mid-March because of the pandemic, keeping busy these days requires some ingenuity.

Jodi Flynn, 54, of Chadwick, owns Jodi Flynn Photography in Milledgeville. With her studio doors shuttered, Jodi and her daughters Erika Rolando, 30, and Bryanna Flynn, 23, are instead capturing candid and comforting photos of clients in their home environments in “Front Porch Project” mini-sessions.

The idea of documenting the spirit of Americans sheltering in place started with a photographer in Connecticut who was featured on a national TV morning show. Family portraits are taken at a distance with a long lens, on their porches or outside their homes.

On her Facebook page, Flynn, a photographer since 2011, offered 5- to 10-minute sessions on April 10 and 11, asking for donations as payment that she would use to buy gift cards from local restaurants for firefighters and front line health care workers.

She was overwhelmed by the response, and she and her team took photos of families in Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon, Polo, Shannon, Morrison, Pearl City, Chadwick, Milledgeville, and Lanark over those 2 days.

They raised $2,000 in donations, including some from people who didn't even have their photos taken.

“I want to give the credit back," Flynn said. "I took the pictures, but the clients gave. It's fun and rewarding to support local restaurants and front line people.”

They bought gift cards from Lino's, John's Italian Restaurant, and Anna's Pizza in Rockford, Candlelight Inn, The Factory, and Angelos in Rock Falls, and Joe's Pizza and Papa Murphy's Pizza in Freeport. Most of the businesses added bonus funds to the gift cards.

Flynn's husband, Darrin, is a part-time Chadwick police officer, her son Ethan is a Rockford firefighter, and Bryanna is a CGH Medical Center health care worker and soon-to-be nurse, so giving back to first responders hit close to her heart.

The Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments, CGH and three Rockford fire stations were the recipients.

Now Flynn and her daughters are looking forward to offering the long-distance sessions to teens -- high school seniors dressing up in their prom wear, or eighth-graders or seniors' graduation photos.

“I'm just trying to bring a little joy,” she said. “Everybody is happy to get out of the house and get dressed up.”

You can find family portraits by searching social media for #FrontPorchProject

Find Jodi Flynn Photography on Facebook, call 815-266-9955, or email jodiflynn.photography@gmail.com for more on Flynn's efforts.