Last year I had the privilege of attending a wonderful workshop with Kirsten Lewis. The piece I made was a cathartic exploration into the unexpected feelings of loss and grief that I found myself experiencing as my children came of age and started to move away from home. 

My youngest daughter and I began ‘Lotties in Lockdown’ to combat boredom. It gave us a way to keep our days exciting and varied during the extensive period of social distancing in the UK during the pandemic. It was an incredible way for us to connect and collaborate on a creative project. I have never worked with my kids on a project before, so I wasn’t expecting how much enrichment I would gain from the experience.

As a documentary photographer, normally busy photographing real families, I could photograph a family without leaving the house. For my daughter, it was a way to keep her busy and enable her to nurture her creativity.

Initially inspired by her play and the care she takes when creating family scenes, the accidental project snowballed. It became part of our daily lockdown routine. Many of the props and details are handcrafted by my daughter, so it also enabled me to document her talent for crafting and her brilliant observational skills.

At the end of ‘homeschool’ each day we discussed ideas. We made props and set up satirical lockdown inspired scenes of the Lottie doll family, their social distancing efforts and coping mechanisms. My daughter got to indulge in her favourite play and I got to document a family life of sorts.

Meet the Fleming Family:

Living just outside London, single Mum, Amber Fleming, is isolating with her 3 kids; 15 year old teenager Florence and 8 year old twins Humphrey and Hattie. We were granted exclusive access to document the life of the Fleming family as they adapt to the changes brought about by the covid-19 pandemic. 

Click on each image to find out a little bit more about the Fleming family.