Editor’s note: We were blown away when we caught a glimpse of North Jersey dad and pro photographer Chad Hunt’s Halloween porch portraits. Below, he shares how the project began along with some of his work.
When we moved to our small North Jersey town six years ago, I decided to start doing free portraits of the children who came to our house for trick-or-treating. It’s my way of giving back to the neighborhood. I set up a simple backdrop with one light and only spend a few minutes with each child and family so I can have time with everyone. Now our house has become such a destination point that even people who’ve moved out of the neighborhood still come back to have their picture taken. We even have a separate line, just for photos.
Although I’m a professional photographer and have done portrait work and picture stories my whole career, I never really considered these images to be a personal project…until this year.
Looking back at all the images from the previous Halloweens I realize that I’ve seen these kids grow up on my porch year after year. What started as a simple gift to my community has turned into something much bigger. There’s such pride and intensity on these children’s faces. They may be wearing face paint and costumes, but their hearts shine through their eyes.
See more of Chad’s Halloween porch portraits at chadhuntphotography.com and follow him on Instagram.
