Malta’s partial lockdown has inspired a series of fashion images shot on the subjects’ doorsteps over the last few months, showing that social distancing has not come between photographer Kurt Paris and his passion for photo shoots, glamour and style.

Titled Fuq l-Għatba (on the doorstep), the project includes black and white shots of over 50 personalities from the fashion scene, motivated primarily by the fact that “the front door became a defining place”.

Since March, it has been the main point of contact with the outside world, but also where danger was perceived to be lurking, Paris explained about the backdrop to every photo.

“We were told to leave shoes outside; to wipe every parcel that arrived. This made the front door a big thing and, funnily enough, I even became careful when handling it.”

Another source of inspiration for Fuq l-Għatba was the fact that during the partial lockdown, people generally wore loungewear, joggers and other indoor clothing. The lack of focus on dressing up and appearance had a big effect on people, Paris maintained.

“I think it is easy to dismiss this as frivolous but the truth is, we like looking good, we like dressing up, we like the sense of occasion – and this also translates into us feeling better about ourselves.”

As for the styling, it started with the choice of black and white photography and neutral expressions when posing.

“These are not happy times and this is reflected in these choices. The outfits are elaborate yet elegant – an expression of individual style, but also of respect towards the effort so many households in Malta are making,” he said.

From a logistical point of view, Paris was determined to find a way to organise a shoot without needing to cross the safety line. No hair and make-up artists were involved unless they lived with the person being shot.

He sent out a brief, guidelines and a mood board to everyone involved, and the shoots were planned remotely. On the day, he would simply drive up, keep his distance, shoot and move on.

“Most subjects commented that the act of planning the shoot and dressing up was a positive experience for their mental state and well-being,” he said.

About the impact of his own stay-at-home period, Paris and his fashion-blogger wife Caroline invested some time in decluttering their home and making it a peaceful place, which allowed him to relax and let his mind roam. The result was Fuq l-Għatba and another two projects he is working on.

“I think being forced to take a step back from the many things we had going on gave us more time to collect our thoughts.

“This was also a period of change and emotions, which are a big part of the creative process too,” he said.

Overall, the project aims to document the times: “These days and the way we interacted will define us in the future.” But it also tries to make the viewer aware of “the emotions that go on behind our front doors”.

Next step – an artistic collaboration with illustrator Moira Zahra, who will add her own touches to the photos.

And the COVID-19 creativity continues.