Pandemic passion project turns into small business for East Northport resident Lauren Kearon

East Northport resident Lauren Kearon is a mother and teacher who, like so many of us, turned to a creative outlet during the most isolating months of the pandemic. Beyond taking a daily selfie with her 7-year-old daughter for 100 days straight, Lauren dipped into her passion for scenic photography, using the natural landscapes of Northport as her muse.

During the isolation phase of Covid, when at-home schooling and working was finished for the day, Lauren and her husband, Dave, would take their daughter on local “field trips.” They used this time together to appreciate nature, and Lauren would take photos of their explorations.

Small moments of peace and quiet were captured by Lauren’s camera on their trips. From local and empty hiking trails, to beach and park views, she has created a catalog that resonates with Northport and East Northport residents. It took the forced slow down of the pandemic to make Lauren realize how much she loves photography.

“My life is so fast-paced, just as a teacher, where in a typical school year, I’m not doing all the things that I love to be doing independently, just because of the everyday grind,” she said. This empty time allowed her to figure out what she really wanted her day to look like, something perhaps many of us can relate to after the last 15 months, as the halting of life as we knew it made space for other outlets and passions.

Lauren explained that she’s also continuously inspired by her daughter. “She’s so confident, she’s so strong, and she motivates me to bring that out in myself,” she said.

Her favorite photo, to date, is one of Northport Village’s Main Street, which features a puddled roadway and dark clouds, with blue skies peaking through behind an arched rainbow. Lauren calls this photo “Pride” and she noted the hope within the image, explaining, “It’s the rainbow over Northport and the clearing in the sky, from this year and a half of craziness that we’ve all been in.” She took that picture last May and loved the idea that things were going to get better, even though she knew, at that point, that it wasn’t going to be over anytime soon.

Lauren was grateful when this photo was selected by Ocean Avenue PTA President Melissa Baker, to be given as a gift from the fourth and fifth grade students. The photo was turned into a mosaic that included pictures of the Ocean Avenue teachers and staff members. “I had been searching for a Northport image with a rainbow in it to memorialize this year as a gift,” said Melissa. “Coincidentally, a friend posted Lauren’s image and when I reached out to her, I found out her child will be coming to Ocean Avenue next year, from Dickinson, and Lauren graciously donated the image for the project.”

“Funny how things work out,” she added. “It’ll be hanging in the school for years to come.”

More recently, Lauren decided to turn her pandemic passion into a little business, and she began selling cards with her photography. “We are really big, in my family, on sending thank you cards and greeting cards in the mail,” she said. “It’s such a nice thing to get a handwritten note from somebody from far away, to know that they are thinking about you.”

Her small business, called Harbor Greeting Cards, offers some of her favorite images as individual greeting cards or in box sets. To Lauren, they represent the beautiful community and what it was able to endure in the last year. Since launch, Lauren has donated some proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She also photographed Dickinson Avenue School, with hints of tiger paws in the background, to sell as keepsake notecards and donated the proceeds to the Dickinson PTA.