special needs

I received a call several weeks ago from a mother of three older children, two who were in their late teens, one a young adult in her 20's.  Her concern was that one of her daughters has special needs--she is developmentally not older than a child even though she is nearly an adult.

We talked some about what she wanted from the session--something casual and relaxed...as much as it could be considering the limitations she warned me we faced in the session.

Our result that day was a natural portrait of the three kids--one in which the two girls are interacting as  their brother looks on.  The beauty is that the daughter in the middle is unable to  speak with words--yet the expression and communication between the sisters is still remarkable.

I have no problem if my subjects are not looking at me or the camera.  If you look through the centuries of paintings of families and their stories that are being told, often it is more about the interaction between each other, and less about their interaction with the artist. 

I'm never certain how my clients will react to my interpretation of the setting, though I try my best to offer a variety of what I can capture in our time together.  As we looked at the presentation I produced for the viewing session, we came to this image.  I looked over at the mom, and she was beginning tear up as she saw the three of them--particulary the sweetness between the two girls.  There they were, despite special needs, a family together.

I confess that there are moments when I am not certain how I will approach a photo session such as this one, except by instinct and with patience.  There is always a story to be told if we wait to see what it is.