Autism

Autism probably seems like a strange topic to find on a photography website, but so much of the world is affected by this gift, it felt like a good idea to address it. While neither my husband nor I, nor our children are diagnosed with autism or its close relatives - Asperger's, ADHD, and Sensory Processing Disorder - my sister has two daughters that have received a diagnosis. I also have several friends with children who are considered to be on the spectrum, and a dear friend whose daughter has severe SPD. These friends and family have enlightened me on some of the difficulties the parents face, as well as the struggles their children must overcome daily. This has created an urge in me to be a support system for them, and to get to know their story on an intimate level. It begs the question of me; how can I help the world see the beauty that lies beneath these labels? It's awesome to watch these warriors face the world with all its challenges. They have inspired me to face my own challenges and pursue this particular path of photography; portrait photography, especially portraits of those with social anxieties and struggles. Here is how my journey to this decision happened.

Just as with many other photographers, photography has been something that has fascinated me since I was a child. I can remember taking photos with my 110mm camera, mailing off the film, and waiting (not so patiently) for it to come back from the Kodak lab. I entered my photos in the county fair and was lucky if I came away with a blue ribbon. Although the quality of those photos wasn't great, I learned a lot and am ever so thankful for the captured memories that I now have.

Fast forward several years and a couple of point and shoot 35mm cameras, and I finally bought my first camera with interchangeable lenses (sorry if some of these terms are Greek to you!). As with most moms with a camera, I used it to take photos of my growing family. As the years progressed, I tried to learn as much as I could about photography to be able to capture photos of my children. It was gratifying being able to freeze a moment in time, to capture people enjoying the moment, and to record something that we would never be able to go back to. There was also such joy to be found in capturing the beauty surrounding me.

As time flew by, I often had people ask me to take photos for them. I did a handful of family photos, took school photos of my own children as well as some other homeschool students, did our own family photos, and even shot a couple of weddings. It often crossed my mind to start a photography business, but it never made it past, "Maybe someday".

I am going to get really open and honest here. The real reason I didn't want to start my own business was because talking to people intimidated me. It actually still does! Something that has helped me to overcome that intimidation was our move to North Dakota. We moved to a place where I knew nobody except my family, and I had lived my entire life surrounded by people I had known since birth. I had to learn to reach out to strangers for friendship. When I did that, some beautiful relationships grew, and I became a part of an amazing group of people. That experience helped me to put myself in other people's shoes and reach out the way I would want somebody to reach out to me.

Although I had learned to talk to strangers, I still wasn't ready to put myself out there as a photographer. I knew that I wanted to take pictures, so I learned all I could about my own camera, how to use the various settings on a camera, lighting, and what to do in difficult lighting situations. For a time, I simply decided that instruments and landscapes were the way to go for me. Taking photos of the custom homes my husband's company built (you can check out those photos on their Anasazi Builders Facebook page) was another way for me to practice with my camera. I simply took photos of anything I could, and it made me content just to have a camera in my hand.

So, what does this story of photography have to do with autism? Well, last winter I did some senior photos for my niece, Belle. She is high functioning, low-support autistic, hates having her photos taken, and was in fact dreading the photo shoot. Low and behold, we had a blast taking the photos. This experience was very eye opening for me in a lot of ways, but the greatest thing that I learned from that photo shoot was my desire to recreate that experience for more people. There are a lot of families that deal with autism, and it has been brought to my attention that the struggle for getting photos can be frustrating. This photo shoot with my niece inspired something in me that made me want to overcome my own fear of talking with people. I have been told that I manage to put people at ease, so conversation won't be a problem. Because of the various situations God has placed me in, the fear is slowly turning to excitement.

If there is anything I have learned from my years of photography, it is that the view and perspective change with where you are standing. Together, I believe we can present two perspectives; your story from your point of view, and your beauty from my point of view. We can work together to create a plan to make a photo shoot work for your family's unique needs.