I believe that every family needs to have photos which capture their love. I know that it can be vey overwhelming for anyone, but for families with children with special needs it can be downright scary to even try. I asked Allison to share her experience from our session. This was her response.
I think probably every parent with small child worries about committing to the kinds of activities that have a relatively "narrow" definition of what acceptable behavior will be- anyone with a toddler knows that they can flip-flop between a little bit crazy and angelic at the drop of a hat. But when your child is "different"- in our case, on the Autism Spectrum and with a language delay- I'm here to tell you that "predictability" is something that can go out the window on even our best days.
Our daughter is lively, beautiful, funny, and sweet and she is growing so fast! I absolutely wanted to capture us in this stage because I know I am going to look back on it with so much love. It is important to me to document this because, like everyone, I love my family and these photographs feel like "proof".
Looking at any of the photos from our session, and my heart immediately feels full. Instant love, and it's because of the people in it, and Tasha was able to capture it perfectly. I think if you want to do something with your child or your family together, you just need to find a way to make it happen. We talked about cameras, we brought a family member our child adores as our "secret weapon" to stand behind the camera to make silly faces and help wrangle, we talked about Tasha and showed our daughter a picture of her beforehand so she wasn't a stranger, and we brought favorite toys and bubbles. All 100% worth it- and I can't believe Tasha was able to capture all of it in 30 MINUTES. During the session, I felt pretty relaxed, all things considered.
Tasha suggested poses and ideas, but not the kind where you need to hold still for several minutes straight. If photos where you plan family outfits, put on make-up and style your hair can feel casual and candid, this was it. But better, because while I left that session thinking it was a success (Smiling at the camera! Everyone looking! No tears and lots of giggles!) they turned out even more beautiful than I could have dreamed.
When Allison reached out to me she was very hesitant that anything would come of her session. We went over everything prior to their session so there would be no unexpected issues. Reading her words made me realize that so many families are probably afraid to even set up a photo session. I can assure you that it's not as scary as you are fearing. If you let me know your worries I will do everything in my power to make your child feel as comfortable as possible so I can capture all the happiness that lives within your family!!