The Day of Pampering at Manor Church in Lancaster has become one of my favorite events to photograph. For one day, moms of children with special needs gather together to fellowship, praise God, pray, share stories and resources and be pampered. Most moms of children with special needs children don't have extra time to go get their hair done or get a pedicure. Often even finding the right type of childcare precludes them from doing simple things like taking care of themselves.
Through this day I have come to know so many of the mothers and have been to able to experience that relief that comes with being with other mom's who just "get it". This year was especially personal to me because of our own challenges we have had with our son. How wonderful for mothers to gather together and share resources and experiences and to ask how my child is doing by his name and pray for us.
To pull off a day such as this where over 150 moms get their hair done, toes painted, hands prettied up, massaged, and treated to yummy treats takes a lot of work. And so I also give a huge thanks and praise for all the hands who made this day special. Make-up artists, hair stylists, massage therapists, the coordinators, the group of youth who vacuum out and clean each and every car for these moms, the food preparers, the women who take all their best dishes and make a wonderful table display complete with a treat, the speakers and yes even he barbershop quartet that serenaded our moms, and the amazing prayer warriers..thanks so much for your hearts towards these deserving moms.
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(using a merry-go-round at a park to straddle) Recently I was asked by Marsha McNeely Photography if I would be a guest blogger and discuss my experiences when working with kids with special needs. And my readers know I am passionate about these kiddos so I said I'd be more than happy to share the knowledge that I have. Thanks Marsha for asking and for having the same passion that I do.
This week's blog post is all about the wheelchair (or walker or other medical devices). I'm sure by now if you did a quick scan of my posts you will not see portraits in which my clients are in their chairs. And this is very intentional. One of the first questions parents ask me is 'What can we do about the chair?' and I've had a number of photographers ask me 'How do we get rid of it?'
First I want to be clear on this..a wheelchair (or other medical device) is an extension of that person. It works as their legs, etc. So while you may view it as a device your client may not. In fact, most of my clients have names for their chairs..and you only give a name to something that has important value to you. So remember in having conversations with the parents or child to have compassion when talking about the chair. That being said, the chair does not define who that person is and should be minimized at all costs (unless asked otherwise).
And how do I do that? What do I do? For me, the first bit of information I need is listed in my pre-session questionnaire that I have all parents complete. I ask what are your child's abilities (and I do this in all areas..cognitive, physical, etc because there are often more than one system in play for the child and all need to be considered). For wheelchair users, I ask if the child can sit unassisted and I begin to develop a conversation with the parents from that. Can the child sit by using props? Leaning against other people? Sit in a chair? Straddling a roll? With that bit of knowledge I overlap that onto the parents vision for portraits. Is the session outside, inside, family portraits, senior class portraits, etc.? And I then ask about other abilities the child has and start to paint a picture of what a session could look like. I have yet to have a parent object to removing the chair...actually the opposite..gratitude for building a vision of the child and not the chair.
There are lots of things to consider when having one of these sessions!- Time is one of the most important!! You must remember that you and I can most likely sit and stand up unassisted and quickly. But these precious children will most likely need help and transfers are often time consuming. So you must plan on extra time. How much depends on what the session will look like. I usually plan on at least 10 minutes for each transfer (out of the chair and then again into the chair). Set changes or location changes will mean more than one transfer. So be patient and make sure the parents know you are not in a rush!! Take your time!!
- Multi-tasking is a great way to use that time. If it's a family session and each family member is going to have some individual portraits, take those while the parents are performing transfers. But make sure this is all scheduled ahead of time with the parents so all family members are aware of the order of events.
- Transfers can be very tricky. And even though I have a lot of knowledge about how to do it, I NEVER do one!! Let me make that clear..doing on one your own is a No-No!! I will ask the parent every time, 'Is there anything I can assist you with?' Most often the answer is no or can you carry this item for me. As much as I want to be helpful I do not want to be the cause of any injuries. And besides, the parents are pro's at this!
- Always display dignity to the child or young adult. Sometimes shirts come up or pants fall down. Don't stare but instead engage everyone especially the child in light banter. You will be building a connection with the child and saying to them 'I think you are important'.
- Eye-level communication is so important and often overlooked by the able-bodied community. I know my kids don't like when I stare down at them and neither do people who use wheelchairs. So I make it a point to be on eye-level as much as possible. That means squatting or kneeling or even sitting on the ground. What ever the situation calls for get yourself down on their level. You will be amazed at how well interactions will be free-flowing and how much easier it is to get natural laughs and smiles.
- Use of props is key here. And when I say props I mean anything. In one of the pictures this dashing young man could sit well if he straddled something. And because the parents wanted outdoor natural setting pictures we opted for a park where we could utilize the playground equipment. Another one of my clients below was able to transfer to a stool that we hid with cloth or by taking very flattering head shots. In fact, she always dreamed of having a glamour session...why not? For her senior pics I used a very fun backdrop and mom got out her fan and off we went. Tell me it's not fun. These kids are kids! Ask what they want to do and find a way to do it!! Props can be leaning on other people, using pillows, pillars, etc.
- Posing needs to be creative but make it look natural. Yes, the posing of a family might be a tad non-traditional but I can guarantee mom and dad will care only about having a family portrait that flatters everyone without the wheelchair. I am under the belief that even though I know the traditional rules for photography..it's OK to break them (as long as it looks good)! Besides, the trend right now in photography is not your traditional family portrait work..it's about families interacting, connecting and just being themselves!
- If you need to use the wheelchair, I do have a few suggestions. First, getting on eye-level with the person who is in the chair is going to help reduce how much chair is in the picture. So yes, get lower to take their portrait. Have the chair on an angle (just like in regular posing work..never have your subject square to the camera!). Then have all other family members lean into that subject. By having them closer to the subject it's easier to build your triangles, etc. And take a tighter cropped in portrait to again reduce the amount of chair showing.
- But I would urge you as the photographer to work to have your subjects out of their chairs and as the parents make sure your photographer has a plan for this. If they do not or are not willing to allow for enough time for transfers during the session, then look for another photographer.
(using a piece of playground equipment to straddle)
(using a family member to lean on)
(cropped in shot to eliminate chair from picture)
(different posing..captured her sweet reflective expression)
(glamour shots...wheelchairs are not our limitations..only our imaginations are)
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