• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

The Piece of Mind Retreat

Special Vacations for Special Families

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • The Destination
    • The Travelers
    • The Travel
  • Ebook
  • Stay
  • Connect

Special Needs Photos: 6 Ideas to Capture Family Memories

80 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Just so you know, I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Links may be affiliate links, which won't cost you anything extra when you purchase. For full affiliate disclosures, click here.

Special Needs Photos
Special Needs Photos
special needs photos
Special Needs Photos: 6 Ideas to Capture Family Memories

Our current health crisis has created a niche for “distanced photography.” Spoiler alert: That style of photography is highly recommended for autism families.

Why You Need Special Needs Photos:

Special Needs Photos: 6 Ideas to Capture Family Memories

If you have a family member with special needs, you may have given up on the idea of capturing family photos altogether.  Certainly this is not something we do very often, but we do try every few years. We wrangle everyone into some collared shirts and find a way to document everyone’s growth over time.  It helps if you find a photographer who relishes the challenge. Here are six other ideas to make your special needs photos more manageable.  

Time of Day:

Try to stay away from your loved one’s witching hour – far away.  For us that means early. Like crack of dawn and the rest of us are slapping ourselves awake early.  But it means that he’s fresh, and we are also not running on empty. It also means we have the rest of the day to refill his sensory bank.  Bribe the crew with donuts or hot chocolate- AFTER the photo shoot, of course. Or choose whatever time of day is the golden hour for your family member.  

Thoughtful Outfits:

Sure you want to coordinate, but you also probably want to stay away from white or other light colors that might be soiled or stained before the session is over.  (Also, save snacks such as cheese puffs, or the aforementioned hot chocolate for afterwards.) If you can find a heathered fabric, it will read as a solid in most pictures, but will more readily hide most small marks or spots.  

You also should choose the most comfortable clothes that are still presentable.  Do you need elastic waists? Then plan for an untucked shirt that hides the waistband. Are zippers or snaps an issue? Then stick to an outfit with few fasteners. For us, this usually means pull-on khaki shorts or pants, with a soft polo shirt. 

Special Needs Photos: 6 Ideas to Capture Family Memories

Long Lens:

Does your loved one get spooked or tense up just by the presence of the camera?  If so, then ask your photographer to try a long lens. When Mr. Diggy knows a camera is pointed at him – whether one of our iPhones or a “real” camera – his sixth sense somehow causes him to writhe around or to hide his face entirely.  Undeterred and a creative thinker, our photographer set up across the lawn from us with long lens. Despite the distance, she managed to get some great shots (as well as some hilarious wide-frame outtakes!)

Patience:

Before attempting a special needs photo session, everyone needs to take their “patience pills.”  This is not a good plan for a day when the photographer has sessions booked back-to-back. A little patience and flexibility goes a long way.  Give your loved one a break, a (not-too-messy!) snack, a favorite toy or fidget (which can be cropped out!), or anything else you can think of.  And if your family is like my family, you probably don’t attempt this very often, so an hour or so of effort every couple of years is worth it to capture the best family memories that you can.  

Creative Editing and Cropping:

Which brings me to the final step – the after-session editing.  Find a photographer who is willing to excerpt the smile out of the otherwise chaotic scene.  Find a photographer who is willing to take your special needs’ loved one’s face from one frame and edit it into the next one where the rest of the family is looking at the camera.  In other words, an important step in special needs photography takes place after the session itself is over.  

special needs photos

Share the Love:

And when you have found a photographer who has created a special needs photography session that works for your family, share their website widely, tag them on social media, and support their work in any other way you can. 

Want to look more pulled together before your special needs photo session? My fellow autism mom and blogger, Laura Epstein, shares her tips with us here.

Want monthly updates to learn what’s new at the Piece of Mind Retreat? Click here to get insider access – and our monthly newsletter.

Related Posts:

6 Ways to Rethink the Holidays for Your Special Needs Family

How to Look Pulled Together on No Sleep via Refresh

  • The Piece of Mind Retreat Signature
  • Categories:
    The Travelers
    Tags:
    Autism Mom Life, Piece of Mind Picks, Special Needs Activities

    « 6 Ways to Rethink the Holidays for your Special Needs Family
    Special Needs Decorations: How to Celebrate, Simply »

    About

    Our family has been working through the puzzle of autism since 2011. We wanted a place to celebrate our successes, enjoy family time, and create memories. Travel can be challenging, but it is more manageable when you know you have a suitable place to stay when you arrive. For us, the Piece of Mind Retreat will be that place. We hope it will be for you as well. Read More…

    For more Autism Mom resources, visit our other site:

    Refresh Blog

    To learn more about our special needs housing community project in Kona, click here:

    Kokua Kona

    Copyright © 2023 · Bloom theme by Restored 316

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    80 shares