Photographing Cognitively Challenged Teens

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Senior Portraits

High school graduation was approaching. Our first attempt at senior photos with the high school’s local photographer was unsuccessful. Photographing cognitively challenged teens requires patience and knowledge of their neurodiversity. I was fortunate that the ideal photographer was working with Miss Bee at school all year.

Kelsey Breton photographer setting up the shot with graduation cap — Photographing the photographer at work

Obligatory Photography Studio

Last summer Miss Bee’s high school sent us to a locally contracted photographer for senior portraits. Due to the summer Covid surge, the studio had protocols in place that were challenging for Miss Bee. Based on the sitting fee, she had six backgrounds, three inside and three outside. She could also change her outfit several times. We brought Ned, her service dog to help with the anxiety and to have him a few shots. The photographer was thoughtful and patient and was happy to include Ned.

Miss Bee is standing in the gazebo with the setting sun backlighting her — Senior portraits in the spring evening light

Mother Nature is the Best Lighting Technician

Photos from indoor studios have never been that great for either of my children. Mother nature lights them far more efficiently. Parks and beaches are more forgiving to antsy kids. Most importantly working 1:1 with a photographer has always been best for my family. Several other photo shoots were occurring simultaneously, thus causing so much distraction and made social distancing difficult. The school yearbook required the 1950’s style black drape and pearls. What teenager wears pearls today??? Were those drapes really clean? Covid makes a mom question everything.

Photographing Miss Bee in the rose garden — Capturing the light

When the proofs finally arrived several months later, I was underwhelmed. A few were fine and some were even good but none of them tugged the right heartstrings that a wonderful photo does. I chose the best drape shot for the yearbook and chose two of the outdoor shots and moved to the next page on the ordering site. OMG sticker shock! The least expensive package was nearly $400. There was no way I was paying that much for OK photos.

Communication is Everything

Due to Covid and dealing with distance learning at the beginning of the school year, I didn’t give much thought to senior portrait redo’s for months. When the graduation announcements I ordered with Miss Bee’s cap and gown had arrived, they were useless. The District changed the date and venue. I was grateful we were having an in-person ceremony, however, it was time to redo the portraits and make my own announcements on Shutterfly.

Posing with her cap and gown — Cap and gown makes it real

Although I opted to keep Miss Bee home in distance learning the first quarter, I took her to school once a week to meet the speech and language pathologist (SLP) in person for therapy. For the first time, I learned how communication that comes naturally to most folks actually occurs and what causes a child to struggle.

Sitting on a rose garden wall — “Lean a little more”

Photographer is showing Miss Bee the shots on the back of the camera — Keeping Miss Bee engaged by showing her the shots

Understanding the Language of Social Skills

Distance learning gave me the opportunity to speak with the SLP after each session. I learned that understanding language also plays a crucial role in reading comprehension. In Miss Bee’s case, understanding social communication and visual queues was a significant struggle. After learning what Miss Bee worked on during language therapy, I was able to reinforce the lesson at home.

Photo of the photographer working with a wide view of the garden behind her — This garden is gorgeous

The Ideal Photographer

After a session one week, Miss Bee taught me all about idioms. I will forever be grateful that our school district in Florida provides speech and language therapy for most students with intellectual disabilities. Miss Bee benefited significantly from speech and language therapy after one year and her reading comprehension also improved. Speech and language pathologists are important to the IEP team!

Photographer is having Miss Bee strut her stuff — Work it, work it

Photographer is chuckling — Kelsey was fantastic

In April, Miss Bee’s SLP sent an email to let me know that she was a photographer. Her specialty is senior portraits. The sun, moon, and stars aligned in the sky at that moment. I realized I needed to hurry up and try again if announcements were going to be sent BEFORE graduation.

I could not have hand-picked a better photographer for Miss Bee than a young, hip staff member from her high school who has worked with her the last year. And better yet, someone that understands how Miss Bee communicates and is well versed in her struggles. Kelsey Breton was fantastic.

Giving Miss Bee clear and simple directions

Working with Cognitively Challenged Teens

Finding a photographer that understands children with developmental deficits makes such a difference in the final product. Kelsey knew exactly how to think outside the box to get the money shots that melted my heart.

Photographer is giving Miss Bee direction on how to walk — “We’re off to see the Wizard…”

Kelsey chose a lovely, uncrowded park with plenty of parking close to the locations within the park she preselected. A long walk would have started us off on the wrong foot. The rose gardens and river shoreline in Washingon Oaks Gardens State Park were stunning.

Don’t Forget the Bug Spray

The only thing that would have made the activity even better was if I remembered to bring bug spray! The bugs drove Miss Bee nuts. To her credit, she cooperated for far longer than I expected despite the flying nuisances.

Kelsey treated the photoshoot like a modeling gig. Miss Bee is a fashionista. She also loves make-up and experimenting with hairstyles. She loved “working it” for the camera. Kelsey was not burdened with a lot of equipment. She was able to keep Miss Bee moving quickly from location to location and made it fun. Kelsey climbed on walls, stood in the rose bushes, and sat on the ground to obtain the perfect shot. Miss Bee didn’t have time to be bored or lose interest. Talk about dedication to her work!

Photograph of cognitively disabled teen — Photo by Kelsey Breton

Photographing the Photographer

Kelsey also graciously agreed to allow me to follow right behind her to photograph the process of her working with MissBee. I had a birds-eye view to help with writing this post. I tried hard to stay out of the way and leave the great portrait shots to the expert.

Neurodiversity Understanding helps — Walking back to the parking lot, stopped for a few more along the way

Mom Had to Go with the Flow

Kelsey’s sitting fee included cap and gown photos and two outfits. Miss Bee and I carefully chose two outfits – a white dress and a shorts outfit with a cool denim jacket and funky high tops. Due to the bugs wearing thin on Miss Bee’s focus, Kelsey realized that having Miss Bee change outfits in the middle of the park by hiding in the bushes would be a mistake.

Miss Bee put added the denim jacket and switched to the high-tops. The interruption was minimal. I had to compromise and give up a little of my vision of photos in that fun outfit in order to finish without a meltdown. Relying on Kelsey’s experience and going with the flow resulted in beautiful portraits.

A Meaningful Prop

I brought a white dress that Miss Bee wore for her adoption announcement portrait when she was a year old. Miss Bee’s outfit for this photoshoot seventeen years later was coincidently similar. Kelsey obliged my request and photographed Miss Bee with the tiny dress. The years between the two photoshoots were difficult and full of struggles. That sweet little toddler in the beautiful black and white portrait was in for a bumpy ride full of health and educational struggles. But, she made it to graduation.

Adoption portrait dress and the girl all grown up – Photo by Kelsey Breton

When Miss Bee held up the tiny dress, I was overwhelmed with emotion. It took far more work than parents of a healthy child, to reach the high school graduation milestone. At that moment, I was proud of both of us. It was a magic full-circle moment.

The Results Despite the Challenge

The portraits that Kelsey obtained of Miss Bee are stunningly beautiful. They speak for themselves. The hardest part was choosing just a few images for our announcement and framing.

I have Mac’s adoption announcement and high school graduation portraits (both in color) framed. Miss Bee’s adoption announcement was taken by photographer Colleen Baz in Santa Monica, CA. This one is black and white. These special portraits are hung together but for the past three years, one spot has been empty. Kelsey produced several portraits in black and white to match Miss Bee’s other. The fourth and final photo has been framed and hung in its special place.

Careful planning and the right photographer who understands neurodiversity are the keys to successful portraits. All children regardless of their disabilities need their place on the special wall. Photographing cognitively challenged teens with beautiful results will happen with an experienced photographer.