The best photo shoot I had ever had was grad photos of Rebecca, Cassie and Kayla. The energy and enthusiasm they had, despite the unbelievable mosquito population was motivating. The comfortable weather, their lovely dresses, hair and makeup all came together to make for one of the best 45 min. of my life. I wish I had three times that much time to work with them but they had ceremonies to get to. :-)
That was a few years ago and it still sits in the top number of photo sessions I have ever had. Rebecca is about to enter a new stage in life when she gives birth to her son in a week or less. It was my pleasure to photograph her to help her preserve the memories, hopefully mostly the good ones, of this pregnancy.
Recently on a Facebook page for disabled photographers the question was posed, "what do you use for adaptive equipment?" I thought about it, and aside from the oral shutter release I designed and built for my Pentax, I do not use any adaptive equipment. I am grateful to have found a way to make photos without any additional barriers, that is, relying on more specialized equipment. When we first got our point-and-shoot camera it was wonderful to just have a camera that I could use with my clumsy hands. When the time came to upgrade to a DSLR I, once again, made my decision largely based on what I could use with my hands. Thankfully, I was not able to use that camera in the way I intended because the weight was greater than the demo model I tried in the store which had a lesser lens on it than mine would. I was forced to find a better way to hold the camera because I had already purchased it and surpassed the time frame permitted for a return. Thanks to that I was able to base my next upgrade almost solely on the merits of the camera system and not on what would work for my hands. If I was dependent on a camera body design, had Nikon's next body been what I was looking for, but been redesigned to a shape I could not use, I would be stuck with what I had hoping that their next model would work for me.
My point is that I am thankful I do not require any adaptive technology but, to answer the question posed on the Facebook group, I had to say how greatly appreciative I was of having Angie to assist me as efficiently as she always does so that we can get as much done in two hours as we did. I know most photographers have an assistant and that it makes a huge difference in their ability to work but Angie's efficiency, and familiarity with my style of working, made a huge difference in the final results.
That assistance allowed me to spend more time talking with Rebecca and keeping her in the spotlight and not told to just "wait a minute" while I am adjusting a light or some other small thing. Her mom was there, as well, which helped me to keep the expressions real and make photos that are difficult to make until your talent is comfortable and at ease.
I hope everything goes very well for Rebecca in the coming days and that she will be able to look back on these photos with fondness. I know I certainly will because it was an absolute pleasure to make them with her lovely smile, wonderful personality and easy-going nature. I'm happy to say that now two of my best photo sessions include her.
