Sometimes special people come across your path that just put a smile on your face. They are fun, caring and downright charismatic. They are widely known in their school because of the way they view others and touch people’s lives. One such person that we have been privileged to meet and photograph is Brady.

Our lives intersected a few years ago when his mom, Brenda, was a speaker at a Jill’s House special event. She so eloquently shared about her life with Brady, her son with special needs. As the photographers for Jill’s House, we were blessed to meet Brenda and hear her story. As parents of typical children, it is difficult to imagine the everyday mountains special needs parents need to scale in life. Jill’s House is an overnight respite facility for these children to have care and an amazing adventure.

Brenda’s older son graduated from high school a few years ago and we photographed his senior photos. When Brady’s graduation was on the horizon, we definitely were glad to create his senior portrait as well. What a fun afternoon! From his suit and sash as Prom King to his t-shirt as the sideline assistant for the football team and more, Brady was a willing model. Talk about a winning smile - his heart of gold shone brightly on his face! He was a trooper and cooperated so we could capture all the looks that his mom will treasure for years to come.

Randy and I have photographed special needs children at Jill’s House and in the community. Our joy is to show the relationship between the family members as we photograph. The “look at the camera and smile” faces cannot always be achieved but the “be real and show us who you are” images are just the best! Expectations may be different but I like the results - the families are not pressured to be perfect. Just to be themselves.

This is our goal for all families and subjects we photograph. Be yourself!  

We love to photograph high school seniors - give us a call and tell us Brady sent you!

To learn more about Jill’s House or to contribute, go to http://www.jillshouse.org.