I am Me #1

For my concentration I plan to photograph people with disabilities and bring forth their character. I would like to portray them in their environment, being themselves, and highlighting what is special about them. My idea is being inspired by personal experience. For most of my life I have been an advocate for people with disabilities, like my brother who has autism. I have gotten to interact and form a relationship with so many unique people that normally aren’t given a chance at a friendship. I would like to try to show people with disabilities through my eyes, portraying them as something other than deformed, dumb, or scary.
In order to achieve this, I will follow around and get to know each subject personally, that way I have some idea of what I would like to portray of each subject and shoot without a specific plan. After getting to know them, my plan is to follow different subject around for a day or event. Whether they are going to play in a soccer game or just have dinner with their family, I would like to shoot them almost candidly – without any plans, catching them in their own special moment.