Final I Am Me

My idea was inspired by my experiences of being with people with special needs, like my brother who has autism. I have formed relationships with people that normally aren' t given a chance at a friendship. I've taken photographs of people with disabilities in order to try to portrat them in a different and unique way, highlighting what is special about them. I want to try to exemplify people with disabilities through my eyes, depicting them as something other than deformed, dumb, or scary.
At the beginning, I started exploring by taking pictures of my brother in different situations. I tried photographing him while out with his friend ans while he went exploring around the park. As I became more comfortable photographing my brother, I began broadening my horizons and photographing other people with special needs. I found it was easier to achieve what I wanted to portray through shooting the subjects alone. I also really like right, close-up shots, which I found to be better in achieving a connection between the subject and the viewer; the close up allows one to see more into the subjects expression and thoughts. Through photography, I have tried to capture a moment that shows something special about each person through shooting them in their environment being themselves.