There is a saying that gets shared around...well, it is shared around my little world and around the great big world as well. When someone has a child who has a challenge...be it something that has a name and a doctor's diagnosis or simply an extremely annoying child, someone always comforts them with a line that goes something like this:
The universe gives us things for a reason.
You wouldn't have been given this child if the powers-that-be didn't think you were up to the challenge...
Now is this true? Of course not.
People are handed struggles every day that they are ill equipped for. But after spending the day with Adrianna Hannon and her son Jayden at U.C. Davis' Mind Institute, I realized that here, maybe just this once, this was the perfect fit.
Adrianna had a hunger for life and a direct line to her son Jayden. They could love life and learn together, letting us photograph all of it, as they share the laughs and joys together. And at the end of the day...Jayden's her son, Adrianna's the mom...and her love is there in support and wonder for this fascinating child.
Monica Bradley, Scientific American photo editor and I have worked together for years. We fleshed out exactly what we wanted this spread to look like. Two tight face shots that brought the mother and child face to face, with the reader and with each other. After meeting everyone and we started shooting, I realized this was not going to happen at all...not even close. We had to let all these ideas go. They were never going to work out.
After letting go of that, I really just prayed that I could create a photograph that did justice to the two of them- two super special people who were thankful for each other, on this journey they will walk together for the rest of their lives. At the end of the day, I thought I had it.
See these images in all their splendor HERE.
Peace.
2 comments:
I just discovered your photographs of your son. Wow. Bravo. From another parent of differently abled child. She, an artist. I, a writer. Capturing it in words. Namaste.
Timothy, these photos are beautiful. The photos of your son are especially stunning. My son has severe, catastrophic epilepsy and also autism and I see every one of those behaviors in him. I'm also a professional photographer and am working on a project with the Epilepsy Association of Utah photographing children like him. Your images are very motivating to me. Though I disagree when you said it's not true that the universe gives us these children for a reason. I absolutely believe that is true. My son is 6. He has no words at all. Likely he'll remain a toddler forever, but I never have felt closer to God than I do when I'm with him. That's not a mistake or random chance. Thank you for your beautiful pictures!!
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