Why I Started ND Photography Ed

Neurodiversity is the umbrella term over several different diagnoses, differences and such of a brain that is designed to embrace the world around us differently from what is considered “normal.” This includes conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and other learning differences. Each of these diagnoses brings its own set of strengths and challenges, contributing to the our amazing landscape of human experience. Skin tones can be diverse, right? Well, so can brains!

Okay, you might be asking what this has to do with photography. Why does it matter that you understand or fight for something like compassion for neurodiversity in photography? Well, when I started my photography business over 8 years ago, I didn’t realize the connection either. Photo session after photo session, I heard families share how my sessions were fun and how relaxed it was and how their kids connected with me so easily. Apparently, something about my photo sessions was different from those of my peers. My business grew and I eventually attended a photography retreat in 2022 and got to spend quality time with some of my fellow photographers from around the world. It was there that I realized what was different: I built my photo sessions to accommodate people like my daughter.

My eldest daughter has been a challenge since the day she was born. Not a challenge because of physical deformation or huge medical issues… but feisty and sensitive. We were the only people in our friend group really who had kids, so my husband and I didn’t know that this sensitive child was any different than other kids. As the years past, we began to spend more time with other families and we started noticing some of her unique qualities. Having Autism in my family, I began to draw a correlation between my daughter’s sensitivities and my other Autistic family member’s characteristics.

We eventually sought out a diagnosis and received an ADHD, Anxiety and an Autism spectrum diagnosis. What does this mean for our family? How could I fix it? After a hard few years of Occupational Therapy, I had to finally accept that there is no fixing this neurodiversity. The best thing for me, my family and my daughter was to embrace it and value the strengths of it.

So when it came time to photo sessions, I didn’t even consider doing photo sessions at Golden Hour. I did all my sessions in the morning. That is when my daughter had the best control of her moods, so wouldn’t all kids be like that? I also didn’t get bent out of shape if a family was late. I started my 60 minutes of photographing them when they arrived. My daughter always has a meltdown when we try to get out the door, wouldn’t all other families have that too? I didn’t ever try to style my families. There is no way my daughter would wear a dress that was not up to her exact sensory specifications, why would I ask my photo families to put themselves out and wear clothing that would be uncomfortable?

Well, at that photography retreat, I realized how different my photography session workflow was. I understand sensory challenges that families encounter at parks. I understand the unique connections neurodiverse families have with each other. For instance, how do you get a family to look connected with each other when you have a family member that feels uncomfortable with touch? How do you help a child and family through a nervous system overwhelm at a photo session? With love, compassion and empathy. My photography sessions are about compassion, not compliance.

After realizing that my photography sessions were so different from other photographers, I began asking the families I photograph about what gives them comfort about booking a session with me. I compiled that information. The summary? Compassion and empathy. It felt like this understanding and compassion needed to be shared with whoever would listen to me. This led me to creating ND Photography Ed.

ND Photography Ed offers a wealth of resources, from in-depth tutorials and step-by-step guides to online courses on supporting neurodiverse families through a family photography session. Through masterclasses, free resources and the detailed courses available for purchase, I am on a mission to open up the eyes of photographers to the 20% of the population out there that are neurodiverse.

My purpose is to save lives. I know that sounds really bold, but it’s true. I have seen how much a photo can impact kids who are dealing with anxiety and depression, which often are comorbidities with Autism, ADHD and other neurodiverse diagnoses. Our neurodiverse kids feel it in their soul… they feel out of place with the rest of the world. They understand on a level we can’t explain that they don’t fully fit in with others. It causes them anxiety, depression and sometimes, it can lead to them feeling like they don’t have a place in this world. Why should they keep living? People that are neurodiverse have a much higher rate of suicide than those individuals that are considered neurotypical. As photographers, how can we help?

Photographs can be there when we as parents can’t. My daughter actually carries a photo of our family around with her to help her remember she is loved. Does she carry a photo of us with all of us staring and smiling at the camera? No. It is a photo of us laughing and playing. A photo that highlights our connection with each other. A photo that can tell her when we aren’t with her, how much she is loved and cherished by her parents.

Many neurodiverse families won’t book a photo session. And if they are brave enough to, the experience has a high chance of being an unpleasant one. If the experience is sour, the photos will feel sour when the family reflects on them. That won’t help a child feel loved, won’t help them feel secure in the love of their family.

My mission is to educate photographers so that they can create a welcoming space of understanding and compassion in front of their lens. I want all neurodiverse families to feel respected and seen, to feel safe and heard when working with a photographer. Through this, my hope is at least one life is saved. One step at a time. One masterclass at a time to share the word about how to be compassionate to these differently wired brains. One family at a time, feeling free to be themselves and create memories that may just change the trajectory of their future. You never know, right?

If you are a creative, will you join me? We encounter neurodiverse people in all areas of our lives. Their brains move fast, they have creativity beyond what we can imagine. Neurodiverse people make this world of ours beautiful, but much like a flower, we need to nurture them, not stomp on them. Join me in learning and opening up a world that is more inclusive and compassionate towards neurodiversity.