Education/Inspiration
Special Kids Photography: Portraying the Inner Beauty of Handicapped Children
By Lynne Eodice
Sep 1, 2006

Lorena © Ed & Pat Deguzis

Karen Dorame hadn’t always set her sights on becoming a photographer, let alone a director of a national non-profit organization devoted to teaching photographers how to capture beautiful portraits of children with disabilities. The idea for Special Kids Photography of America (SKPA) was born on the day that Dorame’s daughter, Heidi Lewis, was almost turned away by a photographer whom she asked to shoot a portrait of her one-year-old son with a connective-tissue disorder. “His first year was full of therapy and doctor visits,” Dorame recalls. “It was touch and go whether he would live or not. She wanted to celebrate his first year of life by having his picture taken and thought a photographer would want to share that opportunity.”

A Non-Profit is Born
“After the tears and frustration that afternoon,” says Dorame, “She thought

Nick © SKPA Board Member Laura Popiel

of forming a non-profit organization that would train photographers to work more effectively with special children.” Lewis soon discovered that other parents of children with disabilities had encountered similar problems in trying to have a professional photo taken of their child. Dorame became the co-founder of this fledgling organization, in which she and her daughter initially sought photographers around the country who could be trained to photograph children with special needs. “We didn’t know where to go at first,” she recalls. An Internet search proved to be relatively unsuccessful, but things began rolling after Amherst Media (who published Photographing Children With Special Needs by Dorame) pitched in by putting out a call for portraits to be used in the book. Also, Epson America, Inc. sponsored the first Special Kids “Discovery Workshop” for professional photographers in 2001. Care providers of special children were invited to provide input along with models (children with cerebral palsy), who gave these attendees hands-on experience working with children with disabilities. These photographers also submitted photographs to the organization—thus SKPA was born.

Held to a High Standard

Heidi Lewis' son Taylor with sister Mckinsey © Karen Dorame

Today, approximately 200 photographers nationwide have been trained by SKPA. Dorame travels widely to give presentations at PPA conventions and sets up exhibits at trade shows. “We’re always looking for support since we’re a non-profit organization,” she says. SKPA relies on donations and partners with different organizations. Photographers seeking to become associated with this organization must first undergo SKPA’s one-day specialized training, provide portraits of four different children, and three referrals from parents. Once these items pass a review process, the photographer can become certified by SKPA. “After they’re trained and accredited, these photographers can use our logo and name in their advertising,” explains Dorame. “They know how to work more effectively with special children.”

Families looking for a special children’s photographer can go to the SKPA website to find one close to their community. Besides training photographers, the organization is devoted toward policy change in areas where special kids may have potential for increased visibility, according to Dorame. SKPA even offers financial help to low-income families for photographic services in its “Smiles for Katie” memorial program. “Statistics show that at least one in five children have some sort of disability or serious illness,” Dorame points out. “This is over 20% of our population.” SKPA has a special marketing component based on these statistics that help photographers find this special population. “We teach photographers how to reach this market,” she remarks.

Vanessa © Karen Dorame

Recommended Equipment
In addition to training the photographers associated with SKPA, Dorame does some of this photography herself when she has time. Currently, she uses a Nikon D200, with Nikon 17–55mm, 70–200mm and 18–70mm lenses. She doesn’t use a tripod, as “It’s too cumbersome and I like to be free to move around my subjects,” she says. Dorame also uses Adobe Photoshop CS2 and nik filters for softening portraits in post-production. She’s also recently begun learning studio lighting.

One of SKPA’s sponsors, F.J. Westcott (http://www.fjwestcott.com) has supplied the organization with “cold” lights, which provides a more desirable

Aydin © Laura Nikas

continuous light source for photographing disabled children. “These lights don’t flash in the kids’ eyes,” Dorame points out. Westcott’s Spider PD5 Pro Kit is around $1000, is very durable, and less likely to get broken if children knock them over. Dorame uses Westcott’s spider lights with halo shields. “They’re so easy to use—I thought I was going to have to go through a big learning curve, but I didn’t need to,” she says. SKPA also recommends that most special kids photography be done outdoors in the child’s environment, as the child feels more comfortable and can interact with their surroundings. Dorame advises photographers to avoid using metallic reflectors, as they create a “light shock” in many disabled children’s eyes. Kelly Mondora, Vice President of F.J. Westcott comments, “The first time I met Karen with SKPA, I was blown away by the drive and compassion the organization and its members have. We are proud to be associated with SKPA.”

Helping Hands
One of Dorame’s latest hands-on training sessions took place in Seattle, Washington. A parent of a severely disabled special child was invited to see if SKPA was “on track” with their presentation. As it turned out, Dorame says, the mother wants to become involved and to eventually train photographers. SKPA offers training courses all year long, and makes a presence at various photo conventions. Dorame wishes to thank these organizations for their support and for donating booth space at trade shows: Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Child and Family Portrait Photographers of America (CFPA), and Pro Photo Expo. SKPA will make a presentation in Columbus, Georgia at a PPA regional convention on September 16, and in St. George, Utah on September 25.

Steven © Karen Dorame

Jennifer Turner, President of CFPA, describes how Special Kids Photography has helped her: “They are an invaluable resource for photographers. I specialize in photographing children, but several years ago I agreed to shoot a wedding, and it turned out that the sister of the groom had Downs Syndrome. It was my training with SKPA that helped me understand how to work with her. Since then I have done sessions with many special-needs children, sometimes knowing ahead of time that they had special needs, but many times the parents didn’t tell me at all. Knowing ahead of time what to

An image for Down Syndrome Assoc. calendar © Laura Popiel

do has allowed me to capture beautiful portraits for these families—many of these children will not live well into adulthood. I think that training with SKPA should be required for anyone who photographs children.”

More photographers are becoming involved with SKPA, and are becoming passionate about this specialized area of photography, reports Dorame. “Above all, they’ve got to have a heart for these kids.”

To learn more about SKPA, visit http://www.specialkidsphotography.com.





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