Amazing Moments – St. Louis Special Needs Photography
A few weeks back, at the end of a long, hope-draining week (marathon bombing, Texas explosion and all manners of carnage, misery and suffering playing across the television…) I had adopted a pretty serious to-hell-with-everything attitude. Weeks like that will leave you wondering where all the good stuff went in the world. Thankfully, we had already volunteered our photo services for the weekend at the very first Illinois Miss Amazing Pageant. (You can scope out all the details here, but in short, Miss Amazing Pageants are open to girls and women ages 5-35 who have special needs.) Well, let me tell you. I found exactly where all the good stuff had gone.
The pageants allow these gals an opportunity to participate in something that truly is amazing. They develop friendships, confidence and important skills like one-on-one interviewing and public speaking. Also, they kick some serious you-know-what. For real. They shrug their shoulders at whatever disability threatens to impair them and they go on stage – in front of the most supportive and encouraging audience you can imagine – and they rock it. They sign or sing their favorite songs, they dance, they show off their martial arts or gymnastics skills. They perform.
And then…they don their evening wear and they shine like the freakin’ stars that they are!
By the time sparkly crowns were being places on the heads of these incredible girls I was feeling the love and the hope again! When we got home Sunday evening, my face hurt from smiling and laughing and cheering and maybe even crying a few times.
We have over a thousand images from the event, but I’ll share a few of my favorite amazing moments here…
New & Awesome Friendships:
Each participant is assigned a Buddy who helps them prepare for the pageant, hangs out with them throughout the day, and encourages them to be confident and awesome. I have a strong feeling none of them will ever forget each other.
Friendships between girls are so often formed over the glossy pages of a teen magazine : )
Doesn’t every girl like to get pretty?
Dozens of hair stylists and make up artists from around the area lugged in boxes of tools and products and made the ladies look like stars!
Girls knowing they nailed it!
I adored the talent portion of the show. Check out these moves and expressions! Nailed it and they know it!
Sass, attitude, and more sass:
A kiss and a wink. A flip of the wrist. We had divas on our hands! Love it!
And finally, a selection of images to showcase an important lesson I learned from these awesome people.
You know how sometimes, every now and again, something awesome happens to you? Sometimes it’s a big thing, like getting married or having your first baby. Sometimes it’s a small thing, like finding a curly fry among your regular order of fries. And you know how you have that urge to be all “HELL YES!!” and pump your fist in the air, or laugh really loud, or jump up and down? Just display with your entire being that you are having “Yeah buddy!!” moment?
Well here’s the thing.
Do it.
Pump your fist in the air. Yell “HELL YES!!”
Jump up and down.
Smile as big as you actually feel like smiling.
Don’t even bother playing it cool. 
Because if you surround yourself with the right people, they’ll pump their fists in the air too. They’ll jump up and down right beside you and clap and holler and live it up along with you.
To the families and friends and good-hearted strangers who filled the seats of the auditorium at the Miss Amazing pageant and stood up and cheered and clapped and sang along and embraced every awesome moment: You are my heroes. Never stop cheering and clapping for those amazing people in your lives. You are all so blessed.
We’re so glad we got to be a part of this incredible weekend and meet such impressive young ladies and gentlemen.
If someone is your life has special needs, please check out our info here to learn about our special needs photo sessions. Everyone and every family deserves professionals photos that capture them for who they truly are. Samples of our special needs work can be viewed in the Special Needs gallery. Mention the Miss Amazing pageant at booking and we’ll be glad to give you 25% off your session fee.
Now, what the Miss Amazing families have been waiting so patiently for: Access to all the images from the weekend!
You can view the images by going here and accessing the Miss Amazing gallery. The password is “Amazing”. Have fun hunting through them and spotting your contestants! If you’d like to order prints you can do so directly through the online gallery. (All photos selected for printing will be cropped and enhanced for optimal lighting and coloring.) Please use coupon code “amazing” to save 25% on print orders over $15.
Information on obtaining a disk of the images (including images and video taken by the other folks who volunteered at the event) will be available through your Miss Amazing Director.
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