The day was crisp and promising as we prepared to photograph our much anticipated Down syndrome portrait event. We arrived to the location eager to meet our subjects for the day. First up was little miss sunshine. She shared her contagious personality from the start and gave of herself graciously. She warmed my heart with each click of the shutter and of each of her “will light up the world” smiles. She shared her true personality and didn’t hold anything back. Truly a perfect way to start the day.
Meet Miss Audrey. I will forever hold photographing her in my heart and continue to feel her genuine hug wrapped around me.
Ok, so I have a lump in my throat and my palms are sweaty as I type this part about sharing the most beautiful letter that I received from Audrey’s mom, who was celebrating her birthday on the day of the portrait event. I don’t know that I’m worthy of her writings, but I have to admit that I’ve cried a few times reading it and LOVE that she gets it! She really gets it! So feel free to read on, she’s Ok with it, as am I. For me, humbly so of course!
Dear Jenna,
I’m Audrey’s mom, Katrina, from the Ds Appreciation Portrait Event. There are so many things I’ve wanted to share with you and Andre since that day, I don’t even know where to begin.
I have to tell you Jenna, that I was overwhelmed when I first went onto your website, saw your beautiful work, and read a little about you on your blog. My sister Karen (who lives in Santa Fe) is also a self-taught, beautiful soul, photographer, so I have a deep appreciation for what a special gift you have. What I felt as I looked at picture after picture, before I had even had a chance to read anything you had written on your blog, was exactly what you later wrote about your experience photographing the children for the Portrait Event. It is obvious that you do touch people on a deep level; you just open a little window (knocking first, of course) and look inside to their inner beauty and uniqueness. Jenna, I cried like a baby, and do every time I think about what you wrote on your blog when you said, “Music plays in my head, we begin our conversation in our secret language . . .” You have no idea – well, maybe you do, ’cause you’re you – but that is the kind of gift of great composers like Mozart and Beethoven, only you see and create, where they heard and composed. Not to sound “woo-woo” or anything, but it just grabbed my heart to know that about you, and I so totally wanted to have the opportunity to have Audrey behind your lens. As her mother, I feel so much love for her that I’d give anything to be able to capture in an image what you can, so I could show others what I see through my eyes. So when you emailed that we were going to get to be in the photo shoot, I had to stand up and walk around and then sit back down, if you know what I mean!!
I felt like a star-struck fan when I met you and Andre, and the funniest thing just popped out of my mouth; I said to Andre that it isn’t often that you have the opportunity to meet someone who sees and appreciates the uniqueness and beauty of your child, and actually wants to spend time with them. Watching the two of you work also made me cry. It was beautiful. I’m only halfway kidding you when I say that I’ll just bet if I had a little bit more of a discerning eye, I would probably be able to see the aura that radiates from you both. Maybe it’s just your inner happiness, your joy for life – “your zeal” . . . but I’ll just bet that when I get to see an angel, I’ll see that same light shining from inside them.
AND THEN, after I had tried several times to sit down and comment on your blog, I got the link to the “Behind the Scenes” clip. Oh boy, there I went again. Crying like a baby. But it wasn’t just me; my husband Michael watched it and tears rolled down his cheek as well. That was validating for me. I emailed it to all of my family and closest friends. But honestly, while I received back nice comments from most, I knew and could tell that the emotion the images and the music evoked come more from a place of “knowing,” deep inside, what the life of a parent of a special child like ours is like. Not only knowing their child’s unique beauty, but the other side as well – all of the difficulties, prejudices, lack of understanding and compassion from people who lack information, and a desire to know. ARD meetings instead of ballet class, therapies instead of sleep overs, and a hundred other emotions. Having that experience in my back pocket makes my appreciation of your vision all the more so. I cannot wait to see all of the images you captured, because I want them all around my house. But I have to tell you, the image that is imprinted in my brain and on my heart came from the video clip where the light was behind Audrey as she was bending forward and the breeze was blowing her hair and the light was shining behind her. It was so beautiful! Even my son commented on it, and he’s not one to dish out compliments, that boy!
One of your friends probably said it best when she said that you are such a gift to the disability community. Like, yeah, and THEN some!! Thank you, Jenna and Andre, so very, very much for sharing your love and your gifts with us parents. This opportunity was a huge blessing and the best birthday present I’ve ever had!!!
Bless you both and your precious family,
Love,
Katrina Adams
Thank you Katrina for sharing such a beautiful email with me. It touched my heart in more ways than you know. It validated so much for me and gave me more fuel to work for my goal of sharing the beauty of children with Down syndrome with the world. I am forever grateful for your time and participation, but most of all for you sharing your beautiful daughter with us!
and he doesn’t even mind that I’m getting most of the credit, he just smiles and says “it’s ok, it’s really your “thang”". 
Sweet as can be he’s now 3 weeks old. He’s rounding our family off beautifully and has Nate and Lana, ahem… well all of us wrapped around his precious little finger.
