Earlier this month you may have heard about the Down Right Beautiful photographic project by Nicole Louise Photography.
Hayley is mum to Aaron, who is one of the children photographed, and we asked her to tell us a little bit more about how she got involved:
I first heard about Nicole’s “Down Right Beautiful” project from another member of our local Down Syndrome Support group in Solihull. My husband and I immediately thought it was a fantastic opportunity to help raise positive awareness of Down’s syndrome.
I contacted Nicole to see if our son Aaron, who is 7, could be a part of the campaign and was delighted when a photo shoot was arranged for him. He is a cheeky, fun-loving and happy boy with a range of personality traits that make him the unique person that he is and we hoped that his pictures would capture this for others to see.
When we met Nicole we were all immediately put at ease and wowed by some of the pictures she showed us of some other models that she had already photographed. Aaron responded to her relaxed manner straight away and posed up a storm for her – just like a professional model would! It was a lovely experience and we were delighted with the photographs that she took of Aaron.
Nicole is an inspirational young lady who has invested a lot of time and energy into her project to challenge outdated perceptions of Down’s syndrome. We are hopeful that her campaign is widely circulated and can reach as many people as possible to show how beautiful all of our kids are.
For us it is important that people can see that our son Aaron is loved and is valued; that he deserves to have access to the same opportunities to fulfil his potential in life as other children. He has enriched our lives and the lives of all the people who love him infinitely more than we could ever have dreamed possible. He is so much more than a diagnosis.
On her website, Nicole describes what inspired her work:
“I am a 22 year old teaching assitant in an SEN secondary school and founder of Nicole Louise Photography…During my time working at school I have fallen in love with all of the children I work with and it has truly opened my eyes to the beauty within Down’s syndrome. I feel so lucky to work with teenagers and young adults who have Down’s syndrome almost everyday and wanted to show the world just how beautiful it really is.”
Visit the Down Right Beautiful website to browse through the lovely photographs and find out more about each sitter, their families and day-to-day lives.
Nicole, Louise and Cerys were on their local news too!