This photographer sucks..

The kid's posture looks perfectly consistent with a wheelchair bound person, not "straining to be part of the group" and the wheelchair was placed as close as physically possible to the stands. The kid also looks happy as a lark, in this admittedly tiny pictures.

To make this better, you really have to break the stock setup apart and rethink it, and reposition everything.

LifeTouch doesn't really use "photographers" do they? They're lightly trained technicians.

I work at Lifetouch and you're hitting nail on the head
 
To say, "the photo is discrimination and a reflection of a society that still attaches stigma to disability. “Kids can be cruel but this comes from adults, which is even worse,” she said. “Adults should know better.” to me seems almost slanderous.

As a person with a disabled child, I do tend to agree. I would have been offended by the photograph, but to assert some broader social statement is pretty absurd.

Ofcourse, my child who has autism and pretty significant ADHD, class photos of him involve looking in some off direction with and squirming out of his teacher's arms ... though, I can appreciate exactly the reasons for that.
 
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To say, "the photo is discrimination and a reflection of a society that still attaches stigma to disability. “Kids can be cruel but this comes from adults, which is even worse,” she said. “Adults should know better.” to me seems almost slanderous.

As a person with a disabled child, I do tend to agree. I would have been offended by the photograph, but to assert some broader social statement is pretty absurd.

The parents are definitely reading to deep into the photograph and are not being diplomatic one bit, having said that, this photograph is probably a perfect representation of how they feel or they think their son feels. Isolated.

That's what it looks like. It looks like he's not being included in the class picture, as if he was just thrown in there. My children are not handicapped, but I was still a little unnerved by this photo.
Not because I think it was done on purpose, but the exact opposite. It looks like zero thought and consideration went into his placement. Kind of like "Just put him over there". *Click* Nexxxxt!

The parents reaction suck, but this photo was probably very painful to see the first time around.
 
this photograph is probably a perfect representation of how they feel or they think their son feels. Isolated.

That's what it looks like.

This is a perfect example of how the photographer's intent is irrelevant to the representation of the photograph. Some time back there was a debate about if a model was 'too thin', my argument in this debate was that it didn't matter if she was too thin or not - but rather if the photograph represents an unhealthy body image - for which a significant population agreed it did. But this has nothing to do with the debate of if the model herself was unhealthy or if it was any of our business if she was.

Photographs are objects independent of their actual subject. This image represents "isolation" and a desire to be a part of a greater group and the visible disability inhibiting that desire. It doesn't much matter what the child actually feels, or what the photographer thinks of disabled children, this is what the photograph represents to most who view it.
 
Sorry, but to me that's something blown grossly out of proportion. Look at the composition; the children are exactly centred on the bench, the teacher is on the [image] left side at the back, everyone's hands are crossed; this has been the bog-standard forumula for elementary school class photos since there have been elementary school class photos. Could the photographer have done a better job at composing and "included" Miles better? Certainly. Should he have done that? Absolutely! To say, "the photo is discrimination and a reflection of a society that still attaches stigma to disability. “Kids can be cruel but this comes from adults, which is even worse,” she said. “Adults should know better.” to me seems almost slanderous.

This may well have been the first time the photographer was faced with a situation such as this, and given that it`s Life Touch, he may not have been an experienced photographer, just trained by them in the `Light one here, light two there, snap, snap, next please`routine. Coming across a situation that may not have been mentioned in the training, he didn`t know what to do, and did what he thought best at the time.

Having WORKED for Lifetouch 2 years ago...

I agree with this entirely.

Photographers who work for Lifetouch are RARELY actually photographers. There's only one other person that I know that works for them that is also a legitimately good photographer.

One of the girls that I started with didn't even own a camera of her own. Not even a point and shoot. And she was hired and trained.

LT photographers are trained to do the same thing over and over and over again... and when something is different it's briefly addressed in training, but not really practiced.

Seems to me that whoever took this photo probably did what they ALWAYS do... because they were trained to do so... and probably doesn't really have any TRUE comprehension of what composition is and when thrown in the curveball of a child unable to sit on the bench... just did what he/she always did and then tacked the kid onto the side... because to them, that's logically where the wheelchair fit.

Should they have had the common sense to slide the class over? Sure... but I HIGHLY doubt this was an intentional act of discrimination.

It's more like an unintentional lack of common sense.

Rosey!! :)

1. Very well said; and

2. Welcome back.. we missed ya'!
 
Can anyone say, PhotoShop?

Having also worked for Lifetouch... You won't ever catch them using photoshop. At least not that I saw.

The teacher could have helped him out of the chair and put him on the end of the bench while kneeling down to support him from a fall and removing the chair from the picture.I would have never stuck him in the back and off to the side.
Is the teacher allowed to do that? Is the teacher authorized to do that? Does the teach know how or have the physical strength to do that?
If they have to help him to the restroom, then they must have permission to move him as needed.At least they could have put him close to the other children.

Ed-Techs are the ones that work with children with disabilities. I'm not sure a teacher qualifies to do that.
 
Having also worked for Lifetouch... You won't ever catch them using photoshop. At least not that I saw.

Ed-Techs are the ones that work with children with disabilities. I'm not sure a teacher qualifies to do that.

We use it like mad.
 
We use it like mad.

I was referring to the folks who received the images at the branch where I worked. Before they were sent to the lab for print.
 
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I was referring to the folks who received the images at the branch where I worked. Before they were sent to the lab for print.

I work at the Church Difectories branch but we have a print lab and a massive retouching department.
 
I was referring to the folks who received the images at the branch where I worked. Before they were sent to the lab for print.

I work at the Church Difectories branch but we have a print lab and a massive retouching department.

I'm sure you do. I'm talking about what I saw during my time there.
 
I was referring to the folks who received the images at the branch where I worked. Before they were sent to the lab for print.

I work at the Church Difectories branch but we have a print lab and a massive retouching department.

I'm sure you do. I'm talking about what I saw during my time there.

Admit it, you were too busy banging your tin cup on the bars and singing blues to notice much.
 
I just had an experience with my sons School and lifetouch. They were shooting his graduation, and the School asked all us parents to remain seated the entire time, and that lifetouch would get the necessary pictures you would expect from a graduation. A couple days later we received this email.

"Important announcement to the graduates of Bow HS: We have uploaded candid photos that were taken at your graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the diploma images were not able to be successfully uploaded. By way of apology, Lifetouch will be sending each graduate a complimentary graduation group photo that was recently taken at your school. Lifetouch regrets any inconvenience this has caused you and appreciate the patience and understanding of the Bow HS community. Thank you."

Makes me mad that I didn't break the rules and snapped a diploma picture!
 
I just had an experience with my sons School and lifetouch. They were shooting his graduation, and the School asked all us parents to remain seated the entire time, and that lifetouch would get the necessary pictures you would expect from a graduation. A couple days later we received this email.

"Important announcement to the graduates of Bow HS: We have uploaded candid photos that were taken at your graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the diploma images were not able to be successfully uploaded. By way of apology, Lifetouch will be sending each graduate a complimentary graduation group photo that was recently taken at your school. Lifetouch regrets any inconvenience this has caused you and appreciate the patience and understanding of the Bow HS community. Thank you."

Makes me mad that I didn't break the rules and snapped a diploma picture!
Can they legally tell you not to take pictures at your child's HS graduation? I can understand no flash, but I would be taking pictures that is a fact. This is a big deal. I would be pissed.
 

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