Over the past several years, I have been inspired by an amazing group of women. It is a group we all know–one way or the other. Many of us are in this group ourselves. If we aren’t, we certainly know many who are…Mothers.

Last year I was inspired by an article I ready about mothers getting “into the picture” with their kids. Too many among us are self-conscious and miss the opportunity to get precious photographs with our children while they are still young. I spent the year encouraging mothers to get right in there in front of my lens with their little ones. It’s been a wonderful experience. Moms, Give Your Child a Treasure. You.

During the Winter Olympics, Proctor & Gamble created and Ad that is an amazing tribute to mothers of athletes. I’m sure many of you have seen it. It was about picking your child up, literally and figuratively and sometimes being the only one to keep them going.

Watching this ad, reminded me of a childhood friend of mine whose son has special needs. She literally picks him up so that he can experience the world around him. Her son is just 4 months older than my own. It all seems unreal to me. All of a sudden, it hit me that as mothers, we do everything we can for our children—whether they are Olympians or children with special needs. At that moment, with some added inspiration from an amazing Connecticut photographer, Lynn Damon, I realized that I wanted to pay tribute to mothers of all types through my photography.

As mothers, we all love our children, encourage our children, and fight for our children. How we go about that day-to-day, might look very different. Some are encouraging their little ones to be brave enough to make a new friend, try out the goalie position in soccer or to read out load in class. Others are navigating the world of special services and health care. We all strive to provide our children the best and most meaningful life possible. And to show them the love that is in our hearts.

I often create photography projects and goals for myself to keep improving my craft…and building on what I love….Capturing Moments in Life. My goal is to photograph 5 to 10 mothers who have a child (or children) with special needs in the spring and summer of 2014. I’d like to feature them with all of their children, if possible. I hope to capture their unconditional love for each other. Some of these children may have visible special needs while others may not to be obvious in a photograph. Part of this project is to provide these images to the families and also to encourage all mothers to “get in the picture” with their children. Another part is to create a fundraiser for children with special needs. Mother’s Day 2014 will be the kick-off of the project.

Please contact me if you know of a mother who would like to be involved. info@susanogarphotography.com

Also, please visit Our Promise to Nicholas to learn more about one family’s story and struggle with a rare neurodegenerative disease called Batten Disease. Nicholas and his family are a true inspiration and will be featured in the Honoring Real Mothers Project.

More to come…