Welcome to
Sunschein Photography
Very few photographers specialize in Special Needs Portraiture. As a photographer and the mother of a disabled child, it suits me very well. I truly love what I do.
I’m honored to do something so meaningful for special needs parents and caregivers. We give so much of ourselves to provide a happy, healthy, and safe life for the ones who depend on us; each and every one of us deserves the gift of beautiful photos of our special ones.
In addition to beautiful images, this site (especially my blog) has great stories, helpful hints, and resources for individuals with disabilities and their families.
As caregivers, we are always looking not only for support but all kinds of therapeutic activities, toys, and gear. Whatever good stuff I learn, I pass along to you!
I cannot wait to get you the photos that you probably thought would not be possible.
I’m so glad you’re here.
I am a Metrowest Boston area portrait photographer who captures fun, playful images of you and the most important people in your life.
My specialty is photographing individuals with disabilities and special needs.
My son is medically complex and I know full well how difficult he is to photograph. Special Needs Portraiture is what I do. I know what it takes to finally get the beautiful images that have been missing from your gallery.
With preparation, patience, understanding, and flexibility, I will create an environment in which everyone feels comfortable and relaxed, and, most importantly, has fun.
We all deserve to have beautiful portraits of our people. My goal is to make sure you have yours.
The Latest
I was cleaning out my closet and found boxes and boxes of photos and negatives! Do you still have a ton of them packed away somewhere? After an hour or so of reliving memories from different parts of my life, I realized, I really need to do something with these. I’m not talking about putting […]
At the end of the school year I got to (yes- I GOT to, because it’s my favorite thing to do) photograph students at a local special education program. My son Harry’s school, actually. I photographed most of the students at The Education Cooperative last Fall, but some new students have joined this collaborative program […]
I wish I had a nice photo of my child. This was the topic of conversation in a support group for parents of adult children with autism. The mom leading the group just happens to follow me on Facebook, and she really likes my work. She was more than happy to make a referral to the […]
I wish I had a nice photo of my child. This was the topic of conversation in a support group for parents of adult children with autism. The mom leading the group just happens to follow me on Facebook, and she really likes my work. She was more than happy to make a referral to […]
At the end of the school year I got to (yes- I GOT to, because it’s my favorite thing to do) photograph students at a local special education program. My son Harry’s school, actually. I photographed most of the students at The Education Cooperative last Fall, but some new students have joined this collaborative program […]
Last Friday I spent the day at Camp Arrowhead with Harrison today, because we did not have a PCA available to go with him for feeding and toileting assistance. I sat in an air conditioned supply room, eating a pb&j sandwich (because that’s the best brown bag lunch for camp!) and getting work done, so […]
It’s taken me a full week to recover. Physically exhausting, mentally exhausting, emotionally exhausting, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was a perfect mitzvah! My son, who is nonverbal, uses a wheelchair, communicates through devices with labor-intensive responses due to poor fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and has seizures that interrupt his moments […]
I finally had my meltdown. Bar Mitzvah is a month away, and I am totally on track with the planning. Invitations went out, responses are slowly trickling in. I might have gotten the last tent in Massachusetts for this particular date. Excellent food choices. DJ, photographer, videographer are all set to go, and they all […]
Harry and I went to opening day at a farm this past weekend. Beautiful weather, farm animals, food trucks, and music…what more do we need? My teenager likes to sleep in on the weekends (I love when he does something “typical” LOL), and I was excited when he got up before noon and I had […]
It’s almost May! School vacation week is over in Massachusetts, and we are headed into the end of the school year. If you’re like me, winter holiday gift planning is routine, just part of the Fall schedule. But Springtime? We have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we have Graduations to celebrate, and we have summer […]
And why do you need one? Did you see my recent announcement? The one that says I am scaling down my photography to a very particular niche? Photographing individuals with special needs and disabilities, and all that comes with it, is what I do best. I’ve been doing a lot of networking for my business […]
As a photographer of people with disabilities, I must be especially resourceful and creative for my clients to have a great photo session. The people I photograph also need to be especially resourceful and creative throughout their own lives to achieve their goals. Take my son Harrison, for example. We knew from the very beginning, […]
It’s been a rough start to 2022, for sure. COVID. Natural disasters and crazy cold weather all over the country. Losing Betty White and Sidney Poitier. Enough already! On top of that, we have a stomach bug in the house. Ugh. It’s bad enough for a typical kid; imagine what it’s like for a boy […]
And what a year it was! My dad has always advised me to work for myself, go into business, be my own boss. In fact, I recently edited Dad’s memoir (he’s 91!) and one comment in particular, talking about his own father, sounded very familiar: He also said to me, quite often, “Mike, when it […]
One of the first questions I often get when booking a shoot is “Where should we go for our photos?” I like to consider myself a “natural” photographer. I love outdoor settings with natural light, and the best images capture people in their natural comfort zone. In other words, we can go wherever you want! […]
I recently refreshed my website, you may have heard 😉 I am also in the process of refreshing my office- new color on the walls, painting the furniture, awaiting a loveseat, choosing which framed images to hang- it’s very exciting! And yesterday, I decided to refresh myself! Families with medically complex children try so hard […]
Hurray! I passed! I am now officially accredited with Special Kids Photography of America! Check them out at www.specialkidsphotography.com I completed an online training, took a test, and submitted images, and now I am proud to be a part of this wonderful organization. It’s a great way to be found, on their Find A Photographer […]
I just happened upon a very old photo of me on my phone – not even sure why it was so recently displayed in my Photos- and it made me smile. I have no idea when it was taken, I’m still trying to figure that out. The background of the image is very blurry- great […]
Our seniors have made it through a full year of school in Life During COVID. They have worked extra hard this year, and so have their parents. You all definitely deserve some celebration!!! Remote learning, in-person, hybrid…Some students have thrived, others have struggled, and a lucky few may not have even noticed anything different. However […]
