An estimated 15-20% of the human population is considered neurodivergent and photographers are increasingly talking about their own neurodivergent experiences. However, very few resources exist that discuss how to have a neurodiverse friendly photo business. I’ve compiled this short list of four tips to help you get started.

Ultra-Luxury Sense of Comfort

As a neurodiverse wedding photographer, my wedding photography business tends to attract folks who are affirmed by my attempts to be inclusive and friendly. I’m very flexible to the needs of my average client, as my own needs tend to exist in the same complexity. Things that help me do my best job tend to provide this ultra-luxury sense of comfort to my clients’ end of things as well. My only wish is to operate at my best for the people who hire me within the comfort zone of their boundaries and mine. Above all, the day should be about their comfort, but at the same time, it shouldn’t cross into my own level of wellbeing as a disabled person myself. 

I’ve catered my business towards serving neurodiverse individuals, in particular, in quite a few ways that I don’t see discussed elsewhere. My clients tend to be people who rarely find themselves seen by the wedding industry. Whether they’re facing racism and generalized bigotry in the industry or just not finding someone who cares enough about their social location, they find a safer space with me and anyone who does the work to create it. I’ve developed some practices in my business that I’ve outlined below to help you align your mindset with creating a neurodiverse friendly photo business.

Understanding Neurodiversity

The privilege of navigating a social landscape without much concern for rejection, confusion, or misunderstanding is something many unmasked autistic and ADHD folks don’t share. Being unmasked as something one does intentionally is a relatively new concept. The book “Unmasking Autism” by Dr. Devon Price, in my opinion, gives the best insights into how it works. Masking autism is hiding the autistic parts of yourself to avoid being mistreated by society. Masking “effectively” helps one gain social capital to advance within society. 

Neurodivergency is defined as having a brain structure differing from that of the average norm. Many different diagnoses fall under this umbrella term. We all have unique brains. Our neurology is like a snowflake. No two brains are exactly alike. But there is something particularly unique about the average autistic person taking in almost 45% more data and information from their environment than the average allistic (aka non-autistic) individual. 

Strategies for a Neurodiverse-Friendly Photo Business

1. Research and Hire Consultant(s)

Did you know each country views disability through its own unique lens? Every culture has a different way of seeing disability and defining it. The definition in the US is someone who has a daily impairment from their conditions that significantly impacts the quality of life available to them. With this in mind, you might start to understand there are millions of us out there who need this type of consideration. 

In a world that constantly devalues certain disabilities, it is hard to educate yourself on how to best accommodate folks to become a neurodiverse friendly photo business. This is why you might want to check into hiring a variety of consultants with varying points of view. They can look over your website, socials, and resumé to provide optimization for affirming disabled visitors to your domain. Hiring a consultant can greatly improve your approach and attract more clients than you’d previously honored before.

The history of how neurodiverse individuals have been treated as a group of humans on this planet is really important to understanding why these accommodations are not optional. It’s chilling when we recognize how in the Holocaust neurodiverse people were targeted and tortured and how in The Fitter Family Contest families were graded off able-bodiedness and mental wellbeing. Or if you would have the opportunity to speak with someone who lives day-to-day off SSI in this country, you might become enraged with how little is done to accommodate those at the highest levels of risk.

2. Sliding Scale Coverage 

Many people are hesitant to offer this type of pricing out of “fairness” to those who are paying full pricing, but I’ve found that those paying full price love the concept of giving back with their privilege. You can do it for all weddings, or offer it selectively for folks who voice concerns about how they can afford things. People you want to work with will see the value in the deal they are getting, and with clients paying the higher end enough of the time, you will pay yourself a middle line sum for your labor.

I’ve designed my $350-$750/hr scale to cater to all classes of disabled folks. Payment plans and afterpay are available through places like Square. The lower end is my absolute base cost for one photographer. The middle range is for people with full-time jobs that pay a living wage. The far end of things is for those with ample financial privilege. Part of their hourly rate goes towards supplying a fairly-compensated service to someone less fortunate. 

3. Communicating Accommodation Needs is Key 

Asking someone how much communication, and by what means they prefer it to happen, can change a lot in how things go with your pre-wedding workflow process. If you don’t have a pre-wedding workflow neatly laid out for yourself somewhere, now is the time to start it. You want to build value into your business outside of just photography on the day of the wedding. It really helps disabled clients if you communicate with them about accommodation needs up front. On your discovery call, you can go above and beyond by asking them if there are any disability needs you can help ensure are available for them while working together. Ask them to detail those needs further with a questionnaire. 

I love knowing when they usually respond to things and what times of the week are best to reach out with updates or questions. I’ll note this in their file on Honeybook and refer to the notes frequently to understand how to best communicate. Most people prefer phone calls to video calls unless they’re already booked. In those cases, I’ll make the effort to meet up in person with them to touch base before their wedding day. Phone calls are only as useful as they are remembered. And many people struggle with memory impairment these days, so creating phone call summaries for those who wish for them is a great accommodation. 

You can actually meet without a camera on Zoom and record the call for their needs. Loom is another video-making program that is great for walking people through different parts of your workflow. You can make a welcome video walking them through the studio portal, explain policies that are important to remember, and create presentations to explain how you best work with your own disabilities. There are lots of ways to make things more accessible to people who commonly struggle with cognitive dysfunction or memory impairment. Lastly, don’t forget to ensure locations you choose for them are accessible — with nearby parking and within walking distance for someone who struggles to walk.  

4. Timeline Padding 

There are some folks who use this method already, but if you haven’t heard of padding timelines, you’re going to love this. With padding timelines, you find yourself inserting small resting breaks after each major event in the timeline for you, your team, and your clients. When you rush neurodiverse people around back-to-back all day with things, they will tend to overstimulate and shut down.

Autistic and ADHD people commonly have coinciding fatigue and sensory overloads throughout their day without padding. An overload is extremely unpleasant, in my own experience. We feel every emotion all at once, and it can cause physical pain. The most common example of recovery from sensory input is this padding in our everyday lives, too. I’ll pad my timeline lavishly on my days to avoid burning out or going into sensory overload. It’s worth it, even if it means charging more for coverage. I’ll explain they would rather have too much time than rush through their day.

This is a sample timeline from a recent booking of mine. There are fifteen minutes of downtime post every major venue change, if not more. I’m able to pad the timeline in several areas to ensure nobody burns out throughout the day and even split family formals into two smaller time slots, so they don’t get burned out from portrait time. You’ll notice I put things like “sensory downtime” and “sensory break” for couples, so they know we need that time for a reason.

 2:00PM Getting Ready / Sensory Downtime
 3:00PM First Look (Private)
 3:20PM Individual Wedding Sides
 3:50PM Entire Wedding Party Together
 4:00PM Break / Start Couples’ Portraits
 4:45PM Family Formals, Pt. 1
 5:00PM Guests Arrive / Sensory Break for Couple
 5:30PM Ceremony
 6:00PM Cocktail Hour Starts / Sensory Break for Couple / Family Gathers
 6:15PM Family Formals, Pt. 2
 6:30PM Everyone to Cocktail Hour
 7:00PM Dinner Break / Photographer 1 Breaks
 7:10PM Speech 1
 7:20PM Speech 2
 7:30PM Speech 3 / Photographer 2 Breaks
 7:50PM Thank You Speech from Couple
 8:00PM First Dances / Both Photographers
 8:30PM Open Dancefloor
 9:00PM Photographer Leaves

Curiosity and Open-Mindedness Goes a Long Way

Now that you’ve been introduced to the concepts of studying our history, communicating with accommodation in mind, and timeline padding you’ll find yourself with a good starting point on how to serve disabled clients like me. Don’t forget to be curious and open minded about the social norms within our society. Part of what makes a great photographer is their ability to see the people they photograph. These steps towards more fully seeing disabled people and seeing neurodiverse folks are critical for creating a neurodiverse friendly photo business.

[Read: Queer Wedding Photography — Tips for LGBTQIA+ Allyship]

Ezlan Powers has a lifelong passion for photography with a speciality in queer marriage and poly celebrations. Currently based in Chicago, they place an emphasis on capturing pure emotion and all the little details that makes a love celebration unique. Follow them on Instagram.