Photographer Creates Epic Portrait Backdrops Made Specifically For Babies With Special Needs

Updated on 11/11/2018 at 1:10 PM

Indiana-based photographer Angela Forker has become known for her elaborate baby shoots involving on-the-floor backdrops that she "paints" with fabric and other ordinary items before plopping a baby down to capture a magical image. They are breathtaking, to be sure, but something was missing.

Angela did some soul-searching to figure out how she could better make a difference with her photography. "I came to realize that my 'Baby ImaginArt' scenes would be perfect for babies with serious medical conditions that prevented them from being able to sit up for a portrait," she told POPSUGAR. "Many photographers are at a complete loss in these situations!"

"For most families, these are the only professional photos they've ever had of their child."

And just like that, the Precious Baby Project was born. She began photographing babies with special needs at no cost to parents. "It all worked together so perfectly, because my theme for these scenes is, 'anything is possible!'"

Each scene takes her 20 hours: she works with the parents to conceptualize a backdrop that is inspired by their child and, depending on the interest of the family, researches how to incorporate the child's condition or accessories — any wires, cords, ports, or protective gear — into the theme. For instance, one baby was dressed as an astronaut to incorporate his helmet and trach tube as an oxygen line. Because they take so much time to complete, Angela only manages one to two shoots a month for the series, but the gift she provides to these parents is priceless.

"For most families, these are the only professional photos they've ever had of their child," she told us, noting that many parents had never shared an image of their child on social media before this one. "These parents were not ashamed of their babies — they were simply trying to protect them from people's cruel words. But the very parents who were originally hesitant about people seeing their baby's photo were now so excited."

She hopes, however, that the power of these images extend beyond those close to the precious subjects within them. "I set out to show the world that every baby is beautiful and worthy of our love."

Take a look at a collection of images from Angela's moving series, and read a bit more about how some of these portraits came to be created.

She's a Winner

"This is full of symbolism for Down syndrome. From the mismatching socks, to the 321, to the yellow and blue colors."

Fun With Friends

"This is a perfect example of how I take baby's condition into consideration and try to incorporate it into the scene. This baby girl has Spina Bifida and bilateral clubbed feet, which makes her body naturally bend in a 'V,' so I tried to think of something that would work with her body bent. Flying into the air from a seesaw was the perfect scene for her!"

Hope Is in Our Genes

"Since this is the motto for rare disease awareness, I thought it would be fun to have this adorable baby boy with Trisomy 18 and two bear friends, all wearing jeans and flying away with some balloons made out of jeans that spell out hope. I also created a 'gene tree' made out of jean material and shaped to look like genes."

Forget-Me-Not Fairy

"This scene is especially sad and beautiful. Her parents contacted me saying they were told their baby might only have six to 12 months left to live. It was important to me to create a scene that would help them remember her life. Her name is Ellis Rose, so I incorporated roses. She is such a blessing to her family — who chose to adopt her specifically because she has special needs! — so I thought it would be special to have her watering love wherever she goes. And of course, she is a Forget-Me-Not Fairy, because — even though she may be leaving them soon — she will never be forgotten."

Love

"My most challenging session was this scene. This baby's medical condition is so complex that I had no idea how I could incorporate all of his tubes and wires. It finally came to me to place them down his body and have them come back up, forming the letter 'V.' What I thought would be too simple of a scene ended up being by far the most popular scene I have ever created. Grown men have been moved to tears when they have seen that image."

The Sky's the Limit

"As he grows up and sees that photo, I hope that he will believe that anything is possible for him. I incorporated his trach as his oxygen line as well as his helmet."

Mended Heart

"The baby boy had undergone one heart procedure and was getting ready for his first open heart surgery. I wanted to include a lot of symbolism for Congenital Heart Disease, so I incorporated the colors red and blue throughout the scene as well as a CHD tree with the awareness ribbon. Since this baby's heart is still in the process of being mended, I decided to add a bear sewing his heart with love, with the stitching not yet complete."

Behind the Scenes

How the beautiful backdrops come to life on camera.