Son With Autism Develops Stronger Bond With Mom By means of New-Discovered Pictures Pastime
Cortney Lang is a professional newborn and family photographer based out of Argyle, Texas. With nearly 12 years of photography experience, Cortney often finds calm when she looks through her lens. Although she enjoyed her affinity for photography a lot, Cortney never tried to impose the hobby on one of her four children, but instead lets them explore what they enjoy.
Cortney’s oldest, Bentley, is a “bubbly, strong-willed, determined, and stubborn” 11-year-old who falls on the autism spectrum. Although Cortney describes Bentley as “the biggest heart with an old soul,” he sometimes struggled to calm his mind during times of fear. Cortney and her husband Casey tried to introduce Bentley to a variety of hobbies from sports to music, but nothing reassured him. “Nothing could ever bring him the comfort his little brain needed,” Cortney told PetaPixel.
It wasn’t until Bentley got his first cell phone that his parents noticed his unexpected interest. During long family walks, Cortney realized that Bentley kept stopping to take nature photos with his cell phone camera. He looked at his work in awe, soaking up the beauty of the photo for minutes before immediately taking another. It was at this point that Cortney was struck by the idea that photography could not just be something she and her son could bond about, but a hobby that Bentley would enjoy and calm down.
After Bentley showed an ongoing interest in photography for some time, Cortney and Casey bought him his first camera. Cortney mentions that she didn’t even have to teach Bentley anything as he took the camera by storm and asked the right questions. He started using the family iPad to edit his photos through Lightroom. Cortney saw this as her opportunity to let Bentley express herself fully, without her affecting the cut style.
“With Bentley, he couldn’t figure out how to process his feelings inside,” said Cortney. “Photography changed all of that. I can tell his emotions from how he works and which flowers he photographs on a particular day. It helps me to communicate with him: he edits darker and more moody, I know that he has negative feelings and we can talk about it. “
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Communication has always been a little trickier for Bentley, and Cortney said it made her feel distant from her son. By using photography as a common language between them, Cortney can feel their bond growing every day. Because Bentley has autism, he processes the world around him differently than his neurotypical family. Even if many of the obstacles that arise as a young boy do not go away with his newfound hobby, this interest in photography has opened up a whole new way of communication for Bentley.
Inspired by her son’s passion and determined to prove that his talent is legitimate and not just positive affirmations from his loving mother, Cortney created a photography Instagram account for Bentley. The couple merged the account, showing off Bentley’s incredible talent, and creating humorous captions. Although Bentley has minimal experience working with a camera and editing tools, Bentley already produces professional photos. He must keep working on his craft and perfecting his skills to achieve one of his greatest dreams: filming for National Geographic.
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“He’s a delight and I’m grateful to be his mom,” enthused Cortney. “I feel blessed that he has started to find his emotional voice through his camera. We’re so proud of him, there aren’t even the right words to describe how great he is. “
Make sure to check out Bentley’s Instagram account, as well as his mother’s official photo and Instagram pages!
