Recently I was assigned by the Statesman to shoot Joseph Getschow and one of his caretakers, Andrew. Joseph has cerebral palsy and could lose state funding, which he uses to hire caretakers.
A lot of times when photographers are sent to places like people’s homes, we know that we’re intruding, no matter how welcome the home owners try to make us feel. This time I was particularly cautious because I was sensitive to the fact that Joseph had a disability.
I rang the door bell and Andrew was standing there in sweats. Joseph was on the floor and greeted me immediately with “where do you want to take my picture?” I shot a portrait of him sitting on the floor and then asked what else they’d be doing at that time if I wasn’t there. Joseph got in his wheel chair with Andrew’s help and they headed in to the kitchen.
Andrew made Joseph his favorite meal – Kashi cereal with chocolate soy milk – and started to feed him. I asked about the story and the legislation that might take away his funding. He told me about it and said, “I don’t really care about me. I just want to be able to take care of my daughter.”
The three of us chatted and I kept shooting, being mindful that there aren’t too many people in the world who like getting their photo taken while eating, and then Joseph asked, “is there anything else you want me to do?” I told him I’d need another portrait of him and Andrew, but I’d wait for him to finish eating. “We can do it now,” he said. I said okay, but asked if he wanted to wipe off the cereal from his face before we took the photo. He said, “no, I don’t mind. This is real.”
It’s not very often that I can put a camera in front of someone who allows me in to his life with as much dignity as Joseph. I imagine that the reporter felt the same way and that’s probably why his story ended up on page 1. (http://bit.ly/dT6mYZ)
