There are photographers who take portraits, and then there are photographers who capture the essence of humanity, who see right into the window of their subject’s soul and share it in the most sensitive way. Shay Mc Atee is one of those photographers. Working for 20+ years as a clinical occupational therapist for autistic children, Shay knows how to communicate with the most challenging of subjects. Her passion for photography comes along for the ride as she travels the world teaching seminars, or just exploring the globe in her free time.

The work featured below is from several series. The first is from a trip to Romania, where not only did she capture the local residents, but visited the orphanages. The second is an ongoing series shot behind the scenes of a local ballet troupe, and finally, the series that consumes most of Shay’s time is on autistic children. Her hope is to photograph them in a way that shows autistic children happy, engaged, and living their best life. She will be producing a book of this work, and plans exhibitions around the country to help families dealing with autism. If you would like to get involved with this project, please feel free to contact Shay.

Romania

Romanian Orphanages

Ballet

Children with Austism