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My name is Katya. I live in Moscow with my husband and our adorable daughter Lisa who has Down syndrome. We adopted her a couple of years ago. She is very sweet and cute, and we love her very much.

As a creative soul, I love to design and sew costumes and flower crowns for my baby girl. Many costumes you see here were handmade by me. As a photographer, I love to create photo stories that show how adorable and loving kids with Down syndrome are, especially my Lisa.

A post submitted by Katya's friend Polina.

More info: Instagram

Katya, Lisa's mom, answered some of the questions I left for her. First, I wanted to know what type of photography style she liked most, given that she's a talented photographer, and here's what she said, "I love portraits of people and animals. Because they are full of life, they have emotions."

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    Raising a child is no easy feat, and therefore I think it's also hard to take photos of children at times since they're always so active and immersed in their own world. I asked Katya whether it is hard to photograph Lisa.

    "To follow her. She runs really fast! For her, a photoshoot is primarily a game and therefore we do not force her to do what she does not want. All photos are random shots that I am fast enough to take."

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    Of course, since Katya uploads pictures of Lisa on social media, people tend to give various reactions to the photos she posts, here's what she told me when I asked her about it: "Many people think that children with Down syndrome are ugly and are unable to show their emotions. For them, our page is a discovery. They learn that children with special needs are ordinary children who know how to play, be happy, be sad, to love."

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    Obviously, Katya's adoption story is touching and so are Lisa's wonderful pictures. I wanted to ask Katya what she would like for people to take away from this story.

    "I'd like to point out one thing - all people are beautiful, regardless of their diseases and visual characteristics."

    I also asked Lisa's mom what inspired her to start an Instagram page.

    "Bad attitude of people on the street towards my daughter. I wanted to change it and show people that special children are as great as ordinary children."

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    Maybe it's a question with an obvious answer but I also asked Katya about her motivation as a photographer, and this is what she told me.

    "My daughter is my main inspiration. I want to create a fairy tale around her at least in the photo. By changing the societal views about people with disabilities through pictures, we can change real life."

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    #12

    We Adopted A Girl With Down Syndrome A Year Ago, I Love To Photograph Her In Costumes That I Designed (39 Pics)

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    Rhea.S888
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Okay go easy on me but can someone explain why she's blonde as a toddler and a red head grown?

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    #14

    We Adopted A Girl With Down Syndrome A Year Ago, I Love To Photograph Her In Costumes That I Designed (39 Pics)

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    Romenriel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Burdock leaf! They make great umbrellas, I used to play with them as a kid, too.

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    #24

    I Design Costumes And Flower Crowns To Photoshoot My Adorable Adopted Girl With Down Syndrome.

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    Wyndmere
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just another bush ... sitting in a field ... looking extremely cute.

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    #30

    I Design Costumes And Flower Crowns To Photoshoot My Adorable Adopted Girl With Down Syndrome.

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    Marc P Lussier
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful girl and beautiful photos, but I wonder why you had to say she was adopted? Why not just say these are photos of my daughter?

    Polina Chernomordik
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thank you for asking. In Russia adopting children with special needs is a taboo and few people do it because of associated financial difficulties but also because of societal prejudice. Katya and her husband are a special case of very special loving people who adopted a girl with Down syndrome as their first child. This is exceptional and very impressive which is why worth mentioning. Maybe without a context it seems strange but it is not at all if you know that the vast majority of adopters want healthy normal kids without any specialties and syndromes.

    Jeffrey Diehl
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These are all just sweet and heartwarming. The camera loves her. And her being a bit of a ham helps as well.

    April Pickett
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You have a beautiful daughter and every picture shows how much you love her.

    Na Schi
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Adorable, little kid... however I would have loved the photos much more if the artist/mother had refrained from using Instagram filters (for fully grown "influncer" women) on her 4 year old! Kids don't need filters to look cute/admirable/like themselves!

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    #32

    I Design Costumes And Flower Crowns To Photoshoot My Adorable Adopted Girl With Down Syndrome.

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    Wyndmere
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    With the sun on my face and the wind at my back, I can drift with the tides of imagination to anywhere in the world.

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    #41

    We Adopted A Girl With Down Syndrome A Year Ago, I Love To Photograph Her In Costumes That I Designed (39 Pics)

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    #42

    I Design Costumes And Flower Crowns To Photoshoot My Adorable Adopted Girl With Down Syndrome.

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    Wyndmere
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With Apples crisp, a watering can, and two sunflowers in a row.

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