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I work the night shift at a nursing home. It's actually a pretty good job. Helps a little to pay the bills and gets me out of my house. It has it's ups and downs of course. Getting old suck. Alzheimer's is probably the worst. It's a funny thing. You can end up one of two kinds of confused I think. Happy confused if you're lucky. Anxious confused if you're not. Last night I was with someone who was anxious.

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It's hard. How do you help someone who can't understand what you're telling them. Sounds like a insurmountable problem doesn't it? It's not actually.

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The secret is energy.

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I know it's a hippy dippy word. Maybe describing "energy" as "your attitude" works just as well. The idea is the same. At 3am you learn pretty quick that reasoning will never get her back in the facility and to bed. When people are stressed it's not what you say but how you say it that matters. Over time I've found that these situations turn out best if approach the residents with a certain attitude. An attitude, not that much different than when I shoot a portrait session actually.

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Stay with me. :-) I think I'd say it all comes down to helping people with their stress.

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What would you say is people's least favorite appointment? The dentist? For some, sure. Many others would tell you a photo session is actually much more uncomfortable for them then even the dentist though. If you want to take great pictures of people, pictures that show the best of who they are, you need to learn to put people at ease when they are stressed. Here's a couple tips to get you started.

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80 Comments on Instagram:

_drdesigns: Great post @joshjohnson - I'm walking the alzheimers walk with my mom and your words are so true. It's the energy that I bring to our visits that make it "successful". She can be down and really missing her home, her pets, her old life; missing HER so to speak. The energy I bring can sometimes turn this around and set her on a path for a good day. God bless you for what you do. My moms caregivers are indeed angels. People like yourself and them are making a difference in the world.

kirstenfenton: I use comedy and jokes to make my people subjects more comfortable. For instance, I once told this guy to 'make love to the camera' - either they do it and you get some real passionate shots or they just laugh real hard and you get a great smile

kirstenfenton: Btw... I used to volunteer at a nursing home. Was the best experience. First time I really got to understand old people. I grew to love this one blind lady - Mrs Elsmere. She was amazing in so many ways. I'll never forget the day I went to her room and she was no longer there.

kjminn: Loved your insight @frayedflute! Awesome advise!!

jj_louisiana: I'm just reading this post... Love it! Thanks for your tips, @joshjohnson

jj_louisiana: I love reading your parents' comments... They are your biggest supporters I bet! @grammy1 @ruddy24 ❤️

phraction: I used to work in a retirement home as well and I hear ya. Dealing with those who have dementia or any kind of memory loss is heartbreaking to say the least. It puts a lot of things into perspective. In a way this silly hobby of ours may be the one thing that brings us back to the moments we need to remember. There were workshops to take to help understand and deal with tough situations and I find these same techniques work for dealing with people in general as well. I think that working both in the healthcare and photography field has interchangeable skills that will help in ways we never thought. Confidence, control, and curiosity are great things to have and here's to you being able to relate these back to your workplace when you need it as well. Cheers! @joshjohnson

wellettas: Great insight, Josh. @joshjohnson

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