Church Directory Pictures

We had our church directory pictures tonight. They really did NOT go well...I don't know if it was the flashing of the lights or the sounds or what, but Jax was freaking out....we got there a few minutes early and he was cool, peeking in at the other family getting photos taken. He seemed fine to leave "pirate big bird" in the chair watching. THEN, the photographer started posing us and after the first shot snapped, he really lost it...we struggled through 3 more shots which just got progressively worse and then I called it quits. I refuse to torture my son and he was obviously distressed. He was stimming and going into meltdown mode....
He wasn't distressed until they started shooting, so all I can figure is it was the lights or something.... The photographer was of minimal help...didn't try to engage him or anything, he acted like he didn't know what to do.
This is our 4th time taking church photos and tonight was a bad as the first time we did it when he was just over 2...that time was a debacle he was literally terrified...He did much better at 6....and even better at 8. Actually, last time we were able to get pictures of the boys together and I dropped $150 on Olan Mills photos....
I was actually crying reviewing the proofs...he looked scared and pained in the pics....Dan had left with the boys to pick up a pizza and I was left with the OM salesman. I wasn't ready for how bad they looked...the salesman was a retired Free Methodist Minister from Chicago...he was very, very kind hearted and actually prayed with me for Jax which I never expected from an OM salesman (if you've ever done these directories you know they push the hard sell...) Well, tonight was a reminder that autism is a big part of our family...and I've got the insomnia to prove it...