NEW!

Crossing Tahoe A Swimmer's Dream	Order for $19.99 on Also available as a Blu-ray high-resolution disc. E-mail for details.
On a frosty morning in September 2007, Karen Gaffney plunged into the dark waters of Lake Tahoe. Her ambitious goal: to join the few ultra-swimmers who’ve crossed the width of the lake and to be the first woman to cross in the bone-chilling cold of late September. Having Down syndrome was the least of her challenges. To conquer the nine-mile distance, she would need all the strength, courage and spirit she had. See the first seven minutes! Click here.
Written, Edited and Produced by Will Schermerhorn

Kids with Down Syndrome Staying Healthy and Making Friends

Order for $29.99 on

An up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the social and health issues for children with Down syndrome. Topics include toilet training, managing behavior, sleep problems and the crucial ear and hearing concerns. See these complete chapters now for free: Hearing Issues First Steps to Independence Making Sense of Research A review of Kids with Down Syndrome from the April 2008 Down Syndrome News: "I continue to be a big fan of Schermerhorn’s videos. ... Schermerhorn’s skill with this format lets him pack a lot of information into the video, which is great for busy parents of newborns, toddlers and school-age children who are looking for an introduction or a refresher on issues that may come with growing up with DS." Read the complete review

Written, Edited and Produced by Will Schermerhorn

Get in touch with Will Schermerhorn to schedule a time for photos.

Call (703) 338-1776 or send e-mail to will@blueberryshoes.com.

Rates: Family photo sessions are $150, flat rate, plus sales tax for Virginia residents.

Ordering: Need prints or files from a shoot? Click to go to the order form

Recent Shoots

• The Quincy Jones birthday reception for Special Olympics Inc.
• Darrell and Elana at Great Falls, Virginia
• Rory and Tyler's ice-skating party!
• First day of practice at Challenger Vienna, April 12.
• A slide show of photos from Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia activities over last nine months.
• The Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia's Valentine's Dance (All DSANV photos)
• To Ride, a photo session video for Shaken Baby Prevention
• Kidz Clubhouse, a promotional film for Kidz Clubhouse's summer camp programs for kids with special needs.
• Link to all Challenger League photos for 2006 and 2007

I created Blueberry Shoes Productions LLC in 2002 to be a photography and filmmaking outfit of my own. At the time, I was in the early stages of work on "Down Syndrome: The First 18 Months," my first full-length film.

I published "DS:18" in 2003, about the time I went to work full time for an Internet company. Four years later, summer of 2007, I left full-time employment for a different Internet company and have been working way more than full time on film and photography for myself.

Why do it? Well... I was a newspaper reporter for nine years, and that ingrains a way of thinking about information that you can't really shake. When my son, Mason, was born in 2000, we found he has Down syndrome. Months later, I realized that I could bring a reporter's discipline to the preparation of an education film about Down syndrome.

That's my goal, to set aside sentimentality and wishful thinking to present a series of balanced films that give honest answers in a straightforward way.

New Film!
Coming March 5

My newest film is called "Crossing Tahoe: A Swimmer's Dream." It's a straight-on documentary on the magnificent performance by Karen Gaffney this past fall. I don't want to give away the ending in case you didn't hear all about it then, but Karen, 29, sought to swim the nine-mile width of Lake Tahoe on Sept. 25. Through the generosity of her family, I had the honor and privilege of following her three weeks of training at the lake and then to be there on swim day.

Here is a clip showing the first seven or so minutes. Click to play it.

Blueberry Shoes Production Blog

This is a journal I am keeping of my projects and my technical notes. I hope it will be helpful to other filmmakers, who, God help them, are pursuing this sort of work too.

You can click here to read it. Please go ahead and make comments.

Blueberry Shoes Productions Photo Shoots

The cost of a family photo shoot with Blueberry Shoes Productions is $150, flat rate. Virginia residents pay state sales tax. If you would like to purchase a family photo shoot right here, click the button below. You'll be taken to a Pay Pal page first, so clicking does not immediately result in payment.

Blueberry Shoes Productions LLC
1916 Aubrey Place Court
Vienna, Virginia 22182-1976