To see as Rachel Handlin sees is to be ever present, ever engaged in the emergent moment.

It’s a gift that few possess but one that the St. Andrew’s Priory junior is more than happy to share through her equally special photographic abilities.

"Even as a child she was always paying attention, always interested in her environment," says Handlin’s father, Jay. "She’ll see things that other people look right past."

("He’s right," she confirms in a confidential tone.)

Handlin’s unique way of looking at the world was perhaps also overlooked until a couple of years ago when she took up photography. Even in her early photos, Handlin guides the viewer’s eye to the camouflaged beauty of everyday things — lines of graffiti that meld into dark shadow, a circular staircase that spirals into itself like a nautilus, the sandy precipice of a crab hole.

Handlin’s prolific shooting has begun to attract serious notice. Last month, she was one of several artists with Down syndrome featured in "The Reveal," a remarkable art exhibition in London’s Menier Gallery.

"Our philosophy for Rachel has always been ‘no limitations and no preconceptions,’" her father says.

Born in New York, Handlin spent her early childhood in Southern California before moving to Hawaii with her family in 2009.

From the beginning, the Handlins were adamant that Rachel be educated in "regular" classrooms and that she advance on her own merit, however much work that might involve.

"A math problem that might take me a minute to work through might take Rachel 10 minutes," says Rachel’s mother, Laura. "But she’ll do it."

("I hate homework," Handlin says.)

In addition to regular schooling — she attended Kaimuki Middle School and the Academy of the Pacific before transferring to St. Andrew’s — Handlin has benefited from years of therapy for speech, fine motor skills, coordination, and other developmental challenges.

"There is no secret," says Laura. "It’s been hard work from the first minute, but it’s why she is where she is."

And where she is, no doubt, is quite remarkable. The first student with Down syndrome ever admitted to Priory, Handlin is on track to graduate next year, after which she will attend college, possibly on the mainland, perhaps abroad.

She studies hula, loves watching movies and having sleepovers with friends, and enjoys spending time with her three dogs and three cats. She’s looking forward to voting for the first time.

"This is a full citizen of a very rich world," says Jay. "She’s going to be doing interesting stuff for a long time."

(He’s right.)

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Check out some of Rachel’s photos at @IncidentalLives on Twitter. Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.