New experiences with unique clients really can breathe fresh air into your work. Maribel and Alex were certainly that couple. From our first meeting to saying goodbye with tears in their eyes, they introduced me to a world that I literally had zero experience with before. Not only are they extremely kind and heartwarming, but also deaf. In fact, most of the bridal party and guests were part of the deaf community, and it’s how Maribel and Alex met. Being given the incredible chance to work with such a positive and friendly community presented its own new challenges for me that was rewarding to work through. I love having the chance to gain a new perspective and learn from the people presenting it to me. As I was not versed in ASL, we used interpreters and text apps on our phones to communicate. This worked wonderfully and let me clearly transfer directions during our portrait session. The smoke show image on the top was a huge coordination between me, my clients, two friendly wedding guests helping me with lighting and smoke FX, and an interpreter. The interpreter helped communicate my directions to all four participants and the end result was a perfectly timed execution of lighting, smoke, posing, and composition. Being lucky also helps ;) When I showed them that image on my camera, their wordless but powerful reaction of embracing me with tears was the culmination of such an incredible day. It’s moments like this that keep me going in this industry.