From Chuck Murphy, Austin, Texas:

A woman that was deaf came in by herself to be photographed. Although admittedly we had no one that knew ASL, we were able to communicate with her through a few hand gestures and a lot of written notes. She was very patient with everyone. After having her hair done and makeup applied, when she was shown herself in the mirror, her smile was ear to ear. While the photographer captured her images, he was very patient taking the time to write her notes explaining what he wanted to do. She was VERY happy with the images and was so very thankful for the beautiful framed 8 x 10 she took home with her.

[A] mother commented [on] how she felt like a regular person while she was having her hair done and her son sat patiently on the side, totally content to just sit there and watch. She was also so very pleased with the images captured of her son, commenting she couldn’t remember the last picture she had of her son that portrayed him smiling and relaxed. The photographer just clutched his heart after they left because he was so touched by that mother’s problem’s that she dealt with on a daily basis with her autistic son.

The feeling of my heart about to burst due to the grateful folks that while we knew would never be our clients (for those of us who are paid photographers), but also the fact that they knew this is the only manner they would ever get to have nice portraits taken of them.

Personally, this event charges my heart for months as we always have families that are so very appreciative of what we are doing for them, and we are satisfied knowing that we have truly helped others feel better about who they are.