A long time ago, when I first moved to Vienna, the first job I got was as a kindergarten teacher. It was one of my favourite jobs. Some days were grueling, but, more often than not, it was very rewarding. It also was the best way to learn and practice my German, as well as learn more about Austrian culture. I had the pleasure of having Miss M as one of my students during my time at the kindergarten and when she moved back to the states with her mama a piece of my heart went with her.
This post might border a little more on the personal side but I feel it is essential to know how much I valued Fabian and Mina and the time I spent with them during their photo session. When Mina (who is a talented photographer herself!) had emailed me wanting to book a session for her and her husband I was experiencing a season in my life which I had never experienced or encountered before and consequently, I had a lot of misgivings about finalizing a session for them. Life after loss affects every aspect of your life and I had just begun to discover that when a little more than a year ago my twin sons passed away. Loss shattered my world and shredded away any meaning that it could have for a long stretch of time. It was hard to see the purpose, the beauty, the promise of anything in life when so much was taken away from me. Since the boys passed away, I noticed my levels of creativity (if I can claim to possess any) were nonexistent. I couldn't pick up my camera, nor did I want to. It seemed so very purposeless to attempt to try and even more so when the world was absent of color. I could only see things in sadness and in the darkening light of things I had lost. To attempt to see it otherwise or even pretend otherwise would have taken a superhuman strength that I did not possess. But life doesn’t stop even when you feel it has. And Mina and Fabian were one of the first clients to reach out to me and want to book with me shortly after all that had happened.
When Ben was heading into work one day he looked up and saw “the most beautiful woman” across the way in the same u-bahn he was riding in. He saw her get off the same stop and head into the same place he worked at and after that, he made it his mission to get introduced to this woman. After many attempts he was able to work his way into her good graces and woo her into dating him. A few years later and they were wed in an intimate and simple ceremony in Vienna.
I found/discovered/stalked Theresa through social media. She is the only other film portrait photographer that I know of residing in the heart of Vienna. Originally from Carinthia, Austria (which is known for its amazing slopes in the winter and its sparkling lakes in the summer) she relocated to Vienna to study music. While studying, she took up digital photography and then transitioned into film photography and has been doing it ever since; her work is inspiring and evocative. Seriously. She's been featured a number of times on Carmencita's "Best Of" and her Instagram is drool worthy.
