The Stories Behind the Photographs
These photographs were never intended to be ordinary professional portraits.
They began with the conversations I have every day about trust, betrayal, communication, and the stories people carry into their relationships.
A Photograph Can Say Something a Portrait Cannot
Many of the photographs throughout this website began with concepts I developed from my work with individuals and couples.
The stacked stories. The unanswered questions. The different perspectives. The choices we make about what to believe and what to say.
When someone comes to me after betrayal, they may be trying to reconcile what they believed about their relationship with what they have since discovered.
When a couple feels disconnected, they may both be describing the same conversation while hearing entirely different meanings.
I wanted the photographs to represent those experiences rather than simply show what I look like.
I developed the concepts and worked with photographer Iryna Sosnovska to bring them into photographs.
She brought her photographic expertise to the process. I brought the relationship concepts and creative direction. Together, we created images that reflect the work I do.
Four Images. Different Ways of Seeing.
Each photograph begins with a question or a pattern I encounter in my work with individuals and couples.
In Iryna's Words
After our photography session, Iryna Sosnovska shared a generous reflection about authenticity, the images we created, and the connection she saw between those photographs and my work.
Her words meant a great deal to me because she recognized something I consider fundamental to Relationship Reset: the importance of truth.
In a world that is increasingly becoming overly perfected, over airbrushed, something that doesn't look fake is like coming across gold in the piles of earth.
From how you speak, how you write your emails (whether you actually write them or your friend Chat does it for you...), to how you look in your photos you either blend in an ocean of perfected sameness or you allow yourself to stand out by being YOU.
Vanessa from Understanding Ear Vanessa Cardenas is one of those people (and my dear client and now friend) who understands like no one else as a coach for personal relationships, the value of truth.
We had such an amazing experience creating her new images for her coaching and speaking business.
I loved that her photos were conceptual and some of the images are perfect in the context of her particular work.
They reflect her ability to listen and deeply care for her clients, most of whom are couples working on their marriages, solving deep issues.
Thank you again Vanessa for trusting the process and for your open mind towards creative play.
The Story We Tell Ourselves Matters
What I appreciate most about Iryna's reflection is that she understood why these photographs needed to be different.
In my work, people often arrive carrying competing versions of the same relationship. What happened. What was said. What was meant. What was believed.
Sometimes the most important conversation begins when we're willing to look at those stories without pretending they all agree.
That's what I wanted these photographs to communicate.
And I'm grateful to Iryna for helping me capture them.
Creative concepts and direction: Vanessa Cardenas
Photography: Iryna Sosnovska Photography
