top of page
Mantas-Photography-logo

Camp Mark Seven Wedding: David + Ashley

Writer: Mantas Kubilinskas
Mantas Kubilinskas
Aug 3
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Groom kissing the bride's forehead on a wooden dock beside a lake

A wedding that returned David and Ashley to where they met

David and Ashley first met at Camp Mark Seven as teenagers. Years later, choosing the same place for their wedding gave the celebration a connection that no elaborate venue design could manufacture. I like knowing a little of that history before photographing a couple, because it changes what deserves attention. The setting is not just scenery. It is part of the way these two people understand one another.

Camp Mark Seven has served deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing people. For a wedding with guests who communicate in different ways, the photographer should work with the couple and the event team to understand the flow of the ceremony, the role of interpreters if any, and when people need an unobstructed view. Do not place a camera or light where it interferes with communication, and never assume everyone experiences the ceremony in the same way.

I would photograph the gathering at several scales: a wide frame that brings the camp into view, portraits in places meaningful to David and Ashley, and close moments among the friends and relatives who know their history. The strongest pictures will not need an explanation of why the location was special. The relationship between the people can carry that meaning.


Camp Mark Seven Wedding

A woman touches her eye beside an illuminated circular mirror while another person sits nearby

As a photographer, I can capture some of the most memorable moments in people's lives. And when David and Ashley approached me to photograph their wedding at Camp Mark Seven (CM7) , I knew it would be a unique and beautiful event. David and Ashley met at CM7 as teenagers, and it was only fitting that they would choose to return to the place where their love story began to exchange their vows. CM7, located in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, offers programs for deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing individuals of all ages and welcomes people of all faiths. It focuses on enhancing the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing children, youth, and hearing children of deaf adults. In addition, it offers the opportunity to use American Sign Language. The atmosphere was electric when I arrived at the camp on the wedding day. Guests were milling about, chatting and catching up with old friends. David and Ashley's parents, both deaf, were beaming with pride as they watched their children prepare for their big day. The ceremony itself was genuinely moving. As David and Ashley exchanged vows, a sign language interpreter translated each word for their deaf parents and guests. And as they were pronounced husband and wife, the entire camp erupted in cheers and applause. After the ceremony, we walked around the camp to take some photos. Then, we stopped by the lake where they first met and the cabin where they stayed during the camp. The camp was the perfect backdrop for the wedding, and it was a joy to capture the love between David and Ashley and their family and friends in such a special place. As the day ended and the guests said their goodbyes, I couldn't help but feel privileged to have been a part of such a special day. David and Ashley's love story began at CM7, and it was only fitting that it would come full circle with their wedding. And as a photographer, it was a joy to capture all the memories of this special day.

Black and white photograph of two women seated in a room with windows.

Explore more wedding photography by Mantas Kubilinskas.

A smiling woman in a green dress stands across a room from a blurred person in the foreground.
Black and white photograph of several men adjusting formal clothes in a wooden room.
Black and white photograph of a dog lying on a wooden floor while people stand in a bright room.
Black and white photograph of a group of men in suits standing on a lakeside dock.
Black and white photograph of a white gown hanging beside a doorway where a person stands.
A woman in a white gown stands indoors facing people outside a large window.
Black-and-white photograph of five women standing beside a lakeside railing
Two people in formal clothing walk on a path beside trees.
A man embraces a laughing woman from behind on a wooded path.
A woman holding flowers walks between two adults past rows of wooden chairs.
Black and white portrait of a man in a dark suit beside a woman.
Guests sit on wooden chairs facing two people beside a lake beneath a cloudy sky.
Black and white photograph of two people holding hands beside a lake.
Black and white photograph of two people in formal clothing walking between rows of seated guests.
A group in formal clothing stands near a lake while people photograph them from the foreground.
A large dog fills the foreground while two people in formal clothing sit behind it on a lawn.
Two people in formal clothing lean together in a dark wooded setting.
Black and white close-up of a smiling woman leaning against a man.
Two people in formal clothing embrace beneath a large tree.
Black and white portrait of a woman standing in front of a man beside a wooden railing.
Two people in formal clothing embrace beside a wooden railing overlooking a lake.
Black and white photograph of a man embracing a woman from behind beside a lake.
Black and white close-up of a man kissing a smiling woman's forehead.
Black and white photograph of two people facing each other beside water.
Black and white photograph of a smiling woman in a white gown.
A man in a suit points with both hands beneath a white tent.
A laughing woman sits at a table with glassware in the foreground.
Two people in formal clothing sit at a decorated table beneath a white tent.
Two people in formal clothing stand beside a lake beneath dark sunset clouds.
Black and white photograph of two people embracing on a sandy lakeshore.
Black and white photograph of two people smiling at each other near a lake.
Black and white photograph of two people wearing oversized paper crowns and gesturing toward the camera.
People wear novelty hats and hold props on a dance floor beneath a tent.
Black and white photograph of people gesturing and dancing beneath a tent.
People dance beneath a tent lit with purple and blue light.
Two people in formal clothing dance together beneath a tent while guests watch.
Two people in formal clothing walk between people holding ribbons beneath a tent.
Two people embrace outdoors beneath a bright moon in a dark sky.
A woman in a white gown reclines across wooden chairs beside a seated man in a suit.
An older photograph shows two people reclining on chairs indoors.
bottom of page