Luca Germano is a multiple award-winning Olympic swimmer who happens to be deaf, and one of the most gracious hosts we’ve had the pleasure of shooting with. We first met Luca years ago, during a stretch of intensive spring training that brought him to the U.S., and what started as a professional shoot turned into a genuine, long-running friendship. When the chance came to visit him at home in Florence, we jumped at it.
Florence gave us everything we could have asked for as a backdrop — golden stone buildings, warm Tuscan light, and a city that photographs beautifully at almost any hour. But the real story of this trip happened off camera as much as on it. Luca’s mother welcomed us in like family, feeding us four-course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and turning even the simplest gathering into something memorable.
Between the language barrier of Luca’s Italian and his being deaf, communication wasn’t always easy, but it never got in the way of the connection. Some of the best portrait sessions happen exactly like this one did — built on trust and years of friendship rather than a tight shot list, letting Luca’s personality and this beautiful Florentine setting do most of the work.
