people are just dumb...

As for phone communication, there are tons of ways around this. I actually have one of these:

http://www.zvrs.com/z-series/z-ojo

Essentially, I make a phone call, and there is an ASL interpreter on the other end of the line, who interprets everything the client says in real time. I can either choose to voice for myself to the customer via speakerphone, or have interpreter voice for me when he/she sees me signing my response back. They also have apps for I-phones and android phones that do the same thing, so the phone issue is a wash, in my opinion.

Back to topic...the OP questioned reasons why there may have been no response as far as I can see we have these possible reasons suggested so far.

1) Woman has split up with boyfriend
2) Emails didn't arrive
3) Facebook not checked
4) Communication lacking a professional appearance
5) It just happens
6) Being seen as a friend with a camera and not a pro
7) Portfolio needing expanding to have more relevant work for portrait sessions
8) Potential client is tight with the purse strings

Whatever the reason... it isn't worth stressing over.

Well, to help the OP -

I would suggest something along the lines of perhaps putting out a casting call on craigslist or model mayhem, or even asking fellow classmates to go and shoot with him to help build up his portfolio.

If he's feeling his English skills are lacking, he can ask someone to proofread his emails before they're sent, or hire an editor to fix his emails - I've been known to do that for a few deaf biz owners myself.

And last, forget about the people who "promise to pay" or "really want you to take their pics, but don't want to pay." They're not worth the time or headache, unless it's something you probably couldn't get an opportunity to do on your own, like taking pics for the Girls of Hooters calendar.

Raise your prices. 40 bucks is WAY too cheap. You have a lot to account for - equipment costs, time, travel, gas, living expenses, food...I could go on and on, but if you want to make this your profession, get started in the right direction, and treat it like a business, not a hobby.

Last, but not least, if the OP wants to talk to me directly, he is more than welcome to PM me to VP call to touch base about photography biz stuff.

Zansho wrote in post #11814579
OK, I should chime in myself, since I too, am a deaf photographer. The one thing most people seem to misunderstand is that ASL is Signed English. That is NOT the case. ASL (American Sign Language) has different grammatical rules, different syntax, and there are words that ASL has that English has no written or verbal equivalent to.

Now, the analogy of Asian (or any other ethnic group) people who come over to the U.S. and learn English in our schools do not fit or apply to Deaf people. Deaf people have one BIG disadvantage to learning English - they cannot hear. English is inherently a spoken language, and as thus, must be heard. A lot of language acquisition for the English language MUST be heard to be understood - if you don't believe this, and honestly think simply reading English will help you learn the language, you are mistaken. Deaf people - surprise! - can't hear, and as such, probably miss out on the subtle nuances and grammatical/syntax errors of the English language.

Now, our schools don't address this properly - they try to force a lot of deaf kids to be something they're not - hearing children. Sending them through speech therapy to learn to speak a language that they can't hear in the first place, giving them hearing equipment that does a marginal job of amplifying sounds to even give a smidgen of comprehension simply doesn't help. As a result, a lot of Deaf kids get turned off, feel self conscious, and I'm willing to bet that's one of the reasons the OP has yet to respond to this thread.

I was actually very amused by watching one Deaf child communicate with her parent - her mom was asking why she was having so much trouble learning English (my wife teaches English at Texas School for the Deaf), and the girl replied in very clear ASL - "Why do you have so much trouble learning ASL??" Mom's ASL skills were definitely lacking, but we didn't ridicule her efforts at communicating with her daughter, and you shouldn't ridicule the OP's efforts to communicate with you on a public forum.

And you're probably asking to yourself, "Wait, if he's deaf, why is his English skills so good?" I grew up reading books, encouraged to ask questions, and wasn't made to feel like I was somehow a failure for not being able to pick up something as readily as someone who could hear the language could. The teachers I had, USED my native language to help me learn English, and I was all the better for it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for adding to the thread.

Your first-hand knowledge is priceless, and I sincerely hope the OP can contact you, take on board some of your experience and carry on improving in every area.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #11814758
Back to topic...the OP questioned reasons why there may have been no response as far as I can see we have these possible reasons suggested so far.
1) Woman has split up with boyfriend
2) Emails didn't arrive
3) Facebook not checked
4) Communication lacking a professional appearance
5) It just happens
6) Being seen as a friend with a camera and not a pro
7) Portfolio needing expanding to have more relevant work for portrait sessions
8) Potential client is tight with the purse strings
Whatever the reason... it isn't worth stressing over.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Couldn't agree more with your last statement.

And to add further - if the OP could drop in again sometime - DON'T get worried about anything at such an early stage.

We ALL started out somewhere, in photography, and we ALL had to learn from nothing.

Despite the arguments earlier in the thread, POTN is a great community for photographers, and I hope you can create a good base of clients in the future.
Good luck!
Regards,
Simon