Will Cadena
(A Special Kind of Smart 🤪)
This is my story.
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder, speech impairment): My mind is full of powerful ideas, but when I try to speak, the words slip away. People mistake my pause for silence—but they don’t see the fire inside. DLD doesn’t make me less. It makes me relentless. And when I do speak, my words will move mountains.
Dyslexia: Every page is a battlefield. Letters blur, shift, and fight back. But if you think that makes me weak, you’re wrong. Dyslexia doesn’t define me—it refines me. I don’t break. I rise.
ADHD: My mind is a wildfire—ideas racing, energy unstoppable. The world calls it “chaos”. I call it power. ADHD isn’t a flaw. It’s a force. I don’t conform. I create. I lead. I win.
The Truth?
I am not my diagnosis. I am my determination.
DLD, dyslexia, ADHD—these don’t hold me back. They push me forward. I’m not just surviving—I’m thriving.
To anyone fighting their own battle: You are more than your struggles. You are brilliant. You are unstoppable.
Own your difference. Use it. Let it fuel you—because the world needs more of YOU.
#Unstoppable #NeurodiverseAndProud #Limitless #StrengthInStruggle #ADHD #Dyslexia #DLD #OwnYourPower
Photo headshot 📸 @jerryghionis
Rest of all Photos 📸@alexthephotoguy@aftershootco@ourppa@imagingusa@fundysoftwareinc@graphistudio@tenbabags@westcottlighting@canonusa@veronicabensonunfiltered@alexthephotoguy@tethertools@captureone@babydreambackdrops@jerryghionis@jmrasavon@spotmyphotos@thecharleskingshow@estherkayphotography@jcphotomedia
They didn’t find love. They chose it.
This is real.
No games.
No confusion.
No maybe.
@serena_ldara and Alex chose each other.
Fully. Intentionally. No hesitation.
You can feel it.
In every look. Every move. Every moment.
They know what they want.
They know who they are.
And they show up for it.
That’s rare.
That’s how it’s supposed to be.
Photography & Videographer: @WillCadena
Ceremony Venue: @redrockresortevents
Planner: @schemeevents
Florals: @ofthedesertflor
Rentals: @rsvppartyrentals
Decor: @byancaseventdecor
DJ: @djmikefox60
Photobooth: @smashbooth
Hair & Makeup: @ameliacandco
Where I’ve been isn’t the story… what I’ve been building is.
If it felt like I disappeared… I understand.
I went quiet… not because I had nothing going on.
I went quiet because I had everything going on.
No need for me to broadcast every move…
but I respect the ones who do. We all move different.
For me… silence is where I lock in.
That’s where the work gets real.
While it looked quiet…
I was building something you can’t fake.
Not everything needs to be seen in real time.
Some things speak loudest once they land.
Just because you don’t see me…
doesn’t mean I’m not working.
It means I’m focused.
I don’t disappear.
I reappear… sharper, clearer, and on another level.
Grateful for everyone rocking with me — always.
@canonusa@westcottlighting@the17hats@graphistudio@spotmyphotos@aftershootco@tenbabags@tethertools@fundydesigner@fundylatinoamerica@aftershootlatinoamerica
#photography #nyc
We asked some of our favorite industry leaders why they LOVE using Aftershoot and this is what they had to say. Leave a comment telling us how Aftershoot has transformed your workflow for a chance to win a @cheetahstand and 6 months of free access to Aftershoot 🤍
Full circle moment.
Sitting across from Arlene and realizing… she saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself.
I wasn’t the obvious choice. I didn’t fit the traditional mold of what leadership in this industry looked like at the time. But she took a chance on me anyway.
And that chance changed my life ❤️
What moves me most is that I’m not the only one. She has quietly shaped so many careers by trusting her instinct about people and backing them.
This interview felt like a thank you.
For the belief.
For the risk.
For seeing me.
It was so much fun interviewing @acevans622 on the @wppievents stage for The Empowered Photographer Podcast! Make sure you subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you’re the first to hear it when it drops.
reply empowered now and I’ll send you the link to subscribe
EMPOWERED 👇🏼
thanks for making me this reel @willcadena you are the best!
“Never Too Big to Be a Student.”
I didn’t go to teach.
I went to learn.
Pulled up to the desert to support friends leading a Westcott workshop…
and found myself sitting there like a student again.
No ego.
No gatekeeping.
Just real educators pouring into real creatives.
In the middle of sand.
In the middle of silence.
In the middle of purpose.
The gear was beautiful.
The lighting was dialed.
But watching photographers light up when something finally clicks?
That’s the moment.
That’s the why.
Sometimes the strongest presence in the room
isn’t the one speaking.
It’s the one listening.
Proud of you all.
This is what community looks like.
Community over competition. Always.
Because the real flex
is never outgrowing the student in you.
Gear used:
@westcottlighting@cheetahstand@thecharleskingshow
#letsgrow
#Westcott #westcotttoppro #photography willcadenA
“The Room Doesn’t Make You, You Make the Room.”
You don’t need a degree to be an expert.
You don’t need permission to matter.
Every creative walks into spaces that test them.
Shoots. Conference halls. Client tables.
Moments when your heart races and you quietly ask,
“Do I belong here?”
This conversation is about that moment.
The pressure that refines you.
The setbacks that stretch you.
Building financially without losing integrity.
Turning doubt into discipline.
No masks.
No industry games.
Just real talk about value, resilience, and becoming the kind of person who doesn’t shrink in a room —
but elevates it.
🎙 Join us live at WPPI.
📍 WPPI Podcast Stage
📅 Wednesday, March 4
⏰ 12:15 PM PST
I’ll be sitting down with
Chloe Ramirez
Elena S. Blair
Jeff Carpenter
If you’re serious about growth be in the room.
Because the room doesn’t make you.
YOU make the room.
#WPPI #CreativeEntrepreneur #PhotographyBusiness
He doesn’t ask for anything just gives me peace, love, and a reminder of what unconditional really means. That’s something to learn from every day. Love you my little man of love!
@gizmondaddy
#DogLove
#DogsOfInstagram
#DogDadLife
#BestFriend
