I was excited and of course, very nervous as we made our way up the Piedmont hills that housed the café shop in which I would be attending my first networking/meet up event with other photographers and industry peers. In the attempt to finally get connected with other like-minded photographers, I agreed to come to this event upon the kind invitation from another Bay Area photographer.

Now, I’m not extroverted by nature so to get over my shyness, (a.k.a. I’d rather be sitting in a corner in the back stuffing my face with whatever snacks were served), was a HUGE deal for me. My husband thankfully agreed to attend the event with me and as we made our way into the cute little photography studio/café already buzzing with chatter from other attendees, I couldn’t help but feel a tingle of excitement and anticipation as I made this small step towards connecting with others and ultimately making this photography business more real.

We found some seats in the back (in case my chicken wings came out and I wanted to run/kinda-fly out of there) and listened in as the speaker began his presentation. At the end of the night, I got a chance to meet the photographer who invited me (we had only corresponded via email up until this point) to this event as well as few other photographers. (And not once did my chicken feathers and wings flap out!)

All in all it was a great experience that taught me to tuck away my chicken wings and instead let courage and faith take flight. And yes, I am actually now looking forward to the next networking opportunity that comes up. (ooooh, I said it out loud!!)

Happy, happy Thursday!