I’ve written and erased this post about a hundred times and, for a bit, settled on letting the pictures speak for themselves in an effort to leave out any negativity. But, I always keep it real on here and I don’t want this experience to be excluded.

I had a great time, I did. I met some fantastically amazing people – some that I have met before, others that I felt like I knew because we’ve forged such a strong friendship already through instagram alone, and others that I met for the first time and loved.

Photo field trip was something that started as a small-ish gathering. I remember emailing the person in charge about my picky eating (I eat like a 5 year old, in case you didn’t already know) and she personally assured me that if I couldn’t find something I’d like that they would order me pizza. Not that I thought that would actually happen, but I liked the idea of it being small and personal. The event blew up, however, and not long after that email they opened up several other spots and what was once a not-so-big-event suddenly became a 300+ person event.

If you didn’t know anyone, ie. if you are not active in the instagram community, I imagine it carried the potential to be a lonely event. There was that same anxiety present as when you walk into the lunchroom at a new school and wonder where you are going to sit and who is going to talk to you.

I took several different classes; some were great and others were just okay. In the end, I walked away more stoked on the social aspect than the educational aspect.

I feel like this all has to be said because it has yet to be said. It’s not said to discount anyone else’s experience, as I too came home motivated and on “on a high”. I know others who did not, however, and that makes me sad.

In any event, I hope to return next year if for no other reason than to meet up with a handful of other photographers that I now call real-life friends. I also hope to return and put my nerves to the side and branch out and meet more people and perhaps make some of those that are less familiar with the community feel a little more welcome.