A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending my very first networking event. Although I've been photographing weddings for three years, I've never felt like I belonged in "the wedding industry". It was always a different excuse. At first it was "I'm in college" or "I'm too young to be taken seriously" and even now it's "I do less than 10 weddings a year, they won't take me seriously". I was always making excuses for myself to remain alone in an industry where networking can make or break you. I didn't want to step into the ring with "real" professionals when I'm still just a girl with a camera who throws herself a 30 second dance party after every wedding I book. Every wedding is a small victory taking me closer to my dream and every bride becomes a friend and an ally in my journey to becoming a "real" professional.
So I took all of the belief and confidence that my wonderful brides have had in me, took a deep breath, and stepped into my first networking event. The food was amazing and everyone I had the opportunity to chat with was equally as great. I've collected a lot of business cards over the last few years from other vendors within the industry, but now I'm excited to start forming friendships with some of the people behind those cards. And maybe one day, consider myself one of those "real" professionals.
Keep smiling,
Kaylina
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