Photographer's Idol

Have I told you about the day I met Jasmine Star?

I was star struck.

No, really, I was. And the pun was intended, but it's also the whole truth.

I went to the WPPI Roadshow that came to Washington, DC last September. I'm pretty sure I registered for it the day, actually, the second, that I found out Jasmine Star was going to be there. Because I am obsessed. Not in a creepy stalkerish way, but in an I-love-your-work-and-you and "you inspire me" kind of way. The good kind of obsessed.

What I love about Jasmine is how authentic she is. If you read her blog or look at her website, you feel like you know her, personally. There are lots of smiles, cute puppies, and genuine stories that she shares with the world. To me, that takes courage, to let the world get to know you personally. But it works because she is so open about her life, struggles, and successes.

So I metroed to the city, met some other photographers who live around DC and held my breath and crossed my fingers and rubbed my lucky rubber ducky that I would get to talk to Jasmine Star that day. And, miraculously, it worked. After standing in line with all of her other fans, I finally made it into her presence.

And then my mind went blank. Um, what exactly was I going to say to her?

Something embarrassing, obviously. I wanted to tell her I loved her. But that would be weird. So instead, I think I blurted out something along the lines of, "I'm so, so, so excited to meet you. I read your blog religiously. I really came to this today to be able to meet you. Before I left, I told my boyfriend that all I wanted was to get a picture with you." And that's where I should have crawled under the nearest chair and pretended that I was as crazy as I sounded. Or where she should have called security and had me hauled off to the nearest loony bin. "I love you" might have been less awkward - for both of us.

But, instead she acted totally natural. She posed for a picture with me.

And then, she said, "Aw, thank you. Tell your boyfriend I said hi and thank you for letting you come today." How sweet was that???

Even though I could have had a free registration, I didn't make it to the real WPPI conference because it was too far away in Las Vegas, and my day job needed me here. Plus, I really want to have a little more experience so that I can take full advantage of everything it has to offer.

So this is my goal: next year, I am taking WPPI by storm. In Las Vegas, or wherever it is. And I will get to meet more awesome people that do the same thing I do. And I will learn from them. And we will be friends. Sheesh, I sound like I really need friends ;-).