I have to say…the photography community is an awesome place to be! I found out this weekend just how many amazing women are doing what I love to do! We are all in different spots in our lives…some of these women already have teens, some just had babies and some just got married… and then there is me! Completely single with my head in the clouds dreaming about finally meeting Katelyn James! (which I did!)

This weekend I went to the first CLIC Conference held in Raleigh, North Carolina. I feel like everyone knows where I was…I posted it on every social media account I have about 5 times. For those of you who read all of those statuses, I’m really sorry!! I am just so excited AND I realized that my dreams are truly attainable. I left work Thursday at 5:30pm. I was literally sitting in my office as jittery as I could be. I kept glancing over at the clock wondering if it was closer to packing up but only a few minutes had passed. BUT!!!! The time finally came and I drove myself down 85 to Raleigh, North Carolina…

The GPS was leading the way (if you didn’t know my Sigma Alpha Iota fraternity nickname is U-Turn…so yes, the GPS was leading the way) and I was cruising with the music blaring, singing at the top of my lungs. I felt free! It was the first time I’d ever traveled by myself and this small weekend trip confirmed that my photography career is truly what I want.

I got to Raleigh! Ready for just about anything as I approached the Hampton Inn. I parked my car and strolled in towards the check-in desk. I knew in my heart that something bad was going to happen. Either I hadn’t brought the right form of identification or the reservation was going to be canceled…my heart was going a mile a minute. The front desk receptionist looked at me and said “Ma’am”.. (OH GREAT!! Somethings wrong).. We are having maintenance problems so we are going to upgrade you to the Queen Suite and the Embassy Suites Hotel across the street.”

WHAT!!!!! That never happens to me. I eagerly manage to spit out the words OK!!! and run back to the car to leave my affordable hotel and race towards the luxury suite that I was just gifted. As I arrived I saw that it was insanely busy!! I thought to myself JEEZ…this conference must be a big deal. I walked in to a room full of tall attractive men with basketball jerseys on. I was literally in the center of March Madness and didn’t even realize what was going on. I saw Duke and UCONN players by the dozen!

It was a pretty great night…but I also had an amazing conference to wake up for tomorrow. I got everything in order and called it a night. The next day getting ready was the most chaotic day I have ever experienced. It was as if I had never picked up a makeup brush or even fixed my hair a day in my life. I was so nervous to meet my idol (Katelyn James) and hear what she had to say. I finally managed to get ready and be downstairs in time for the shuttle to bring us over to the Angus Barn.

Do you guys ever have that moment where you are looking for someone…and you end up having funnel vision when you finally see them for the first time? That’s exactly what happened when I first saw Katelyn. We were heading up stairs in the Angus Barn and I saw a glimpse of her and had to do a double take. I was in AWE.. and of course to shocked to say anything. I mean, I had been following this girl for YEARS by reading her blog and now I was 10 feet away from her.

I found a seat at the conference. This place was amazing! If you are ever in Raleigh and need a great restaurant to eat at…EAT HERE! Its rustic and has the greatest decorations. Most importantly, the food is FANTASTIC! We started our day at CLIC by hearing from many successful women. Some were photographers and other were not…but each had a very specific point to make about how I ran my business. It was like they were watching over my business and knew what I was struggling with. It felt like every comment was directed to me. Of course, I am sure many women at the conference felt this way but I was amazed on how prepared and experienced these ladies had become in a very short amount of time.

The time finally came. I had to give myself a pep talk to try to find Katelyn and attempt to introduce myself to her. If you know me at all I never have this problem. I am always the first to volunteer and a very outgoing person…but this was Katelyn James we were talking about. Not only did I want to meet her but one day I want to be a KJBRIDE. I finally found her and as confidently as I could I introduced myself. Now, my introduction was probably the most ridiculous thing that came out of my mouth and I went to shake her hand only for her to apologize that she had just washed them in the bathroom. I just laughed…but it broke my anxiety over meeting her. I kept thinking “Oh my gosh. She’s a real person and she’s funny!” The day went on and I grew to love her even more than when I just read her blog. It was a dream come true..but I then met Amanda Hedgepeth. Let me tell you guys..this woman is the most sincere and family loving girl I have ever met. I quickly realized I had two people I looked up to…and I am TOTALLY ok with that. Now, I have another blog to read 🙂

After a long day, I had to mentally prepare myself for the next. Tomorrow was the workshop where I have to show my skill to others and try to be the best I can be. I was intimidated and anxious. The day came and went in a blink of an eye. We had critique time but my favorite part was going out into a garden and taking pictures of stationary. I have to admit I am a bit of a stationary addict. There was an adorable table set up with lots of vintage settings and HOT PINK MACAROONS…which I wanted to eat. Thank God, I resisted temptation. I had a lot of time to talk to each photographer and see what everyone was personally struggling with but my all time favorite person to talk to was Amanda Hedgepeth. She had the best advice and she always said it in just the right way. I seriously could talk to her for hours! She never held back either. If I had a question you best believe it was answered to the fullest!!

I learned A LOT in a very short amount of time. The biggest thing I learned was that I could be exactly who I wanted to be throughout this journey. I didn’t need to emulate anyone else… I just needed to be fine with my work and what I did.

That’s all for now and thanks for reading! Check out some of my pictures from the CLIC Conference below…

-Heather Michelle

Heather Michelle Photography

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