I am sitting in my Vegas hotel room on a chaise lounge with a beautiful view of the city.  This last 24 hours has been a giddy one for me.  I was so nervous going in; totally out of my comfort zone.  I’m so glad I talked to Richard at Pro Photo before I went.  He really set my head straight and  I really feel like I went BIG – and now I can go home feeling accomplished!

This is my first trip going so far alone.  Sounds weird,  but I usually have someone with me.  I was a little nervous about that but also excited.  ow what it’s like to have 4 hours to yourself with no phone, and no computer and no one talking to you?  I know it sounds awful to some people, but to me it was sheer bliss.  I had my sunroof open and windows down and I swear I could feel joy in every cell of my body.

Quiet moments for me are few and far between.   The weather was perfect for this drive.

As I checked into my hotel room I was pleased with my accommodations.  My room was very contemporary.  There is a picture that spans the width of the wall.  It’s a set of eyes.  A little creepy yes, but being the photographer I am, I kind of dug it.  It gives me ideas for art.

The event was to start in a few hours, so I quickly got dressed and headed down.  Thankfully the event was smaller than I had blown up in my mind.  It amazes me how anxiety can darned near cripple you and exacerbate frail emotions.  I live with it all the time; I’m just grateful I can push through.

I got there an hour and a half early, so I had time to meet the people working there.  As I went out and bought a new outfit, I stood talking to a guy in shorts with a crass attitude about what he does.   He runs a photo booth and takes candid pictures along with that and he’s “over it” as he put it.  I got a kick out of him, because he was no holds barred!

The videographer was a  nice guy named Stu.  He’s done these events for years, so to him, his job is as easy as eating cereal.

We worked well together throughout the night.  I have him to thank for the lighting of the Red Carpet.

As people filtered in, they stepped up and I shot away.  They would hand me their cameras and phones to take pictures as well.  Everyone was filled with excitement and all were very nice.

After the Red Carpet, we went up and watched the movie.  It was so great being in the screening room with the actors; it really felt like a family coming together to watch home movies.  This was their first screening as well.  They only know the parts they shot and hadn’t seen it all come together, so they were anxious with anticipation.

The movie was so fun.  I really loved it.  And I could tell the cast loved the way it came together.

After the movie was a cocktail reception. I took a few more pictures and then headed up for the night.  But when I came back to my room, I was too giddy to sleep.  I had survived this ‘previous thought to be frightening’ experience and feel I came out victorious.  In the end, I felt like I was among friends.  I sat on the chaise staring at the city lights in my hotel room and reflected on my experience.  I didn’t fall asleep until 1am.

As I have been told before; you should always do something that makes you a little uncomfortable every day.  I feel like I met my quota for the week, but I will keep looking for more opportunities.  This is definitely one for the books!

I would post pictures in my blog, but being the genius I am…..I forgot my card reader, so I can’t download until I get home.  Priceless, huh???

Happy Friday