Building Community // A Three Cedars Farm Photography Meet-Up

This was a little different for me. Actually, I've never done anything like it before. I went to a collaborative photo shoot with zero control. I didn't have a say in the location, time, or what the models wore. It challenged me and let me play with lighting that I never would have picked.

I've been searching and trying to build community when it comes to photography for several years now. My attempts have not gone so well and I have gotten slightly discouraged at times. When a friend added me to an Instagram chat group of local photographers, I was very excited!! The organizer of that group is someone who knows a lot of my good friends and I've met once before. Hey, I'm just thrilled that someone else is doing the planning and executing :)

Other than the organizer, I knew one other member of this group, plus then I invited a friend. Everyone else was a new face to me. What was really funny was that another girl and I were both at fall retreat a few weekends ago, but didn't meet there!!!

We took photos until the sun went down and then had a bonfire, cider, and doughnuts while we played a game called "We're Not Really Strangers". It was my first time playing that game and it was interesting. It's like a deeper version of an ice breaker game.

I enjoyed myself and am looking forward to doing more with this group in the future. It's been too long since I took photos just for creativity's sake. I should try to do it more often.

Don't they look like a band modeling for a new album cover?!

Boys and girls :) The guys are playing with wood while the girls are being epic models. I love this so much!!!

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This made me crack up when I got home and saw it!!!

I don't remember who came up with this idea but it turned out really well!

This is so different from anything I normally do but I really like how it turned out! Another guy in the group had the idea to stop and do some photos in front of these car headlights.

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