Last fall I went on a wedding photography conference in Stockholm, which turned out to be pretty epic. Not only because of the inspiration I got from the speakers, but mainly thanks to all the crazy people I met. When Nordica announced that there would be a sequel in Rome, I signed up straight away.
I don't go on these kind of trips with massive expectations. The speakers can be hit or miss. The weather can be summer or shit. But it's always an adventure to hang out with new and old faces in a new city, and you can never predict what will come your way.
This trip was no exception. Not only did something unexpected happen, it was probably the most unexpected thing I have experienced and ever will experience.
After day 2 of speeches, me and my awesome travel companions Anna and Beatrice went back to our Airbnb flat to have a shower and prepare for the evening. Outside our building, fiddling with the keys, I look back and see a guy ride past on a bike. He looks at me, I look at him... Maxime?!
In 2009, I spent a summer on Gotland, where I got to know a French guy who lived and worked at the same place as me. Maxime! I hadn't seen or talked to him since, and now we stumble across each other on the streets of Rome! I didn't even know he had lived in Italy for the last three years!
Photo: Beatrice Bolmgren
The Rolls Royce of coincidences. We ended up having breakfast the day after and updated each other on what has happened in the last seven years of our lives.
Oh, and the conference? It's always great to get some reminders and inspiration from other people in the business. Especially with the first wedding of the season coming up in a few days. My favorite part was definitely Brian Morrow (a.k.a. Sharkpig). When he used science to explain why it's so amazing that we get to shoot weddings, I was hooked. To sum the speech up:
"At the bottom of an ocean of air, ten quadrillion cells spring into a storm of electrical activity and excitement as their master returns from the dream realm. Within a bubble being dragged by a star through an unfathomable darkness, all is once again showered in pure energy. Thus a wizard of light makes her preparations to go and capture the most complex and profound emotion of all time, love."
Also, he did a cartwheel on stage.
Can't wait to see what Stockholm will bring this October!
