Final Days

My time in eNYC is winding down. I just looked at the little Excel spreadsheet tracker I created right before I came here, and I see there are only 25 days left; today is Day 101 here. I feel great. It was such a great decision to come here and it's worked out so perfectly well. (Well, of course being a perfectionist, things are rarely ever perfect for me, but I want to try to be more positive.)

Last weekend I shot my last scheduled wedding with the photographer I'd been working with this summer. Although it wasn't actually with her, it was with her associate and another assistant I hadn't worked with before. Completely different experience from working with her, but it's all been good because I've learned something new every time.

The weekend after this one coming up, I'll be flying down to Or1ando F1orida to shoot my high school friend B.'s wedding at her parents' place in Oca1a. I'm excited about that because I've known B. and her family for so long so it's even more of an honor to be the one taking the official photos. And the experience is great because it will give me more an idea about what it's like to shoot a destination wedding in the US with knowing how much time to arrive before and when to leave after, and booking flight/hotel/car rental. My aspiration is to become more of a sought-after destination wedding photographer who will travel anywhere in the world and who will be sought-after by clients regardless of their or my location.

Financially things have worked out well too even though it felt shaky for the first month or so. Between the work I've gotten here and all those weddings I have booked when I get back (5 in 10 days and then one on Nov 24th), it looks like I will have covered most, if not all, of my expenses and I've bought some great new equipment that will help me take even better photos in the future, as well as the slide show software and sample coffee-table book/album that will help me present myself more professionally.

Of course, with this great feeling of accomplishment comes a little gnawing feeling like "I hope it really does keep going well and nothing bad happens to knock it all down". I don't know if I'll ever get over that insecurity. But for now I'm trying to push it aside and enjoy what I've done and my last few weeks here in eNYC.

People keep asking if I'm ready to go back to Mexxico or if I feel like I want to stay longer in eNYC. It's funny how I feel. I love eNYC like no other place in the world. There is no place greater than here, especially for someone like me. But lately I've also been feeling the weight of the urban-ness and looking forward to getting back to a simpler life with nature at my doorstep.