I have no intention of turning this into a wedding planning blog, but having just attended the big winter wedding show in town, I had the opportunity to meet quite a few wedding photographers. It was both exciting and intimidating.

It was exciting because I was able to add so many new photo blogs to my personal reading list and see page after page of amazing images.

It was intimidating because I've never really even tried to make the leap into professional photography. I think about it and then I talk myself out of it. Too risky. Not good enough. Don't have/can't afford the right equipment. Not enough time. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Since then, I have been thinking about my life list and about bravery. I would really value many of the things that come with being self-employed, but I never feel quite ready to make the leap. I don't think I am quite ready to add "become self-employed" to my life list, but I am going to spend a great deal of time examining the notion: what, when, how, where, and why. I would need a plan and a back-up plan.

Meanwhile, I am also faced with the task of picking a wedding photographer. I narrowed my choices down to nine, all of them really, really good. I think I would be happy to work with any of them, though I think it would be good to speak to each of them on a more in-depth basis, to make sure we can work together. As a photographer, I know how important trust and chemistry is between a photographer and a subject. Then I will also have to factor in how soon I can put together the money for a deposit and who will still be available for my date at that time. The field might narrow a bit just based on the fact that June is a popular month, and other people are also starting to plan for next year.

But wow. Regardless of who I end up going with, I may very well do some blog linkage around here soon, because these are excellent photographers, excellent artists, and they are local small businesses: all things that I love to support.