In an interaction with another photographer yesterday, something happened to me. I was chatting with him and he said, “It's refreshing to have realism. I mean you hear about the Mouseketeers or whatever being all happy and sparkly, and then when you've been in the industry for a while you realize that's NOT what it's like at all.”

I laughed. “It's actually Showiteers,” I corrected him. “And it's awesome.

I hear a lot of things about Mouseketeers… I mean, Showiteers.

“What a bunch of bull. NO ONE is that happy all the time.”

“What's the deal? Unicorns, hugs and sparkles? Yeah right. Welcome to the real world!”

I find it sort of hilarious that being happy all the time and giving hugs to people you really only know through Facebook is a bad thing. Is it a little uncommon? Maybe. Is it a little weird? Could be… but bad? Nah- I don't think so.

[pullquote]Let me tell you something- the Showiteer community rocks, and here are five reasons why I think you guys are AWESOME.[/pullquote]

1. Time and time again I've seen basically complete strangers come to the aid of their fellow photographers. Did your car get broken into and all of your gear got stolen? BAM! Here's a Go Fund Me to help you replace it. Your second shooter broke their leg and you have NO ONE to fill in for the wedding in two days? NO PROBLEM! Here's a list of second shooters from your area who would love to help. You fell into a fountain with ALL OF YOUR GEAR at a session?!?! (True story- this happened.) Don't stress- you can borrow mine. In this community, support is at an all time high- hugs included.

2.I know you've probably heard of airbnb, but did you know that there are a LOT of Showiteers who are amazing and will let you crash on their couch, or in a spare room? (I mean, as long as you're not a serial killer.) I have had lots of Showiteers stay at my place- which is only weird if I really think about how I met them on Facebook. I've hung out with Showiteer peeps from NY, AZ, CO, CA, IL, and Canada, to name a few. It's an awesome-and potentially global- experience.

3. Speaking of second shooters- that is one of the BEST resources we have in the Showiteer group. As a boudoir photographer, I'm not shooting weddings anymore, but I love to assist other Showiteers when they are shooting weddings in my area, or when I happen to be in theirs.

4. Are you looking for someone who knows everything about Lightroom? Got a question about Photoshop? Maybe you've always wanted to try off camera flash for your wedding receptions, but you aren't sure how to pull it off, or want to know how to nail your next sparkler exit. There's a Showiteer for that! Our community is SUCH a great resource for beginning and veteran photographers alike. We have experts in boudoir photography, wedding photography, newborn photography, dog photography, and the list goes on. I see questions being answered every day as photographers connect and share their knowledge. SO AWESOME!

5. Sometimes it can be lonely working as a photographer. Yeah, we get to do rad things, and it's amazing that we get PAID to do a job we all love so much, but there's no water cooler to chat by, or coworkers to yell at (usually- unless you work with your spouse.) Enter Facebook, and the Showiteers. Got a HILARIOUS photo of the bride in mid-sneeze? We want to see it and laugh with you. Shot at a venue that was AMAZEBALLS and want to brag on it a bit? We want to drool over it too. FINALLY nailed your OCF shot thanks to a nice Showiteer who helped you figure your setup out? Show it off!! We get it. We know what your life is like, because ours is like that too. We're here to commiserate, help you figure out what to do when a client goes crazy, to gush over your incredible shot, to chat about which shoes are the most comfortable (AND CUTE!) to wear to your next gig. We're here to talk marketing, to listen to your dreams, to share crazy reaction GIFs, and to be your friend and coworker. You don't have to do this alone.

There you have it, folks!! Just five quick reasons why this community is more than unicorns, glitter, and hugs. I'd love to hear your favorite thing about the Showit community!! Hit me up in the comments!

PS. Yes, I did draw that unicorn. I've only seen a real one once, so I had to go from memory 😉

Stephanie Moore

Stephanie grew up with no power, running water, or indoor plumbing- for real. She is a boudoir photographer in beautiful Cranbrook, BC, the mother of two little girls, and wife of an amazing man. She is passionate about helping other photographers achieve their dreams, writing, music, and Photoshop.