An Inside Peek at the Flytographer Global Meetup in Florence, Italy

One of the best parts about having a global vacation photography startup is having friends in over 200 cities worldwide. Creative, passionate, fun friends. So … no matter where you travel, you already know a local who is excited to hang out and show you their slice of Lisbon, Tokyo, Cape Town, NYC. It’s like we have a secret door to the world through our Flytographer family.

When our photographers travel, they often meet up with local Flytographers and tap them for advice. Our private Facebook group is peppered with posts like, “Hey, Bali Flytographers, I’ll be there in June, who wants to grab a beer?”

Last month, we held our third annual Flytographer Global Meetup in Florence, Italy. Once a year, we get together with our photographers from around the world for three days of workshops and photo walks, as well as eating, drinking, and most importantly, connecting with old and new friends.

Confession. Every year I get nervous in the weeks leading up to the meetup. “What if the chemistry is off with the mix of Flytographers this year?” or “What if it’s not as good as last year’s meetup?” Death by “what if.” Yet, somehow the event gets better each year. Richer. Deeper. More fun. New faces that become treasured members of the tribe. We’ve now had three amazing meetups (Paris 2015 and Barcelona 2016), and I can happily share now that all that worry was wasted. From the moment it started at our “welcome cocktails and tapas” night, through to the daily workshops at our cool Airbnb, to the delicious Italian meals and golden hour photowalks, to the last night where dancing, tequila shots and passionate yet questionable karaoke took over, it was nothing short of magical. Note – Kimon, and Francisco and I slayed Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” at the bar; I’m very thankful that Instagram stories only last 24 hours.

The tapestry of friendships we are weaving across the world makes my heart swell. We share stories and tips about photography and travel, but also hot new romances, big love … breakups and divorces … new chapters, new babies and always new adventures. We push each other to grow as artists, learn and be inspired. Our global family is expanding and I can’t wait to see what next year’s meetup brings. When kind, creative and passionate people come together, good things happen.✨

Travel is about making local connections and seeing how others live. I hope you get to meet someone from our wonderful community this year … you just may make a new friend, too.

Nicole
Founder & CEO, Flytographer
Instagram: @flytographerlife
Twitter: @nicole_l_smith