It is hard for me to believe that in less than two weeks I board a plane for Germany to begin a two week adventure that is way outside my comfort zone. An idea created earlier this year to gather like mined European toy photographers together to share ideas, shoot together and create some amazing memories is just around the corner.

Personally I am trying not to stress about the challenges ahead; taking two weeks out of my life is a Herculean effort. But with a guest list consisting of good friends and long time Instagram friends, I know the effort will be worth it.

A few of the attendees I have know about as long as I have been on Instagram: @issogud.62, @Popapan, @Iancockayne and @herrK. It will be surreal to meet these lovely internet friends in person. I have enjoyed their feeds, watched @popapan’s children grow up, been envious of the amazing LEGO treasures @issogud.62 finds at his local flea market, have enjoyed the camaraderie and conversation with @iancockayne and I have appreciated warm words of encouragement more than once from @herrk. They are dear friends all.

Of course I am very much looking forward to meeting @east_mountain (a little nervous even). Of course I didn’t really give him a choice about attending the meet-up since he lives in the general vincinity of Stockholm, I think they call it strong arming. I have been watching Christoffer push the boundaries of his LEGO photography  since almost the beginning of his 365 project. It has been fun to see him grow as a photographer and artist. I look forward to meeting him in person and hopefully see some of that passion in action.

The biggest surprise attendee, and I must say I am thrilled by this news, is @suppaduppa666. I don’t even know how long I have been following David and his amazing Iron Man photographs…years.  I don’t think you can find a more consistently inventive toy photography feed on Instagram. I look forward to meeting David (again a little nervous) and learning from such an accomplished photographer.

I am also super excited to be connecting in person with my partners in all things plastic, @_me2_ and @Avanaut. Our occasional Google hang outs are fun, but they are no substitute for sharing a meal and laughing together about the weird geeky world we all inhabit. Yes, I am definitely looking forward to seeing their smiling faces again in person.

Of course there are still a handful of people who we are hoping will make it (I’m keeping my fingers crossed!). There are even a couple of people who are completely new to me who have already RSVP’d “Yes!” I’m not too worried about meeting any of these awesome people (although I will confess I am a little nervous), because if past experience is any indication, we will all get along famously. Why? Because we all speak the language of toys!

~ xxsjc

IMG_3191-1

ps – If you have not RSVP’ed and would like to attend please step forward now. Space is limited and we are looking to finalize the guest list and accommodations ASAP. 

pps – We will send an update email to all guests over the weekend to confirm participation, and work out some of the practical logistics, so do keep an eye on your inbox.