You Had Me At Getty | Los Angeles InstaMeet (Photos) • TravelBreak

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A photo posted by Martin Tadashi (@emptyreyes) on Oct 10, 2014 at 10:26am PDT

What happens when you put a bunch of photographers in one of Los Angeles’ most iconic museums?

#YouHadMeAtTheGetty

Awkwardly running in my heels, I found myself arriving late to the Getty InstaMeet hosted by Kyle Huber and Martin Tadashi.

A photo posted by Kyle Huber (@asenseofhuber) on Oct 10, 2014 at 10:47am PDT

An InstaMeet is when a photographer and Instagrammer organize a public invitation for people to meet… it’s an insta-party.

A photo posted by Caleb (@hellohicups) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:36pm PDT

I didn’t know anyone and compensated by being really friendly. Standard.

Although this was my first InstaMeet, the concept is similar to traveler situations where you don’t know anyone, and we all are there to hang out because we have something in common. This day and age, it’s easier than ever to meet new people, and while I appreciate a conversation started in person, I’m fascinated by the concept of following an artist and engaging with an open platform to meet them in person. So there I was solo, but not alone in my objectives.

Per usual, I counterpoise for my internal shyness with a bubbly introduction. Like I’ve said before, I smile when I am nervous; and it’s this energetic invitation that breaks the ice.

I also have this theory that in any situation where people don’t know each other, there are three ways it can go:

1. You’re a little nervous, but so is the other person, so you may as well start the conversation.

2. The other person is in no way uncomfortable, so you obviously shouldn’t be either.

3. Alternatively, they don’t know you and have no desire to meet you, in which case, they aren’t very nice and I don’t want to meet them anyways.

Obviously, Team #YouHadMeAtTheGetty was a swirl of people who identified as #1 or #2. Quite quickly, we were all friends, or at the very least, interested in enjoying the photo tour of an artistic legacy. Who better to snap around with than expert and growing photographers? I learned a few things and had a good time.

Here’s a look at some of my favorite photos from the occasion.