FetishCon was a bit overwhelming for a first-time attendee - so many of the producers and models I've admired for years all in one place! It's really something to behold - a whole hotel, hundreds of people, and every one of them fetishists...never felt more "at home" around a group of people in my life.
In terms of getting into the video side - I had no experience at all before FetishCon - I have some other friends on in the business who were really great in terms of helping me get the right equipment, give me some lighting lessons, editing lessons, teach me some of the proper angles to shoot, etc. - but like any skill/craft, it's a matter of practice. You learn some lessons early - some the hard way - about how to shoot properly (the technical side), but you just keep getting better at it with practice. There's certainly at least some of it that's just a matter of "having the eye" (i.e. the stuff you can't teach), but a good amount of the craft is really a teachable skill, that most people can learn. The financial side is certainly an investment - shoots are expensive, equipment is expensive - you have to be willing to accept a certain amount of start-up expense, and be prepared to take it seriously.
Do you go to the foot parties? If so, I'll definitely see you there at some point - I never miss them! And from what I hear, Catherine will be coming back up for more mayhem soon 🙂