A little while ago, I was happy to be asked to photograph a Bar Mitzvah party for a young man named Sam (pictured above), held upstairs at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. I’d done a headshot session for Sam before, and it was nice to see him and his parents again, especially on such a happy occasion.
It was a great evening, with a lovely setting up on the terrace of the Center, and a mixture of Sam’s school friends and older family friends and relatives as guests.
Photographing parties events like this is nerve-wracking to a degree, and being there as a professional is very different from just firing off some images as a guest.
There’s an obligation to get good shots of everyone there if it’s a small enough party (as this was) while also trying to get excellent shots of the key folks and key moments. Sometimes it’s the little details or less than crucial events that really tell the story of the party, so you have to look out for those too. And not get in people’s way, while they’re enjoying themselves.
On the other hand, it’s an honour to be invited into people’s special occasions, and the guests tend to be in a good mood and looking good, and are very tolerant of a photographer they don’t know milling about.
It’s hard work, but I was happy with the results I got, and more importantly, so were Sam and his parents.
