Picture Party - Outtake

Looking for something different and fun for an evening with good friends?  Throw a Picture Party.  Invite a group of friends to share in the cost of hiring a professional photographer to work with you individually to create professional quality photographs. 

The photographer sets up in one room and works with individuals or small groups for ½ hour or so to capture some great shots.  The rest of the time you and your friends get to catch up around a loaded snack and beverage table. At the end 
of the night everyone has created some great portraits they will treasure, not just for the image, but also for the experience.

Even these little ones, who were in the play room while I worked with their mommies to create special Valentine's Day portraits, thought the evening was a blast....

Breaking The Rules

Last week I went to lunch with a group of women I have known a very long time.  We are all members of the same service organization and we spend a lot of time together organizing civic and cultural activities in the Orange County area.  Occasionally we have a bit of time when we can "just have fun" and last week was one of those days.  We met at McKenna's on the Bay, in Long Beach, and spent the afternoon leisurely eating a delicious meal, sharing stories and celebrating a birthday.

After lunch I spent a little time walking around, clicking the shutter on my camera.  I liked the images so much I decided to break the rules and post them here.

What rules?  Glad you asked.. there seems to be an unwritten rule that photographers should "show what they want to sell" when they post photographs on their blogs, but that doesn't always work for me.  Sometimes I find something, a person, a rock or a plant that is intriguing, or beautiful, or just plain ol' strange and I want to share that image with my friends.

So today no people pics.  No families, no kiddos, no picture stories from special events...  just  a couple of my favorite images from a day with friends.