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80th Birthday Celebration

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Day Two of the Big 80th Birthday Celebration weekend!  You can find Day One here–you don’t want to miss this part to see how this family connects and finds joys together!   Sardine has both a magnificent menu and venue–perfect for a celebratory meal! There is a nice energy in the space–chatter and bustle for sure, but easy enough to carry on lovely conversations.
restaurant menu sitting on white tablecloth; chalkboard sign indicating it is brunch timeFocus on numeral 80 sitting on top of chocolate cake, presents on the side, family out of focus sitting at restaurant table

The birthday girl smiles brightly as everyone shares conversation and stories.

happy senior couple smiling at a restaurant tableblack and white; people at a long restaurant table examining the menu

Documentary event photography can show you little details that you may have missed because you were engaged with others.

people at a long restaurant table examining the menu and covertly playing on their cellphoneBig groups often have several stories happening at once.  I can count four in this image alone.  The young man on the left is expressively talking, the two middle women are cheers-ing, the woman on the far left is engaged with someone out of the frame on the far left and the body language of the woman in the bottom right corner tells us she is engaged with people out of frame on the right. The woman setting the pitcher of ice water on the table isn’t necessarily part of the individual stories, yet she helps establish location outside of the still life version of the table and menus.  Documentary event photography is not just a snapshot of a group; it can artfully illustrate many stories in one.
black and white; people at a long restaurant table making a "cheers" gesture with their cupsblack and white; people at a long restaurant table making conversation for an 80th birthday celebration

In documentary event photography, details can be extremely important to the story.  I love the colors and circular shapes below, but for the family, the specific drinks on the tray are a nod to their personal tastes.

colorful drinks on a waitress's circular tray

Let the stories and official speeches begin.  Both laughter and touching tears captivated the group as they intently listened to each other share special stories of their childhood, mother, and marriage. Be on the lookout in subsequent images where parents and children emotionally react to the beautiful stories.

Man stands in the center of a long restaurant table to give a toast and cheers for an 80th birthday celebration people at a long restaurant table making a "cheers" gesture with their cups for an 80th birthday celebrationblack and white; woman expressively gestures while other family members are engaged in her storyWoman dabs teary eyes with a white napkin at the end of a long table during an 80th birthday celebrationHusband of birthday girl dabs teary eyes with a white napkin at the end of a long table during an 80th birthday celebration

I so love this. I think it encapsulates a lengthy brunch with kids just perfectly. It brings me back to being a kid myself and how these king-sized, long-winded family conversations felt. I’m pretty sure it’s a childhood rite of passage and they’re reacting perfectly.

young and preteen girl hang on mother with bored expressions

The food arrives at last and I make it clear in the beginning that I won’t awkwardly stick around photographing people while they eat.  Have no fear if you’re considering hiring me for a special event and worried about “pictures of people eating.” 🙂 I’ve got you!

Waitress brings out a plate of food on a circular tray to a group of people at a long restaurant tableContact me for having your own special family event photographed. I would love to show you what your event feels like so you can sink in and enjoy yourselves without having to worry about getting the moments.

xo,

Jen

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