Something you should know about me is that I am obsessed with taking pictures. This is not a confession that I am an aspiring photographer or someone that thinks myself talented of skilled in the photography world in any way. Simply, I am obsessed with taking pictures of my friends. I always love to capture moments of parties, or on vacation, or really anytime any of us get together and leave the house - or have a bunch of people over AT the house.

It’s one of my best worst qualities, because yes, we have heaps of photos from times in our lives, but are they the best photos? Often times, people’s opinions skew to a resounding NO. It is hard to make every shot a PowerShot (that’s a fun little joke because it is the brand of my digital camera, yes I most definitely still use it - people love to hate it!), but what I may lack in quality I more than makeup in quantity.

For example, my friend, Lauren, just had her 30th birthday party. This was a perfect time for me to whip out the camera because:

it’s a 70s disco themed party! That’s right people, I’m talking costumes, decorations, the whole dang deal
So many friends were present, and as I previously mentioned, COSTUMED
I love Lauren, it was a great party, I am truly never happier than when I have an active camera in my hot little hands. It also helps if the songs I selected are playing at said party, but that’s a compulsion we can discuss at a later date

As a result, I took over 400 photos that night with my digital camera AND my iPhone. Were all of them good? Absolutely not. Were all of them clear and worth keeping? Definitely not. But I love all of them, and would like to share a few with you below -

When I take pictures, I like to ask my subjects for some variety, giving them prompts to react and change to - as you can see it can garner pretty fantastic results, though my frantic snapping & shouted instructions can garner a mix of reactions, not always at the same time. That’s why the camera keeps flashing, nothing is going to stop me from getting my shot. The beautiful birthday girl is the rainbow sequined dream, and these gals are her 70s muses and confidantes - When these people commit, they really COMMIT I tell you!

These are taken at various times and location during the party, but I am glad I was able to capture some time early in the night where everyone looked their very best, costumes fully intact, as well as some pal time, and some karaoke time. It is a nice journey throughout the night, taking the viewer through the night as seen by me.

These are two of my favorite photos from the walk home. Oh yes, your friend, me, was taking SO MANY PHOTOS of our journey home. The party really never stops does it? The reason I like these ones so much is because they are disembodied from any type of reality? We are the new stars of Euphoria, move over Jules & Rue. I was very proud of our glitter, and truth be told, I was also carrying home my glittery platform heels (don’t you worry, I packed a pair of sandals for just this reason - never walk barefoot but never murder your feet in heels for hours on end. Call me Hannah Montana because this is the best of both worlds).

This is not the first time I have obsessively documented an entire night, it is one of hundreds. I did this in high school, documenting every time our friends would have a sleepover or go to a dance, in college at all of our themed mixers, in adult life at any moment that I remember I have a digital camera or a phone full of storage. It could be considered photo journaling, primarily because I take photos of what I know I will want to see again. As I have mentioned, I have been turned off by writing in a journal, but creating a journal with my camera has always been and will always be my favorite hobby. Taking pictures helps me remember my life, it preserves my friends when they are feeling alive and having fun, it makes me laugh harder than most things (thank goodness for my patient and highly expressive subjects - they are what makes taking photos so fun).

Of course, I have gotten in trouble for posting less than flattering or even downright embarrassing photos of my loved ones. In the heyday of Facebook, I was constantly fielding pleas to UNTAG or DELETE, and in a way I totally understood, but I also just wanted people to have as much fun laughing as I did. To all my pals that I have embarrassed in the past - I am truly sorry, but also you are so funny and I want to show you to the WORLD! Having these photos means I can relive these memories, primarily because I never stop hitting the button. I can see whole segments of my life played back because I never stopped snapping. I love marrying my images with my words, again giving myself the best of both worlds (as you can probably tell, I love Miley and was a true devotee to the Disney Channel for some time). That way I can have my cake and eat it too?

The root of it all is I love to make people laugh. I love directing photo shoots with progressively sillier prompts because I want to make people laugh - you, me, everybody. My camera is my tool to connect with my people, and I am going to continue to be attached for life.

PS Can you tell which photos are iPhone and which are Powershot?