Jim's 60th...Surprise!

Jim was turning 60 and his wife Jo wanted to do something special. The plan was to have Jim's brother take him out and somehow find their way to the St. Petersburg Woman's Club on Snell Isle where a whole bunch of friends and family would be on hand to surprise him and help celebrate the occasion.

Jo wanted to make sure that we got photos of all the guests. The easiest way to do this is to get them as they come in the door. I figured some balloons and the "St. Petersburg Woman's Club" sign would make a suitable backdrop. A flash on a stand was pointed at the wall behind me producing a nice broad light source coming slightly from the left. I tried to get the folks into the party as fast as possible...."Stand here....smile.....'click'....OK, enjoy the party!" I think this was a great idea. The only other way to capture everyone is to do table shots, which never turn out very nice.

A -ahem- recent picture of the birthday boy.


The guest of honor arrives and greets his friends and family.


I dare you to turn down bruschetta delivered by these lovely ladies.


Jim's mother points out some highlights from the last 60 years.


The Woman's Club sits right on the water overlooking Coffee Pot Bayou and the Snell Isle bridge that heads back to the mainland.


Jim gets a kick out of a toast from a good friend.

Jo wanted some family portraits outside. I had brought an umbrella and was able to set up some decent light on the go. Luckily, there was very little wind (umbrellas make good light modifiers and excellent wind catchers).


A nice big group shot. A second flash off to the side illuminates the background to add some depth.

Happy Birthday Jim! The party was full of loving family, fun friends, good food and cold drinks. What more could you ask for? Thanks for choosing me to capture moments from this special day.