RHP Prom 2017

It's prom time.  Bryce got to go this year because his school is small.  Sophomore class through Senior class can.  Frosh class cannot attend unless they’re asked/invited as a date.   Since Bryce is a sophomore, he gets to go.  He was asked by 2 girls last year & he declined.   He was asked by a girl this year and he declined.  He asked a friend who attends Redondo High but she couldn’t go.  He decided he’d go stag.  (Gasp!) 

 In the 80s if you didn’t get asked to the prom, you didn’t go.  Going stag wasn’t a thing to do, I think?  I don’t know of anyone or any group of friends who attended the prom without a date.  Someone correct me if I’m wrong.  I asked who was going to take pictures.  Bryce, matter of fact says, “It's called our phones, Mom! How else?!”  I thought, “Phones??!”  You don't get photos to to frame or to pass them out!   I mean what happened to the days where taking pictures and carrying your stack of wallet sized pics around to show off? Back in my days,  It was a big deal to have Sanrio themed picture wallets.

If you were friends with everyone and anyone at school, you didn’t just carry 1 wallet filled with pictures, you had at least 2 or 3 of them, each themed with either Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars or My Melody. You ordered extra wallet sized pictures so you exchange with others.  Bryce's school contracts with a photographer  who takes the school pictures and formal pictures.  However, the photographer is real expensive.  The kids decided they did not want to pay $12.00 per person to do a group shot  plus the picture package had to be pre-ordered and prepaid. 

We arrived at Paseo Del Mar, scenery is beautiful.  The beach is behind the palm trees,  5 (another  boy went stag) guys looked sharp and groomed, the 3 girls all nervous but glamourous for their dates. The families were there to capture the moments-with their phones.  One of the parents actually  brought his DSLR w/him.  Well, you may as well know by now, I was not about to cherish this moment taking pictures w/my phone.  I brought my DSLR with me.  I wanted to make sure that if I were to capture this day it wasn’t going to be on my phone or on Facebook , it would be photographs I can frame,  photos for the prom goer's families and the prom goers as well.  You could imagine my son’s look of horror when I busted out of the house with the camera.  I didn’t care.  I took charge, had the teenagers pose, took some candid shots and just kept snapping away. 

 

I took close to 100 shots.  It is true that out of  100 different pictures you don’t get a lot of real good pictures.  I was taught that in a photography class a few years back by Stephen Oachs.   Thank God these digital cameras enables you to delete on the spot but at the moment of taking pictures, who’s got time to delete?  Bad enough that these teenagers thought I was taking too much of their time already.  They wanted to get going (limo had arrived early) and it was bad enough that we parents were doting on them, fixing their corsages, critiquing  and criticizing them.  In other words, we were EMBARASSING them.   Needless to say, pictures were finally taken and all the kids bolted to the limo.

After much editing and picking out about 20 of the ‘best’ pictures, I ordered a set of photos for each couple: (2) 5x7s, 2 sets of wallets, some 4x6s.  I took pictures of families w/their sons and moms with their son.  Yes, the boys because being a mom of 4 boys, my boys do not like taking pictures with their mama and or their family.  While I snapped pictures of the boys with their mom and dads, the girls were all taking selfies like it was routine to them.  They proudly took pictures w/their parents and wherever they could go snap happy.  I picked up the pictures from Costco the next day. I had Bryce separated them.  Each guy and girl got a set of pictures.   The picture with the boys carrying their friend was my favorite.  

 One of the parents did not expect to receive any photographs texted me:

     “Thank you for taking the pictures of  (name withheld) and me and the one with (name withheld),  my husband and I.  We have no pictures of us and I truly appreciate what you captured for us. It was totally unexpected,  they turned out GREAT and I am so grateful that I have pictures from this day that I can frame and hang up.  Thank you!”

 It has become so routine to take pictures with your phone nowadays. Invest in a DSLR, learn how to use it, take tons of pictures. Print them out, frame those special moments and hang it with pride.  For $35.00, less than 45 minutes of time, memories captured and pictures to share, pictures are lifetime of memories you can never erase. Better yet, hire a photographer and take annual family pictures.