Band Banquet Photos

Smile for the Camera!

For the end-of-the-year Band Banquet, we took a few photos for whoever wanted their photos taken. Whenever we do that, we always end up with some extra photos of ourselves. Some of those are test photos to make sure all of the lighting is set up correctly. And some of that is some silliness while we are waiting for more people to have their photos taken.

Jaylin sometimes gripes about having to be the test subject all of the time. But he is usually available, and he makes a good subject. Even if you have to try really hard to get him to smile sometimes. Also, the backdrop was not quite ready yet, so this really was just a lighting test. By the way, you can click each photo in this post to see a larger version if you don’t want to squint.

We had asked if there would be a theme of any sort. When we learned that there was not one, Laura went to the store to see what she could find.

Some people enjoyed the props, while some people chose to just take a “normal” photo. Whatever that might mean. That was fine either way. We were just happy whenever anyone wanted to have their photo taken.

Jaylin even came back for a “real” photo with some props. Okay, it was really more like we made him come back for another photo, but that’s okay. He may roll his eyes sometimes, but I like to think that one day he will be glad to have all of these fun photos to share.

At the end of the evening, the students (or anyone else who wanted them) could take the flowers that were part of the table centerpieces. So here is Jaylin presenting Laura with a bouquet of sunflowers. By the way, Jaylin was one of the winners of the Best Dressed awards for the night. Pretty cool.

Choosing Your Mate

When you choose a mate, if you have not already done so, choose someone who is fun to be around. Someone who makes you laugh.

But also choose someone who has some different strengths than your strengths. And then don’t be afraid to step back and let your mate use her strengths while you focus on yours.

While “we” took these photos, that is not quite true. Yes, I was the one with the camera. But Laura was the one who was creative enough to come up with the backdrop and props. If it had just been me, the photos would have been much more boring with only a blank wall backdrop. These photos were much better than they would have been otherwise.

If you choose someone who is different from you, you will have many more opportunities to grow than if you choose someone who is just like you. Yes, compatibility is important. But you don’t have to be exactly alike to be compatible. Those differences are what makes life interesting.

You may have to practice your skills of compromising sometimes, but that is a good thing, too. One of the big things in life is getting along with others. And contrary to popular belief, getting along does not mean that everyone else always gives in to your way. That is especially important in marriage because you are going to spend the rest of your life with that person. Learning to compromise may take some practice sometimes, but it is a good thing.

I am thankful for my wife and her differences, and how she always keeps things fun and interesting!

Bible Verse

A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown. - Proverbs 12:4

About the Photos

For these photos, I used my Canon 60D camera instead of my usual Olympus camera, although I think the Olympus camera would have done well for these photos, too. But since I have previous practice with the Canon camera for these types of photos, that is what I went with.

Lighting was from a Canon 430 EX II flash mounted on a stand next to me and firing into an umbrella, with the light reflected from the umbrella onto the subjects. The flash was controlled by a Cactus V2 transmitter and receiver. Simple, but effective. I like the off-camera lighting look for photos like these.

I did have all of the camera settings set manually. That way, I could get the settings right at the beginning (hence Jaylin being the lighting test subject). Then I did not have to worry about the settings the rest of the night.

Oh, and Jaylin took the photos of the two of us. Just in case you were wondering. I had taken my tripod and could have used my remote shutter control, but it was easier to just have him do it.

I did tweak the photos slightly in Adobe Lightroom, just to give them a little more pop, too. That took a few minutes, but it was worth it.

To me, these photos were a fun memory of a fun night!