Maggiano's at The Grove Party!

I shot this family's portrait session at The Grove in Los Angeles about a month and a half ago. We recently got back together at Maggiano's Little Italy, which is also located at The Grove, for the boy's birthday party, and what a party it was! Here's just a small sampling. Thanks for looking, and as always, I appreciate your comments.

The full set can be found here...

http://www.timparkphot​ography.com/caleb-c.html

Tim

1.

Excellent photos Tim, are these with the 35L ?

Maybe it's just me, but 1 and 4 just don't work for me. I keep seeing this lately. Another person in the shot that's neither in nor out of the shot. They're blurry and in the background, but they're still there. Personally I think they need to either be in or out, but not halfway. I keep looking at them wondering what they're looking at.

The rest look good. Great saturated colors.

-Charles

2 things:

1) You are a great photographer.
2) That looks like one of the most elaborate 1st Birthday party's I've ever seen.

*smiles* Good work, as always, Tim.
I envy your candid shots. Because you make it look so easy.

pianomav...thank you very much! Of the images posted, #3 and #7 were with the 35L. #8 was the 85 f/1.8. The rest were 24LII. I went back and forth from the 24LII and 35L throughout the party with a few taken with the 85 f/1.8 and 135L.

Charles...thanks for your comments. Yeah, I think it a personal preference thing. I actually don't do these kind of shots too often, but I've been expanding a bit.

Jerry...I always appreciate your kind words! Thanks! Yeah, that was quite the party.

great pictures! and I love this restaurant!

Great set! You always produce a set of pictures that not only work together but they each stand out on their own. I love the PP on these. I'm looking at a 135L as my next lens purchase, but this set makes me want the 24L II some day. Which do you use more (out of the 35L & 24L II)?

Carlitos714 wrote in post #11429336
great pictures! and I love this restaurant!

Carlitos...thank you very much! Yes, the food is great!

StimpyJCat wrote in post #11429460
Great set! You always produce a set of pictures that not only work together but they each stand out on their own. I love the PP on these. I'm looking at a 135L as my next lens purchase, but this set makes me want the 24L II some day. Which do you use more (out of the 35L & 24L II)?

Wayne...thank you very much! I really appreciate your comment about the shots working together and also standing on their own. This is exactly what I strive for when I shoot events! I've had my 35L much longer than the 24LII, so I really got really comfortable with the 35L. For a while, I had wanted something wider for event shooting but with a similar look and feel, so I pulled the trigger on the 24LII. It took a little while, but now I feel like I'm getting into the zone with the 24 as well. The 24 has much more perspective distortion simply because of the focal length, so I need to be more careful. For a family portrait session, I pretty much stick to my 35L/135L combo, but for events, I use both interchangeably.

btw, the 24LII feels sweet (physically). It also handles flare incredibly well. The only way I would part with the 35L is if Canon came about with a 35LII to match the 24LII.

so the boy wants to be a pro golfer uh? if it was $100 bill not $20, he might've gone for the other

banpreso wrote in post #11430828
so the boy wants to be a pro golfer uh? if it was $100 bill not $20, he might've gone for the other

My thoughts too but if he is a pro golfer he could have the money too.

Great shots as always Tim nice creamy feel with rich colors too.

banpreso...good point!

Sam...thanks! I had a blast covering this party!