I never subscribed to saying “do not mix business with pleasure”. I (unfortunately) spend most of my waking hours at work or working, so naturally you develop deep relationships with your co-workers. Arinn has been a grounding force in our workplace and though it’s extremely difficult to no longer see in the halls, I am still happy that she is moving to a bigger and better things.
This was also an opportunity to share the performance of my daily camera, the Ricoh GR, in a night/flash/party setting. I am quite happy how it performed. Not only were the colors rich, but the camera is not intimidating to people so they are more inclined to stop and pose for a sec, and it’s still not just a phone so they will pose a little harder.
On a Gear Review Note
This was the first time I tinkered with the TAv mode on the Ricoh GR. For party snapshots like this when you know the flash will be firing, I think manually setting the shutter and aperture to your taste and let the ISO be on auto. I set my aperture at either f/2.8 or f/5.6 (depending of the number/depth of people) with the shutter at 1/60. I feel the optimum distance will be between 5-6 feet away from your subject as well.
Wednesday Wisdom
Co-workers, even friends, come and go. Farewell parties like this are reminders to not wait for someone of exit to celebrate… anything! When you can, grab a group of friends, plan and fun activity, and check the strength of your bond. You’ll see who values being with you, who you want to be with, and just who are the people that are generally cool and you’ll be proud to introduce to your other circles to further expand your network.