Inspired by 
's new portrait contest theme, I thought I would share some event shots where people pulled one expression or another when asked to "SMILE!"
Posed portraits were always more preferable to me than candid shots, but I've covered my fair share of parties, after all, one must put food on the table! Often the brief is a mixture of posed and candid shots, and one thing you're bound to be asked is to "get at least one shot of everyone there".
You sometimes have no other option than essentially interrupting someone, sticking the camera in their face and saying "SMILE".
These are the shots in that cross section between candids and posed photography...
Sometimes you'll get just what you need, and sometimes, well, you might have to come back to them later!
There's something magic about event photography. You don't get to choose your location, or choose your subjects. Nor can you pose or light them to perfection. You come home with a very mixed bag of shots, and you might not be especially proud of any of them, but all these shots capture very real and meaningful moments in time. Shooting events is a thrill, a stress, a responsibility. All of these shots bring back fond memories for me. There's money in event photography, but it pays in other ways too.