So cute!

It was Friday night, the final dance for the 8th graders at Grisham Middle School. The decorations were beautiful and so were the kids. I have photographed many events before and they're all the same - no one wants to be the first one in front of the camera and there is usually someone waiting for someone else, you know, the brave friend. But this dance was better than previous events I have photographed. These kids were not afraid to venture alone in front of my camera without their entourage nearby. 

Every now and then however I would politely ask a student to come back for individual photos when I sensed that they had more potential that they realized. This really took me back twenty years when I used to photograph Cedar Park Middle School theater students. Line 'em up and spend time with them until they relax. This young lady is the perfect example of how photogenic this class is. A classic cutie.

Jazele Yes, this was a masquerade ball and the masks were plenty. Occasionally there were challenges with reflective material but I think I had more fun photographing these masks than the kids had wearing them. I wish that we could have lined up the mask wearing individuals for photos because the masks were as unique as the individuals themselves. 

What I found most interesting was how much I have changed. When my son was in middle school his hair was so long and I could rarely see his eyes and it bothered me every day. Now I love to see kids expressing themselves with color and style.

I feel blessed to have been a sponsor at this event, to see my own daughter there, looking so beautiful and knowing that this was her last year of middle school was a real joy.