Oh how I wish I lived in a time far fancier! Fascinators, long pearls, flapping dresses, seersucker suits, straw hats, and more! Ignore the fact that an Asian like me would be tucked away in the kitchen, and 1920s America sounds almost perfect heh heh. I've long held a love for the style of the jazz age: it all started in 4th grade when our class put on a Vaudeville Show and my mom made me a red & black flapper dress. Because I stopped growing in 5th grade, I proceeded to wear that dress as a Halloween costume (I kid you not) until college! This time around, I was joining hundreds of other party-goers at the 10th Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island, and boy was it a blast! While there were varying levels of effort in outfits, I was truly amazed at how some people just played the part so well. It truly felt like you were transported to the 1920s for an afternoon with beautiful cocktails, a phenomenal jazz band, and non-stop dancing. Even people's picnics were on another level - we're talking fine china, wooden tables, vases with flowers, and more. I was smart enough to remember my DSLR this time around and courageous enough to ask strangers for photographs!
I always forget how much I love my 50mm lens until I start taking portraits with it - the crispness is just magical. For the most part I was shooting between a f/2.2 and f/3.2 from quite a few steps back. The only problem is that I need to put so much distance between myself & the subject, that it's hard to clear a path in a large crowd! I'm definitely getting better at quickly taking photographs, but I still feel quite a bit of pressure when I'm taking portraits of strangers as opposed to friends. I've learned, however, that a compliment serves as a fantastic explanation and lead-in to your question!
