Over the past few years, I have photographed a number of events. Many of them have been for charities—some helping children, others helping seniors, and one helping people struggling with addiction. There have been non-charity events as well. They have all been fun to photograph, and each one has presented its own challenges.
My friend Robert Free has joined me for several of them, and that has been great. Having a second photographer really adds to what we can capture. Robert and I have different styles and use different equipment, and I think that brings more depth and variety to the final collection of photographs.
One event, though, really stands out for me: the Project Feed the Kids Adult Prom and Masquerade 2026.
The event is put on each year by the fantastic people from J & S Hamburg South in Traverse City. Through Project Feed the Kids, they have helped provide food for thousands of children in need. It is a wonderful organization, and I was happy to have the opportunity to photograph their event.
Before I signed up, I knew this one was going to be different from the other events I had photographed. It was at night and would involve everything from posed portraits to a crowded dance floor—all in some challenging and constantly changing lighting.
I asked Robert if he wanted to join me. He didn’t hesitate.
This was going to be a new experience for both of us.
At most of the events I’ve photographed, I have avoided using flash whenever possible. Those events typically involve people having dinner, talking with friends and perhaps enjoying some entertainment. I prefer to blend into the background and photograph those moments without disrupting them.
The Adult Prom was a different animal.
It was obvious that we were going to need flash, particularly once everyone hit the dance floor. Robert and I had both used flash photography before, but certainly not on the scale we would be using it that night.
I have to say, I think it worked out fantastically.
The dance floor was fast-moving, colorful and unpredictable. The lighting changed constantly. People were dancing, laughing, posing for the cameras and simply having a great time. There was no way we could have captured all of that without flash.
And somewhere along the way, something else happened: I got over much of my reluctance to use it.
Flash wasn’t disrupting this event. It was allowing us to photograph it.
By the end of the night, Robert and I had spent about three hours photographing everything from formal portraits and elaborate masks to couples dancing and spontaneous moments throughout the room. It was challenging, exhausting and an incredible amount of fun.
More importantly, it was all in support of an organization doing something genuinely worthwhile for children in our community.
Here are a few of my favorite images from the Project Feed the Kids Adult Prom and Masquerade 2026.
There are many more.
If you’d like to see the complete collection of photographs from the evening, you can find them in the Project Feed the Kids Adult Prom and Masquerade 2026 gallery: