Party and Event Photography | Patrick Rogers Photography

Feb 01
Liam’s Bar Mitzvah

I met Liam’s dad several years ago when we were both working as photographers for Yale’s rare book library. We became fast friends, and after many family dinners, their kid’s birthdays, and other social gatherings, I got to know his family pretty well.

On occasion, as I like to do, I photographed his family just for fun.

Fast forward a few years to a call I got from Liam’s mom. Though they moved to Michigan, she wanted to hire me to shoot Liam’s Bar Mitzvah because “you are the only one who has ever take a photo of Liam with a genuine smile on his face.”

Well, compliments get you everywhere, so I hopped on a plane for Detroit!

There were all kinds of family members there! Seeing all the varied family dynamics (and antics) was just priceless!

One of my favorite out takes was when Liam’s grandma smooshed his mom’s cheeks and said “No matter how old she gets, she’s still my cute widdle girl!!” Awesome!

After a party where they did the limbo, a conga line, and had a contest to make the best mummy by wrapping volunteers in toilet paper, it was all over.

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bar mitzvah portrait; party photography; Ashland MA

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Aug 28
How Jungle Jim is like The Simpsons

I’ve known Jungle Jim for a little while now. I’ve photographed him at a little girl’s birthday party, I’ve photographed him for a promotional project he was working on, but it was at this last shoot at the Goodnow Library in Sudbury, MA where he was doing his show for the kids there that it really hit me. Jungle Jim is like The Simpsons. He is just awesome with kids. He gets them involved, gets them giggling, and gets them super excited during his balloon show (where if he’s not teaching the kids how to be a safari explorer or a Jedi knight, he’s trying to climb into an enormous balloon!). That’s great, and seeing the kids so engaged (and ignoring the guy with the big beard and even bigger camera) is just amazing. But, I feel like that’s where good performers stop their show, where the kids are entertained. Jungle Jim, like The Simpsons, keeps both the adults and the kids engaged, keeps them laughing and interested in what is going on, which helps the adults enjoy the show as much as their kids do! And, even though they may be sitting in the back of the room, hearing the adults’ laughter mixed in with the kids’ giggles is priceless.

It’s genius, really. He’s not a kid’s entertainer, he’s a family entertainer. He engages the whole family and provides an exciting and fun shared experience. This is an experience that brings families together and makes them giggle, and that’s what makes him not a good performer, but an excellent performer.

Jul 24
Carla and Jason: Waiting To Go Home

Going to and from jobs, school, and a little one in the hospital, Carla and Jason, and sometimes Phoenix, spent a lot of time riding the T. More than that, they spent a lot of time waiting.

Waiting at the station for the train to take them to another train to meet their other half. Their “other half.” I do not use that term lightly. They complete each other in the silliest and most loving way.

I wanted to show their story in my photos. I had a pretty clear idea that I wanted to show him waiting for the train, then her and Phoenix waiting for Jason’s train, then them going somewhere together.

After a short while, I got the sense that they were not just waiting for their other half to arrive; they were waiting to go home.

By home, I don’t mean a house or an apartment or a trailer, or any other physical structure. I mean home, where you feel safe from all the difficulties and troubles of the world, where you feel a sense of all encompassing love like a fuzzy blanket on a cold night, where nothing and no one can bother you. When these three were together, they were home.

This was a place they built together, and each day they improve it. It was a place built to help each other through some difficult times, a place to be themselves, and it is always with them.

Wow, I am getting all misty eyed just thinking about how that love feels, and how obvious it was with them. I’m trying to express that sense of compassion and love, but words are failing me. Take a look at the photos, I need to go get a tissue.

Jun 04
East Somerville Mean Streets event: Carnaval

The weather didn’t keep folks in East Somerville from coming out and enjoying the festivities of the third annual Carnaval event yesterday!

There was a parade, three stages with several bands playing, a drum line, step dancing performers, the Boston Militia women’s football team, the Boston Derby Dames roller derby team, the Vegetable Circus, and all kinds of other folks having a great time!

Take THAT, rainy forecast! We had a BLAST!!

Mar 09
TED Talks Somerville-2012

I sent an email to Brendan from Recover Green Roofs a few weeks ago just checking in to see if they or Green City Growers had any projects coming up that they’d like me to shoot. Last summer, I shot a garden roof of theirs on top of The Ledge, a restaurant south of Boston.

At the time they didn’t, but they knew of a friend of theirs who was looking for coverage of the TEDx Somerville event. TED Talks?!? Are you serious?! I was immediately excited. I start many of my mornings during the week listening to a TED Talk or two. Many of them are inspirational, some are food for thought, but all of them are just amazing. So, after a couple phone calls and a few emails, I was asked to come on board. To be the official photographer for the event was such an honor!

It was at the Armory in Somerville, and was attended by Joe Curtatone (the mayor), along with speakers covering topics ranging from the beauty of locks to lessons from the Occupy movement, to non-verbal communication. It was just awesome, and I am so happy with the shots I got!

If you would like to see all the images from the day (and there are a LOT) go here. If you want to see more of my favorites that I posted on my Facebook page, go here.