Fiesta a la Española

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This is one party to celebrate an important milestone event on the project that I was involved in. This First Firing Party was thrown after nearly 3 weeks from the actual event. It turned out to be an enjoyable event. Also, this presented a great chance for me to try out a new technique for taking indoor photos with built-in flash.

One tip for those taking photos during parties, remember to enjoy the party! Not unless you are being paid for the job...

This type of Fiesta is very typical in this region, where drinks were served together with finger food and snacks. Everyone is expected to socialize, no chairs, just tables where the dishes were laid. It gives more chance for people to move around and not be confined to their positions. However I still prefer one where we actually sat down and enjoy a scrumptious complete meal.

Do not know the name of this dish, its deep-fried shrimps on sticks. One of my favourite dish for the fiesta.

Do you know that you should chill white wine but enjoy red wine at room temperature? I'm sure you are not as ignorant as I WAS...

Live entertainment was arranged and it started nearly halfway through. A nice singer with a great voice and enthusiasm and her band entertained us and set the mood for the rest to start 'bailar' (to dance).

Female colleagues and friend, they are lovely just as how they look! Their presence adds a feminine touch to the party.

The rowdy commissioning guys! A game for those who are interested! There are a total of 7 nationalities present in this photo, to make it easier, I will list them out. Try to guess which of them belong to which nationalities!

1 Malaysian, 1 French, 1 Irish, 1 German, 1 Australian, 2 Spanish and 1 Italian.

Its nice to sometimes be in the frame. I passed my camera to one colleague for this shot. Hard to imagine all of us dressed up nicely. Usually we would be with the helmet, safety boots and oily greasy work uniform that we are used to seeing each other in.

More of the guys from the teams.

4 Swiss, 1 Italian, 1 French, 1 Irish, 2 Spanish

I particularly like this shot. It was only when I downloaded the photo from my camera that I noticed that my composition mistake showed something interesting. With the motive of only capturing a photo of my colleagues dancing, I unintentionally caught a 'Paparazzi' in action.

Paparazzi - beware of those that lurks in the dark corners.

This was my first attempt capturing company events. The feeling is different as compared to when you are out on your own. Not much time for getting the right settings. They might not be as interested as you are with the shot. If you took too long for a shot, that might be your last for the event with them. I think it is better to try to get a sharp and clear shot, and to get the composition right. White balance and exposure can be minorly tweaked. I can't even remember checking the settings of my shutter speed and aperture as I left them at a general setting. Might be the wine that set me off on my shutter frenzy.

It turned out to be a nice party after all. Really had fun with the gang and the photo taking.

p/s: Still trying to figure out the nationality quiz? Answer's here