Surfside Birthday

I find it very entertaining, as a DINK, to be invited to a child's birthday party. You've got cute kids everywhere, parents alternating between socializing and corralling their offspring, plenty of finger food and ice cream, and, as an outside looking in, only a limited amount of responsibility.


Last weekend, I was invited to such a party as both a guest and a casual photographer to celebrate JW's third birthday.


This scenario suited me just fine for the following reasons:

1) JP, L, and little J are some of my dearest friends in Cayman.

2) I think parents are smart to invite a photographer-friend to their parties so they can actually enjoy interacting with guests rather than succumbing to the pressure of documenting every precious moment.

3) The party was held at Surfside - one of Grand Cayman's best beach bar/restaurants along Seven Mile Beach when entertaining a crowd.


As seen in the background above, Surfside has a bunch of beach loungers for guests, and these chairs sit right outside of Surfside's west-facing sea-view restaurant located just north of SMB Public Beach.


Our birthday party spot was off to the side and out of the fray, but still only a short swim from the floating bar.


The birthday girl enjoyed a ride from mom out to the water cabana.


Of course some of the best shots of the day were of the kids enjoying the beach. I couldn't get enough of this kid with his shark floaty.


I want a shark floaty! 


I could settle for bright pink arm bubbles that match my swim bottoms, though.


Or I could take pink goggles for a spin...


...or top it all off with a pink coverup. 


From behind the lens, I caught party guests re-landscaping the beach...


 ...chatting with friends...


...chatting with themselves...


...and giggling with mom. 


Surfside truly is a beach for all ages, with everything from food and drink, to beach loungers and umbrellas, to a beachside bar, to water sports equipment like wave runners and paddle boards. You can even try the jetpack from Surfside!

Stole a shot from our Christmas wakeboarding experience to highlight one of Surfside's attraction.

Back to the party: JW's parents brought ice cream for all the guests and stuck three sparklers in the birthday girl's ice cream cone for her candle-blowing moment.


I love this little one's smile!


Making a wish!


Everyone enjoys an ice cream cone on a hot August day. We train them early here in Cayman.


Happy birthday, JW! Your infectious smile lights up this island!





6 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures, Jenn! I wish you could photography Gio's future birthdays! Of course Cincy bdays aren't nearly as photogenic as cayman ones! What are you using to edit pictures these days? They look great!

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    1. Thanks Katie! I wish I could photograph Gio on a regular basis! I think your house makes a perfectly picturesque backdrop. :) I'm using Lightroom 5, and I really love it. Still learning it, though!

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  2. wonderful shot, thinking you will be invited again to her 4th birthday :D

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  3. You take the cutest photographs. I might have to come back to Cayman just to have you photograph a day of us hanging out. :) Cross your fingers the winds take us that way.

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    1. Haha! You're welcome any time, and the camera is always ready!

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