Here’s one more from Stay Gold with the signature hanging incandescent lights. I made a portrait of Pragya at the very end, after many of the photographers and models had left. This Drink and Click in February was particularly crowded and the venue was smaller than some. Taking a portrait without a distracting crowd filled background was next to impossible for a while.

As I recall, we also had to wait for a rain shower to pass and I ended up shooting this portrait around midnight. A quiet photo session with Pragya, without the craziness of lots of photographers competing for attention, was worth it.

That’s the thing about Drink and Clicks you don’t see in these portraits. Out of camera range, there can be a bunch of photographers and models. The event’s popularity in Austin has really changed the dynamics. Ideally, I like to shoot something unique, not aping what others are doing. Catching models early or late in the event is one way to get some one on one time.