A Multi-Cultural BBQ, hosted by Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly non-profit, "committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly." A friend asked me to volunteer-photograph the event. There were lots of volunteers: drivers, to pick up elderly folk from their homes and transport them to the party; servers, to bring food from the buffet to the less mobile elders; cooks, to make enough food for about 100 people.The elders look forward to events like these long in advance. I could tell that they took care in selecting their outfits and doing their hair. In their 80s and 90s, I looked at their faces and tried to imagine what they looked like as young adults. Many elders actively wanted their photo taken, and called me to them. One woman exclaimed happily: "Oh good, now I have a photo to share with my daughter and grandchildren."
Group shots were tricky. To gather a group for a picture meant asking elders to get up; which looked far too effortful. Seated around a table, I prefer not to take a group photo with such large gaps between people. Thus, I invited volunteers to stand in between seated elders - more fun in numbers of course, but also better for composition.