Where am I again?

This past weekend, I worked on my own, as a freelance photographer, for the first time. No one else to take the blame if a certain shot didn't come out. No safety net if pictures didn't expose correctly. I kind of liked the thrill I got with those thoughts.

Which, I might add, is probably the only good thing about it. I was working a sweet sixteen. A beautiful, blue eyed, blonde haired, young lady who really wanted to get the party started with as I shot formal pictures of her. Which I let her do in short order.

That's when I realized what dancing means to a teenager. Or what it might have been if they were actually facing each other when dancing. Yes, I signed up to photograph a four hour long grindfest with her mother and father grimly watching the ensuing "action" going on.

Couples were line grinding against a railing. Free lap dances were to be had in the VIP section. Stripper moves on a raised ledge. More panty flashing than I've seen in a few years. Girls with their hands on the floor, asses in the air, male friends bumping and grinding up against them. Was I at a sweet sixteen or a strip club? And if I were at the latter, why was I hired to take pictures?

I don't remember any of the sweet sixteens I attended as a teenager being quite as raunchy as this one was. And I attended quite a few of them. Heck, I remember a time when I watched a group of boys ridicule a girl for wearing spandex. I think I might be a different person if those sweet sixteens I attended had been like that. Almost wish I were ten or twelve years younger so I could go participate. *grin*

This is also the first time where I had to carefully inspect each image I took for decency, since I was giving these pictures to this girl's parents. If this girl only knew how many incriminating pictures didn't make it onto the CD I gave her parents. My present to the sweet sixteen girl, I guess.

The next day, I did a bat mitzvah for the DJ company, which seemed particularly wholesome after this sweet sixteen. I can't believe I used that word, wholesome. Must be getting old or something.