Shooting Stars Parties
I want to tell you about my shooting stars parties, they’re so much fun! So I’m going to talk you through a party that I shot last year and then give you some suggestions for other themed dressing up.
The birthday girl (and it is usually girls, although there’s really no reason why boys shouldn’t enjoy a party like this) can invite 8 friends along to their party and tell them what their chosen theme of clothes are. If you plan to bring along food for the party (there’s a great kitchen, with tea and coffee facilities and a fridge) I would suggest two outfit changes, otherwise, if you plan to eat later, we can probably just about fit in 3 outfits, as in this shoot. The birthday girl can choose any outfit theme they want. These girls arrived in bright colours, changed to black and white and finished in pjs.
These were great fun themes and worked really well, giving me a real range of shots.
Once we have warmed up with some group shots and silly poses, I photograph each girl individually. We get the blow-fan out, which gives hair a pleasing flowing look, and the girls really get into their poses, advising and complimenting each other (I love that). I get them jumping too, there’s some great poses to be caught that way
The second outfit change is another chance to capture each girl individually, and having a black and white theme gave us a change in mood and we went a little more stagey and theatrical. Someone had brought along a red hat, which went perfectly with the red chair and monochrome clothes.
By this time, the girls have really loosened up and are usually full of ideas about what to shoot next so we have lots of fun photographing these, it really is a collaborative event.
If you have decided not to break for some food, we carry on to a third outfit change. Every single shooting stars party I have photographed has included a onesie/pjs theme! It seems to work for any age, from 7 to 16, we all love a slumber party. Guests can bring along duvets, pillows and cuddly toys and a pillow fight often ensues. The birthday girl takes this last outfit change as an opportunity to have shots taken with each of their friends individually.
By the end of the session everyone is full of how much fun they’ve had and very excited to see the photos. I create an online gallery which I email round to all the guests and everyone receives a voucher which will cover a 5×7″ print, but of course they are welcome to order any prints they would like. The birthday girl also gets a hard back 8×8″ album including her choice of 40 images from the shoot. I recently had an email from a mum telling me her daughter had gone to bed clutching her birthday album!
What I love about these parties is that they can appeal to a wide range of ages, depending on how you decide you’d like to dress up. For younger parties, how about an animal theme? Or bringing a dressing up box? Fairies, princesses… the list goes on. Older guests might like to come in glamorous ball gowns or just something comfy and familiar.
I have started a pinterest gallery with ideas for dressing up themes, using some shots from my parties and some general ideas. http://pinterest.com/jpjanetpenny/shooting-stars-party-themes/
If you are interested in booking a Shooting Stars Party do give me a call on 07905 053 794 or send me an email to janet@janetpenny.com
You can find out more info about prices and timings here: http://www.janetpenny.com/shooting-stars
Party!!!!!
Last week, 14 girls and I descended on Photoshoot Studio for a photo party. It was my first and I was looking forward to working with so many people at once and with such a high level of energy and excitement. We had a ball! With pop music blaring the girls all looked ready for a party in their posh clothes. After lots of group shots, I took individual photos of each girl, with a fan to blow their hair and a fabulous red chair to lounge on. Time for a costume change and everyone got into their pyjamas (except me!) with duvets, cuddly toys and a pillow fight. My aim was to make each girl feel like a superstar and confident about how fabulous they were. By the end 14 happy girls left and I went home, ready for my pyjamas 
I would heartily recommend Photoshoot studio for a party of this kind, they have great facilites – kitchen, changing rooms, makeup mirror, sound system etc, and the owner Paul is always very helpful. If you’re interested in booking a photo party with me for your child’s birthday or a special occasion, please email: janet@janetpenny.com or call 07905 053 794 to talk about pricing and dates.
