Do you remember your high school formal? The excitement of suiting or frocking up, the Hollywood hair and make-up, the pop of sparkling, the vintage V8s roaring down suburban streets.

Sometimes, the anticipation is as exciting as the actual event.

I was thrilled to shoot the pre-departure of a high school formal in Canberra’s south on a humid late November afternoon. The brief was simple: family photos at home featuring the couple and proud parents and grandparents, followed by the grand roll-out of muscle cars from a nearby house party.

I arrived early to scope the scene – in this case, a leafy backyard – eyeing the sun’s position and where my subjects would be most comfortable. Whenever I’m shooting family photos, I like to incorporate the environment as much as possible into the storytelling, particularly if it’s a location of personal significance, like the family home.

I had my umbrella softbox and Godox AD200Pro II, with my regular speedlite (TT350o), set to opposing 45-degree angles. The sun was more or less directly above and filtered through a towering Eucalyptus filled with cockatoo calls.

Lumix 12-35mm (13mm), f/3.2, ISO 125, 1/160 sec.

The greenery offered a more dramatic backdrop for portraits; I manually set the exposure to provide a nice, dark contrast to my well-lit subjects. I loved the textures of the bush and lawn, which had abundant natural light. Although there were some distracting elements, including a trampoline and exposed pipe, these were flawlessly accounted for in post-production thanks to the powers of Ai.

Lumix 12-35mm (28mm), f/4, ISO 125, 1/125 sec.

Just like shooting a wedding, it’s always important to highlight some of the finer details that go into these glamorous occasions. I was drawn to the beautiful corsage, which offered a traditional juxtaposition to the modern manicured hand it adorned. I often find myself falling into the widest length of my Lumix 12-35mm by default, but punching in to spotlight the detail is where it shines as a zoom lens – especially with the fixed 2.8 aperture.

Another highlight was shooting individual portraits with the Olympus 75mm f/1.8, which I bought earlier this year in excellent condition secondhand. It’s one of my favourite lenses, and although it can be challenging to engage subjects from afar, the results are always pleasingly tack-sharp.

Away from the family photos, shooting the couples with their cars was a lot of fun. By this time, golden hour had begun, and the cars added another element to the storytelling as artworks in their own right. Although I’m not much of a revhead, there is a great satisfaction in connecting with subjects and their passions – in this case, the chauffeurs and their high-octane rides.

Despite being hired to only take photos of the one couple, I somehow found myself as the dedicated paparazzo on the day and ended up taking photos for a few different couples to include in my client’s final gallery as a bonus.

This was my first time using my newest lens, the Lumix 9mm f/1.7, which has immediately won a spot in my heart. Its ultrawide perspective without distortion, and highly responsive autofocus, make it a dream to shoot with and perfect for capturing long and low whips from then and now.

Documenting a fairytale formal

Tom Fearon: Photographer & Videographer

Documenting a fairytale formal

Diff’rent strokes

Tom Fearon: Photographer & Videographer