Friendsgiving Photo Shoot

Happy Friendsgiving, everyone! I’m feeling particularly thankful this season for all of my friends: old, new, and even the ones I haven’t met yet! This Thanksgiving season, I had the opportunity to make a bunch of new friends during a photo shoot. Here are some of the awesome images:

I found out about this photoshoot from a photography group. Stacy Rojas, one of my photographer friends, posted about a shortage of models, and about 6 of us responded. I had no idea it would lead to such a memorable day, but it was definitely one for the books.

The concept was simple: gather a group of friends, and dress in fall-inspired attire with warm colors and neutrals. I knew a few of the people who came, but I also met many that I didn’t, which made for such a beautiful time together!

On the day of the photo shoot, we all drove out to Our Urban Grove. This spot is so cute and a hidden gem, for sure. The property has so much to offer and is definitely going on my location guide.

We were greeted by a whimsically decorated setup that seemed straight out of a Pinterest board. Balloons swayed gently in the breeze, vibrant lights illuminated the area, and a bouncy castle from Inflate Tucson beckoned us to relive our carefree childhood days.

Joined together through similar interests, we all bonded immediately. The first order of business? The bouncy castle. It’s been eons since I bounced around in one, and I quickly realized that coordinating six people to stand without toppling over was an unexpected challenge. Laughter filled the air as we managed to capture some amazing shots.

Next, we gathered around the table, which was ornately decorated with a fun centerpiece. Here, we encountered the sweetest dog! Conversation flowed effortlessly, and we all had so much fun raising toasts to new friendships.

I could not wait for the iconic marquee letters, where we captured both group and individual shots. Of course, we couldn’t resist the classic “bump hips and walk” move, affectionately dubbed the “drunk walk.”

But the day’s sweetest surprise was the cotton candy machine. Half of us didn’t even know that pumpkin or caramel-flavored cotton candy even existed, but it was so good! Mastering the art of creating cotton candy actually turned out to be trickier than we thought. But Savannah from Wicked Picnics saved the day! She effortlessly spun the sugar like she had been doing it for years. We were all super impressed!

As the day wound down, I realized that what started as a photo shoot had evolved into something far more precious. We made so many fun memories together, and I can’t believe that we have all of these wonderful photos to look back on, too! In the end, this Friendsgiving photo shoot gifted me not only with beautiful snapshots but with the warmth of newfound friendships.