I recently joined the annual picnic at Ralph B. Clark Regional Park, hosted by SoCal K-Group—a professional networking community for art and tech experts in Southern California with the motto “Connecting people with people.”
It was my first time attending, and as an introvert, I felt more comfortable staying behind the camera than jumping straight into conversations. I kept my distance at first, quietly taking photos instead of mingling. Looking back, it was the right call. After sharing the photos online, the group loved them and showed so much appreciation. They were used to phone snapshots, so having professional-quality images felt special.
For me, it was a simple but meaningful way to introduce myself—showing what I do through my lens. Photography has that magic: it makes people smile, and it gives me a way to connect, even without saying much.
My camera set up was pretty simple - Canon R5ii with 28-70mm f2 lens only.
The weather even gave us a little drama — it started to rain for a short while, but thankfully cleared up quickly. The food was delicious, and everyone seemed to enjoy the afternoon together. People were split into groups for games, which made it easy to mingle and get to know each other. I left with the hope that this will be the start of many great relationships with the new faces I met.
