And so it’s Christmas. I hope that you are enjoying the festive season surrounded by family and friends in fun and laughter.

Today I volunteered my time and services to Mission Australia in Perth as a photographer for their 34th Annual Christmas Lunch in the Park, (CLIP). It was staffed by over 400 volunteers and more than 1500 people attended. Final numbers yet to be confirmed by Mission Australia. As soon as I arrived and signed in, it was on. I had to be very careful with my photography as I knew that there would be people who would prefer not to be photographed. And this was completely understandable. Life isn’t easy and sometimes it’s brutal.

Mission Australia’s CLIP allows those who attend the opportunity to leave troubles behind. There are no questions asked of guests as they are welcomed into the tent and led to tables to be seated with hosts to share a meal and conversation. This event is possible due to monetary donations and/or services provided in kind for the day. It is an example of the generosity of the Western Australian community.

I spoke with so many people today as I went through the tent taking photographs. Sometimes I didn’t take a photo and had quiet conversations with people. Just because I was rostered on as a photographer, it didn’t mean that this was going to be my only role. Everywhere I looked there was a smiling face or one filled with optimism. I was watching Christmas in action and wishing I could bottle up the positive energy in the tent.

During the day as I managed to squeeze in a radio interview on 6PR about Mission Australia’s CLIP with Tony Serve in between bouts of shooting. I’ll admit I was a little nervous but from reports the interview went well. I was so worried about background noise and distanced myself from the tent during the interview.

Now I keep mentioning this event is a lunch. So what about the food? It’s a cold Christmas lunch served in an air-conditioned tent. Quite sensible, given the unforgiving heat of the Australian summer. There was ham, turkey, salad and a bread roll. For me personally, what sealed the deal was dessert, a rich moist chocolate cake with chocolate icing garnished with a roasted hazelnut, (pictured). I’m a harsh critic when it comes to chocolate. This chocolate cake was amazingly scrumptious. It was so tempting to negotiate for another slice!

I did make one mistake during the day. I was so determined to take a photo of Santa arriving on a Harley Davidson motorcycle that I didn’t really think through my actions. Running after Santa on a Harley in 35C heat on a summer’s day is NOT the smartest thing to do especially when the children running after him are doing a better job than you are. My only consolation, I wasn’t the only professional photographer doing the same thing. Although I did decide to shortcut it through the tent halfway through Santa’s laps around the tent.

One thing Santa’s arrival did was make the smiles of everyone so much brighter and happier. I’m sure that many will have aching facial muscles after today. I know I do and I was behind the camera!

Thank you Mission Australia for allowing me onsite to shoot this event for you. It was an absolute pleasure. See you in 2010.