Prom Photos on a Bright Afternoon in Truckee

The last Saturday in May, and the house was full of energy for prom. The late afternoon light was cutting through the pine and aspen trees in our backyard in Truckee, which made for a perfect, if slightly chaotic, photo session before the main event. Our daughter, her date, and a big group of their friends gathered while parents circled with cameras and phones.

Everyone looked great. The girls were in bright, colorful dresses and the boys were cleaned up in suits and ties. There's a sort of pleasant awkwardness to these moments, trying to pose everyone for group shots while they're all just eager to get going. We made sure to get a few photos on the old ski chair we have sitting among the rocks, a nod to where we live.

I managed a few pictures with my daughter and the rest of the family before the whole group piled into cars and took off. It’s one of those rites of passage that feels very official. For a couple of hours, our yard was the backdrop for a specific, fleeting moment in their lives before they disappeared down the driveway for the night.