The Apawamis Club in Rye, New York, knows how to send summer off right. Their annual Labor Day BBQ is exactly what you’d want from a country club celebration: families relaxed and having fun, kids fully absorbed in games and activities, and roughly 300 guests enjoying classic American food and entertainment on a perfect late summer afternoon.

My assignment was straightforward but important. The club needed images they could use three ways: their private member website, marketing materials for next year’s event, and an article in their quarterly magazine. That meant delivering a mix of wide establishing shots for banners, medium shots showing the activities and entertainment, and close-ups capturing real expressions and interactions.

The Venue: Classic Country Club Done Right

The Apawamis Club sits on beautiful grounds in Rye, with a historic stone and shingle clubhouse that photographs beautifully. The expansive lawns gave us plenty of room to capture wide shots showing the scale of the event, while the covered colonnade area provided perfect even lighting for the face painting station.

For this event, the outdoor setting was ideal. The red, white, and blue theme was unmistakable from the moment you arrived, with a massive American flag draped across the clubhouse facade setting the patriotic tone for everything that followed. I made sure to get several angles of that flag early—it was the kind of establishing shot that would work perfectly for their website banner.

Covering the Event: Documentary Style with Purpose

The client’s direction was clear: capture the feeling of the day. They wanted giggling children, adults enjoying conversation, group shots of friends, interactions with entertainers, and some (but not many) food shots. More importantly, they wanted me to interact with guests to get the best photos possible, not just hang back and observe.

This is how I approach every event. I move through naturally, reading the room and anticipating moments, but I’m not shy about engaging people when I see a great shot. Sometimes that means suggesting a group face the camera. Often it just means positioning myself where the action is about to happen and being ready.

The parking situation was tight- the club suggested using the nearby train station overflow lot, which actually worked in my favor. Arriving 30 minutes before start time gave me that window to walk the grounds, identify the best shooting angles, and figure out where the light would be strongest as the afternoon progressed.

Entertainment That Actually Engaged

The club brought in professional entertainers, and they nailed it. Jugglers, stilt walkers, and bubble artists kept kids mesmerized. The lawn became a playground of hula hoops, parachute games, and other classic activities that created constant motion and genuine joy.

Photographing performers at outdoor events requires anticipation. The juggler worked in roughly 15-minute sets, which gave me time to reposition between performances. I positioned myself near the edge of the crowd where I could see both the entertainer and the kids’ faces. You’re watching for reactions: the wide eyes when a juggler catches all five balls, parents smiling at their children’s excitement, the collective gasp when a giant bubble floats past. These shots tell the complete story, not just “there was entertainment.”

Face Painting: Perfect Setup, Perfect Light

The face painting station was tucked under the clubhouse colonnade, which turned out to be brilliant both practically and photographically. The stone architecture created a beautiful backdrop, and the shaded area gave us that perfect even light you can’t create with a flash. The line stayed around 8-10 kids throughout the event, which meant I could circle back several times to capture different stages of the process.

Kids getting their faces painted are completely absorbed in the process. You get concentration, anticipation, and then pure pride when they see the finished design. The artist was skilled enough that I could shoot tight without getting in her way, which gave me those detail shots showing the actual painting happening. I caught one little girl who kept checking her reflection in her mother’s sunglasses between coats- that’s the kind of unscripted moment that makes event photography work.

Classic BBQ, Done Well

The food setup under white tents delivered exactly what a Labor Day BBQ should: perfectly grilled burgers and hot dogs, classic sides, and enough volume to feed the crowd without anyone waiting in long lines. The grill station was positioned with the flag and clubhouse in the background, which gave me a perfect layered shot showing both the food operation and the venue context.

The client specifically said “not many food shots, not the highlight,” which I appreciated. Event planners know what matters. I focused on the setup and activity around the grill rather than close-ups of plates. The smoke rising from the grills, the stacks of buns ready to go, the chefs working the station- these show the operation and atmosphere without making the blog post look like a catering catalog.

The Real Story: People Connecting

Country club events are ultimately about community. Members catching up after summer vacations, families introducing themselves to new neighbors, generations gathering together. These connections are what make events memorable, and they’re also what the club needed for their marketing materials.

The instruction was clear: don’t be shy about interacting with the crowd. I’m constantly reading the event, identifying groups that look relaxed and happy, then approaching naturally. The key is timing- you wait for a natural pause in conversation, then step in. “Mind if I grab a quick shot of you all?” usually gets an immediate yes, and because they were already comfortable with each other, the resulting photos don’t look posed.

What I watch for: Are they holding drinks? That’s good, it gives hands something natural to do. Are they already grouped in an interesting arrangement? Don’t change it. Is someone slightly outside the frame? Bring them in, but keep everyone else where they are. These micro-adjustments make the difference between a snapshot and a group portrait that actually gets used.

Late Afternoon Light Makes Everything Better

One advantage of 4-7pm coverage: golden hour light. As the sun moved lower in the sky, it created that warm glow that makes outdoor portraits look effortless. Around 6pm, the light on the lawn was perfect- soft enough that nobody was squinting, warm enough to add depth to every shot, and directional enough to create dimension without harsh shadows.

This kind of light is exactly why I recommend late afternoon timing for summer outdoor events whenever possible. By 6:30pm I was getting that backlit glow on the kids running around the lawn that you simply can’t replicate earlier in the day.

What The Apawamis Club Got

The final delivery included everything they needed: wide establishing shots showing the venue and American flag for website banners and marketing materials, medium activity shots capturing the entertainment and lawn games for social media and magazine spreads, tight portraits and candid moments for editorial storytelling and member albums.

After 30+ years photographing corporate events, country club celebrations, and gatherings across the New York metro area, I know what separates adequate event coverage from images that actually get used. The Apawamis Club’s Labor Day BBQ was well-planned, genuinely fun, and filled with authentic moments worth preserving. The images I delivered serve both their marketing needs and their members’ personal memories, which is exactly what professional event photography should do.

When Beata, their on-site contact, walked me out at the end of the event, she mentioned they’d already had several members ask when photos would be ready. That’s always a good sign—it means people noticed the photography happening and felt like it was capturing something worth seeing again.

Looking for event photography that works commercially and captures real moments?

I’m Alex Kaplan, and I’ve been photographing corporate events, country club celebrations, and special gatherings across Northern New Jersey, NYC, and the Hudson Valley for over 30 years. If you need coverage that delivers usable images for marketing while also telling the real story of your event, let’s talk.

Alex Kaplan Photography
Northern NJ | NYC | Hudson Valley
Event Photography | Corporate Events | Headshots | Branding
917-992-9097
alex@alexkaplanphoto.com
AlexKaplanPhoto.com