It was Savva’s 80th birthday party on Saturday night at the Hellenic Cyprus Club in Bedfordview. It was such a magical evening!

He was surrounded by family and family that had travelled from far and wide to celebrate the evening. I absolutely loved the event.

I’ve learnt over the 10 odd years of taking evening photos that I’m such a sucker for speeches. My passion for photography comes from telling stories though photos, so the speeches are magic for me. This evening’s speeches were so special.

Savva’s speech recounting his history was fascinating. He has lived life. The stories he told and his close friends told about their lives in Cyprus and coming to South Africa were so interesting. I loved that the stories were told for the grandchildren to hear to carry on the family stories to their children one day.

The speeches by some of the grandkids were really lovely. There’s nothing better to me than capturing expressions as the family listens to their loved ones speaking about their relationships. Man, it’s so special!

It was also special seeing the family again after taking photos at a family christening a few years ago.