Virtual and On-Location Photography

In Part 1 we covered Productive Ways to Use Corporate Event Photography with 14 tips to consider the next time you hire a photographer for an event. Pre-Event planning is an important step that will assure success. Without it it's like darts - hit or miss. The plan will be used to communicate with your team and photographer so everyone is on the same page when it comes to before, during and after the event. There are two key areas to define in the planning stage that should be provided by the organizer to the photographer: a check list of shots that will be needed depending on how the photos will be used and tactical instructions.   Suggested “shot list” many include: Pre-event setup. This can involve set-up, preparation and decoration throughout the construction phase before the attendees arrive A step and repeat at the 'Red carpet' location as the attendees arrive Posed and candid shots of VIPS such as speakers, awardees, key clients etc. Crowds m...

 (Part 2 Will Cover How Pre-Event Planning will Enhance the Results of Corporate Event Photograph y) The original title of this article was 'Where do your event photos go to die?' It seemed a little harsh. Practically speaking, though, I know that most photos taken at an event will end up in a digital boneyard. Why? Because... Organizers don’t know what to do with them The person responsible is too busy to follow-up The company may lack a marketing perspective The company uses stock photos. One hopes it doesn’t show up on a competitor’s website, just sayin’! It’s been known to happen. A strategic plan wasn't put into place prior to the event  Finally, Who cares! Wow. I have to confess that when I produced events in the 90’s I didn’t have photos taken. That was before the ubiquitous availability of digital photography. Do I wish I had?  You bet because there are so many relevant and valuable uses for the photos from events. Let’s go through some he...

Holidays are particularly stressful between gift buying, party going and party hosting. This and next week I'll outline steps that may reduce stress at least around entertaining. Keep in mind that size matters and you'll want to scale these tips to match your vision for the party. Check out other posts on my blog if you want to take better party photos. Some of the tips outlined may sound over the top snooty or expensive. Just pick a few of these ideas. I grew up with parents who loved to entertain.  There was always enough good food, refreshments and fun friends.  I learned a lot from them and over the past 45 years have picked up a few extra tips that I've written about in this email. I hope you find them useful. Planning. Start planning days or even weeks before an event depending on how many people will attend. For me half the fun is the creativity that goes into the menu, decoration, setting the table and anticipating the day of the party. Theme...

The holidays are upon us and planning the season has kicked in. I took my vampire and witch Halloween 'dolls' out (they will enjoy the light until January 2), we're planning Thanksgiving dinner and hosting a comfort soup party on January 1. Between now and when the activities are in full swing many of us will also be planning holiday cards (hopefully with professional photography but that's a different story), event invitations and more. I'm currently scheduling mini-photo sessions for Saturday November 16 in DC Ranch, North Scottsdale. Get in touch to schedule your session and receive a FREE digital photo optimized for  your holiday cards or wherever you prefer.  There are several companies that do wonderful printing for reasonable prices. The labs I use have good quality paper, fantastic range of designs and great pricing. They're easy to set up - just drag and drop. Add a personal message and you're in good shape for the holidays. Vistapri...

There's always a lot to think about for the professional photographer much less the casual picture 'taker.' Here's one tip that's pretty easy to avoid. The Popsicle! 1. Anytime you 'pose' your photo think about what's growing out of the subject. I call that the popsicle. It's distracting and easy to avoid. 2. I scoured my photos for an example and finally found this ONE. I have taken many photos with things growing out of my clients. I dump them as soon as I notice the problem. 3. You only need to move a couple feet or even inches left or right up or down to avoid the problem. In the case of the sample photo it was even growing out of his ear.  4. You probably will never find actual popsicle sticks in nature growing out of any head but you will photograph something like the sample. Happens ALL the time. Enjoy! Check out my article  15 Tips For Better Headshots I hope that you find this little tidbit helpful.  If you enjoy the ...