Maximize Your Event Photos for Future PR and Marketing Needs

March 26th, 2010 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

We often talk to event planners who want quality photography for their events, but have trouble justifying the expense to their client or board.  Instead of investing in a professional photographer, they assume that assigning an associate to point-and-shoot will give them decent photos and save them money.  In some cases, this might be true.  But many planners haven’t recognized that professional event photos can serve more than one purpose, and can actually save the client money in the long run.

This point was proven yet again with an event we photographed recently for the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR).   Their savvy Director of Marketing and Communications, Erin Chen, called me about photography for their event at the New York Hilton, saying she wanted more than the typical “stand and smile” photos they usually get.  She was looking for artistic, emotionally evocative images they’d be able to use for marketing.

Erin explained that they’d wanted to use last year’s event photos on their website and in their printed materials, but the photos they’d gotten “were just too boring.”  She was looking for something more: shots of the room décor and guests engaging with each other, but incorporating interesting angles, close-ups of faces and expressions. Read the rest of this entry »

A New Year for 5th Avenue Digital

March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

This year marks a new path for us.  Last year was more about…what do we want to be when we grow up?  We did a lot of soul searching, deciding where we fit as a stand-alone company.  In 2010 we are acting on what we learned and rolling out our plans.

This is our first newsletter letting you know all that we’re doing at 5^th Avenue Digital and our sister companies.  Please let us know what you think!  We are always looking for new ideas and ways to improve, and we welcome your input.

5^th Avenue Digital started as an innovator in digital technology, at a time when the world was still using film.  We have taken that spirit of innovation and brought it into our mission, addressing our clients’ changing needs for our products and our services.  This month we are launching our deconstructed photo booth. Read the rest of this entry »

How the Ultimate Engagement Came to be

March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

As an entrepreneur who’s been involved in the wedding industry for over the past 20 years, I’ve never known a more interesting time to come up with a new idea.

Because nothing is the same as it was ten years ago…

Ever since the internet came to be, information is on overload.  There is so much easy access to information from blogs, wedding websites and directories of vendors, most consumers find the choices overwhelming.

I started my career in the photography industry, where brides first started to purchase their wedding services online.  I saw photographers shoot one wedding with their inexpensive cameras, create quickie websites and – voila! – they suddenly became experienced wedding photographers.  Most people couldn’t detect these photographers’ lack of real experience or artistry from their websites.

As an entrepreneur, I noticed that these brides still wanted heirloom albums.  I created Album Boutique to fill that hole in the market and give all brides a chance get a high quality bound album for a reasonable price. Read the rest of this entry »

Making a Mitzvah Stand Out – From Cake to Photography

March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Everyone wants their child’s B’nai Mitzvah be uniquely special, from the service to the cake,to the  photography.  Conversely, thirteen year-olds are all about fitting in.  They want their celebrations to be different and fun – but not too different, and mostly fun!

Read the rest of this entry »