Event Photography with a Mission: When Cause and Cachet Come Together

5^th Avenue Digital provides event photography for many organizations that support numerous worthy causes, but few have the high wattage cachet of the International Crisis Group .  The Crisis Group is now generally recognized as the world’s leading independent, non-partisan source of analysis and advice to governments and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.

Crisis Group was founded in 1995 to act as the world’s eyes and ears for impending conflicts, with a highly influential board that mobilizes effective action from the world’s policymakers.  Their work is applauded and supported by former President Bill Clinton and other influencers from international political and media arenas, who were on hand to commemorate Crisis Group at their annual gala.   5^th Avenue Digital provided general photography coverage and step-and-repeat photos for the event, held at The Pierre.

With Clinton and George Soros among the political bigwigs, the gala also was attended by Robert Redford, Charlize Theron and other Hollywood luminaries, all lending their star power to the cause.  In the many years we’ve been providing photography for events of all types and sizes, we’ve seen and photographed numerous celebrities.  Few have the charisma that draws attention like Bill Clinton.  He’s the star satellite of any event.

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Post wedding Photo Shoots are Sexy Fun for the New Bride and Groom

A few months back we wrote a blog post about new trends in wedding photography.  One of the strongest trends gaining momentum is post-wedding shoots, particularly one type called Trash the Dress.  For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, it involves dressing the recent bride in a cheap wedding gown (usually not the actual dress!) and literally trashing it.
In the original posting about wedding photography trends, we showed pictures from some fabulous Trash the Dress shoots.  Since that time, we’ve had the chance to create some Trash the Dress shoots of our own.
David Nicholas was the photographer on all three recent post-wedding shoots.  Each shoot highlights the bride’s personality and was styled by our team, along with the couple.  What makes these shoots so much fun is that they create an opportunity for the couple to relax and try lots of fun poses, without the wedding timeline taking precedence over artistic execution.
Doing a post-wedding shoot is a wonderful way for a couple to create a new wedding memory, while spending some relaxing romantic time with each other.  If the bride wants to wear her wedding dress again, she doesn’t have to trash it.  But when the “trash” element is incorporated, it certainly takes the creativity up a notch!
Here’s a quick run-down on what went into the Trash the Dress shoots highlighted here.
Graffiti bride:
We wanted to take advantage of the city’s urban grit and graffiti artists, and the mix in this shoot was exactly what we were looking for.  Since we knew this dress was going to be totally trashed, we opted for an inexpensive off the rack gown to spray with graffiti.  The dress still looked beautiful, especially when we completed the scene.

Post-wedding car wash:

Here our couple wanted to have more time to take photos around the city after their wedding.  They are clearly in love and had a blast as we came up with idea after idea during the shoot, including putting their convertible through a car wash. The dress was not totally trashed, and the couple had fun creating lots of new memories to share with future generations.

Totally trash the dress:
This shoot was more like a rite of emancipation.  A recently divorced bride loved the idea of trashing the vestiges of her marriage and emerging as a new woman. We guided her with a lovely male model, hair styling and makeup, a red bra, a trashed dress and a rain machine.  The male model’s amazing body was a plus!
The photographers on our team love doing these types of shoots.  Please let us know if you have any new ideas or scenarios for couples to incorporate on a post-wedding shoot.  We welcome your suggestions and would love to try them and give you credit.  If you know of a bride or groom interested in this type of shoot, we’re happy to brainstorm or recommend a wonderful stylist.

Ho Ho Ho Holiday Event Photography Returns!

Jingle Bells indeed!  It is so wonderful to hear the sounds of the phones ringing for holiday parties this year.  It’s been two long years of dreary Christmas’s in the corporate world.  But this year, it seems people are taking a deep breath and feeling more appreciative of where they are – and that they’re still here!
We are finding that many of the photography choices have been geared towards employee and customer recognition opportunities.  People are not hiring our photographers just to shoot the event; they are providing their employees with lasting gifts: photos they can download, take home, or use for their private purposes.

Here are a few of the ideas that we have been booked on in the past few weeks for the holidays ahead:

Youbooth, Youbooth, Youbooth! Photo booths are the hottest thing right now and Youbooth stands out by providing instant prints as well as instant entertainment and fun.  By using technology to enhance the photography, we allow our clients to customize their offering to suit their specific needs.  And luckily we have more than one photo booth, for larger parties.

Onsite prints – with photos taken by one of our professional photographers versus the DIY photo booth—are still a big hit for holiday parties, especially when used with green screen.  The idea of going far away (via a green screen image) without leaving the party is pretty attractive at this time of year.  Others are opting to use a holiday themed image for their green screen background.

The gift of family portraits or a new headshot is an old idea that’s making a comeback.  Some companies are offering their employees a studio photo session for themselves or their families, or a headshot to be taken at their party, where they also provide professional hair and make-up prep for everyone.  With social media now a part of everyone’s lives, we all can use a great headshot. What a great way to appreciate your employees!

Photo albums and folios are another gift idea we see more and more.  We’ve created wedding albums for the parents of several of our recent wedding couples, which they’re giving as holiday presents.  A Bar Mitzvah mom asked us to create a three-photo wall folio of her son and family, as a gift for her parents.  And a corporate client ordered large prints of her group photo to give as gifts to her team.

If you’re looking for gift ideas for your family or company, call us!  We’re happy to provide creative solutions to fit just about any budget.