Our latest and best innovation for the YouBooth photo booth is our Social Media Portal.  We’ve created a way that seamlessly allows everyone to email their YouBooth photos to anyone else, and to upload them to Facebook and Twitter.  People LOVE this feature!  The Social Media Portal makes sharing photos really easy and it extends the brand awareness for any corporate event.

The Social Media Portal requires a Wifi connection and our equipment.  The portals attach to almost any table or counter – the more portals you have, the better!  Easy image sharing guarantees your event will be remembered.

Another technical addition for the YouBooth is projecting the images onto large screens in the room.  People love to see their photos blown up on the wall – for most of them this is as close as they’ll come to being in the movies!

We’ve incorporated some fun No Tech ideas into our YouBooth events as well.  Props, of course, are always a hit.  We used holiday-themed props again this year and they were more popular than ever.

We’ve also included dry erase boards and large markers, allowing people to create their own fun signs.  The quick signs encourage creativity and yield some truly funny (and memorable) photos.  It’s fun to use a question-answer format, with a question printed on the photo above the shot, and the answer written on the board.

And remember, the photo booth backdrop can make a world of difference.  Some corporate clients use a standard step-and-repeat banner, but others (like Nintendo) take it a step further and use fantastic product artwork.  Of course, flowers always have great affect, softening the overall effect and adding shots of color. 

Judging by the crowds and the photos, the event was a huge success.  Our photographer, Stavros, said he felt like Santa at Macy’s right before Christmas, with the hoards of people waiting for their turn in front of the green screen.  Stavros reports that the line wound from the tent in Columbus Circle into Central Park.  Hundreds of people waited in the rain to get their photos taken.

It’s clear to see why they waited.  The photos are adorable!  Yet despite the rain and crowds, the event was well organized so everything ran smoothly.  People were friendly and patient, and they loved the photos, T-shirts and other fun swag given away in the tent.  Kudos to NYC & Company for producing another stellar city event!

Part of the fun of working at 5th Avenue Digital is learning new and often fascinating things about our world and the people in it.  And I usually learn them from our photographers and clients!  Most recent example: with photography and onsite prints we provided for HBO.

As a thank you to one of their sponsors, Verizon, HBO brought Bernard Hopkins to the Verizon office to meet and greet their employees.  Each person had their photo taken with Hopkins, which we printed onsite so people could take their photos home.

Our photographer on this job, Stavros – being the thorough professional he is – wanted to know more about who he was shooting, so he did some research on Hopkins.  He discovered quite a story.

Hopkins is the current WBC and Light Heavyweight boxing champion, the oldest boxer ever to win a world title, surpassing George Foreman’s record.  What’s more remarkable is how he got where he is.  At 17 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for nine felonies.  To protect himself from the atrocities he witnessed in prison, he learned to box – and became very good at it.  He was released after less than five years, and decided boxing was his way to a better future.

Since then, he’s achieved enormous success in the boxing ring and in life, as an entrepreneur and business owner.  Known for being bold, brash and sometimes controversial, his impact on the boxing world is undisputed.

Stavros believes that knowing something about the person he’s photographing translates to better pictures.  There must be something to this, because our clients love working with him.  And I have to say, when I look at the photos, my knowledge of Hopkins’ rough climb to success affects my perception.  I see a smart, thoughtful, determined man.  Take a look at the photos and see if you don’t feel the same.

Thank you, HBO, for imparting yet another lesson in the human experience!

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For the past 18-plus years 5th Avenue Digital has been offering corporate event photography, golf outings have been a healthy part of the mix.  That is, until two years ago, when Lehman, one of our largest clients, collapsed and the economy went into a tailspin.  Prior to the recession, we’d frequently been shooting foursomes on the course, printing the photos onsite with the client’s logo, and giving them to the group as they finish.  Players always appreciate the photos as much as the prizes they receive!

Late last summer, we started to feel a glimmer of hope that the economy was starting to turn when we photographed our first golf outing in two years, for Goldman Sachs.  Today we are happy to report that we already have a few golf outing shoots scheduled for the summer.

It feels great to again be bringing this branding opportunity to many more organizations that want to create a tangible keepsake for their golf events.  To encourage even more golf outing successes for our clients, we are drastically reducing our usual rates for onsite printing.  Until the end of June, 5×7” branded foursome prints for two hours are just $1700.  It’s a great deal, and the perfect way to jump-start your summer marketing efforts.

First, it’s worth mentioning how much we love working with the Fourth Wall Events, one of New York’s most innovative event producers.  They always insert some kind of twist into what they do, adding details that make you stop and say, “Wow, that’s cool!”  For example, on their website they provide an event space calculator that helps you figure out how many people will fit in your space, or how much space you need to fit a certain number of people.  Check it out here!

The most recent event did with Fourth Wall was designed to promote tourism to Great Britain, targeting travel bloggers.  To create the experience of visiting Britain, we provided four different scenarios to use as green screen backgrounds: Big Ben, Kensington Palace, an aerial view of the Thames and London’s classic red telephone box.

The bloggers had a blast posing with crowns, derbies and other props – underscoring again how much props bring out the fun in people.  They were able to pose for as many pictures as they wanted, all of which could be accessed later on a customized website we created.  The event guests can now post the photos on their blogs and Facebook pages, print them, send them to friends.  And every time they do, the Britain – You’re Invited logo is included.

The smart team at Fourth Wall Events certainly knows the power of social media, branded photography and photo sharing.  And we’re always happy to help them execute their vision successfully. Check out all the photos from the event here.

Consider photos printed onsite as an extension of your marketing efforts.  Branding for your prints is as important as branding for the other elements of your event.  Making the logo or branding message work seamlessly with your photo background is important, and we’re always happy to provide our insight and knowledge on how to best accomplish this.

If you want to convey new – fresh – fashion-forward as your event’s marketing message, we recommend incorporating bright, vivid colors into your background.  This was the impression Lord & Taylor wanted to create with the splashy launch event for their renovated flagship store on Fifth Avenue.  They brought in our YouBooth photo booth to entertain the crowd and reinforce their marketing message, and here’s the background they created:

What an impact these intense colors have on the photos!   And the logo placement is worth noting, because it connects the store’s brand with the photos’ bright, fashion-oriented style.

If course, there’s always the tried-and-true event marketing tactic of step-and-repeat photos, using a printed banner emblazoned with logos.  Step-and-repeat photography is used so much because it effectively and (somewhat) subtly communicates a sponsor message.  However, the design of the step-and-repeat background can reinforce or detract from your message, depending on how it’s done.  The most effective step-and-repeat backgrounds limit the number of logos and the colors to one or two, like these:

When the party portraits are converting to black and white photos, a plain white or soft color background is often best, or a background with a simple black and white pattern, because colors can look muddy when converted to black and white.  Sometimes, a simple architectural element in a space, such as a brick wall, works well for black and white prints.

When you want to glam it up, a glittery background adds some drama to your prints.  Add a few feather boas and other props to give the background added impact.  They work together to create a real party feel for your onsite prints.

Another option is to use a large printed image as a background, as shown in the examples below for Northface outerwear and Disney.   The only caution here is that you have to be careful about lighting, to avoid glare against the glossy finish of the printed background.  That’s why you have to rely on the experts (us!) to avoid these pitfalls.

Finally, no review of background options would be complete without mentioning the ultimate in background selection: green screen photography.  A green screen allows you to insert any background you want, so the choices are almost endless.  Whatever the focus or theme of your event, we can create a background that supports and reinforces it.

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.

We have seen how the old fashioned photo booths are still hits at parties, but there is so much more you can do now with new technology.  We created a modern photo booth that allows your guests to have fun taking their own pictures, but at the same time offers many more options, such as custom designed prints with logos and branded images.  We have also made the booth accessible to output for A/V connection, when you want to project the images onto a large screen.  This allows all your guests watch the fun at the booth, and encourages everyone to join in.

Our social website is now live: www.5thAvenueDigital.com/social.   Thank you to all of you who allowed us to be part of your social occasions last year, without a website.  We are happy to report we’ve had wonderful feedback from our new business model of representing top talent, and we look forward to sharing some of our new talent’s amazing work.  Some of the photographers 5^th Avenue Digital is currently representing include Robert Evans, Julie Skarratt, Daniel Kruger and others.  We look forward to sharing many happy occasions with you in the coming years.

5^th Avenue Digital is still doing amazing events for the corporate community.  We are well known for our onsite print service and get asked to do all sorts of interesting events.  This month’s favorites were for The North Face and for fashion bloggers during New York fashion week.  Both events brought fun and community-building opportunities to everyone who participated.  You can read more about them on our blog.

There are also many developments with our sister companies.  I’ve created these related businesses because it’s natural for me to see areas of opportunity in the market – holes that need to be filled.  While co-owner at Sarah Merians Photography, I discovered that many people were using freelance photographers but had no place to make beautifully crafted albums.  I launched Album Boutique to fill this hole, to rave reviews.  The website offers high end albums at a third the price of albums offered at traditional photography studios.  This service is an added bonus to our social photography clients, because they are able to seamlessly take the images we provide and make an heirloom-quality album, while taking advantage of the significant savings.

In exploring the right avenues to launch Album Boutique., I went in search of the perfect bridal event to meet my target brides face to face.  I couldn’t find one.  So, along with Maya Kalman of Swank Productions, I came up with Ultimate Engagement. This is an event where brides get to make pre-scheduled appointments with some of the masters in our industry.  On March 14^th, 5^th Avenue Digital will be at the Ultimate Engagement event, representing the work of Robert Evans and Julie Skarratt.  If you have not met either one, I’d love to offer you the chance to come by.  Please contact me if you are interested.

We look forward to sharing more of our clients’ intriguing work in the pages of our Business Behind the Artistry blog – and maybe featuring your work, too.  We are getting a lot of traffic at our blog and will continue to showcase actual events we’ve done, as well as the folks who work on these events, with video interviews and tips from experienced industry leaders.

We hope you will be a part of this community.

If you are new to social media – or even if you consider yourself an expert – we hope you will connect with us in our various social media communities.  I am always happy to answer any questions you may have and love speaking to groups about social media.  I have gotten many clients and friends through my involvement and I’m thrilled to share what I’ve learned.

So jump in and join the conversation!  You can comment on this post, follow me on twitter @elizbeskin and/or sign up as a fan on Facebook.  Have a stupendous March, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Fashion websites are popping up all over, almost daily, spawning a thriving new genre of the fashion industry.  Some sites provide a visual venue for fashion-hungry hipsters who like showing off their outfits, while others feature fashion bloggers.  For all these websites, photography is a vital component.

This dynamic was driven home recently at a website launch party sponsored by Like.com, at Helen Mills Theatre and Event Space , during the Independent Fashion Blogger Conference.  Like.com teamed up with the folks at Weardrobe.com to help launch Weardrobe’s new virtual styling site, called Couturious.  As part of the event, 5th Avenue Digital set up a green screen photo station where event guests strutted their stuff in front of Versailles and other cool virtual scenes.

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The launch party guests, mostly fashion bloggers, posed in front of the green screen to showcase their outfits.  Couturious has posted the images on their website, where people can vote for their favorite.  Take a look for yourself:  http://www.weardrobe.com/contests/36

As a remembrance of the special event – and to reinforce the website launch – all the event photos were printed onsite with the Couturious logo.  Everyone was able to leave with visual proof of the coolness of their outfits!

Given how integral the relationship is between fashion events and the post-fashion event blogosphere, hosting an event without a photo station and onsite printing is a wasted opportunity.  These fashion websites get so much mileage from their event images, not only at the event itself, but afterward on their sites and in the hands of those who attended the event.

For the fashion industry, event photography is the new MUST-HAVE accessory!

Plus, you have more options.  We can program the booth to deliver a series of images – two, three or even six separate photos; it’s your choice – on one 4×6” or 5×7” print, in black and white or in full color.  We also can brand the photo with a name for a B’nai Mitzvah or wedding, or with a logo for a corporate event.

Another advantage to our booth is how you can display the images.  The booth photos can be transmitted to a large screen (or multiple screens) in seconds, allowing the entire party to see the action and encouraging them to join in.

Our photo booth is a beautifully varnished birch wood chest with a plexiglass top, roughly the height and width of an average adult, but slightly deeper.  All the elements are self-contained in the booth, giving a clean silhouette.  Unlike traditional photo booths, ours is free standing with no cramped seating to squeeze into.  You just stand in front of it, press the foot pedal and your photos eject from a slot on the side.

Our modern booth is more mobile, faster, sleeker, and more outwardly functional than anything else out there.  Check out the video and see for yourself!