How to Make a Photo Booth More Fun – From High Tech to No Tech

January 24th, 2012 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

This past year saw a lot of action our YouBooth photo booth.  And we’ve learned a lot from these events!  We love distilling what these experiences have taught us and bringing new ideas to our clients.  Some ideas are pretty high tech and probably require a technician (like us!), but others are easy and anyone can do them.

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. 

A Look Back on 2011: Lessons Learned From the Trenches

January 18th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The overall morale in 2011 was higher than it has been for the past three years.  There was hopefulness in the air.  Here at 5^th Avenue Digital, we saw:

•    Companies having summer outings and holiday parties for the first time in years.

•      Advertisers spending marketing dollars on events with consumer interaction and (thankfully) photo capture, for   mementos or social media benefit.

•     The return of corporate incentive trips and large company celebrations.

•      Companies putting money back into their image and deciding to update their employee’s headshots.

•      Business surging once again for the venues and planners we work with.

It seems like everyone is starting to see the economic woes dissipate. The many jobs we were lucky enough to be part of this past year indicate we are on our way, after two years of corporate celebrations being relegated to the back burner.

I’ve worked hard to assemble a team of super-talented photographers, who have captured not only incredible corporate images this year but have also taken our 5^th Avenue Social division to new heights.  We have partnered with a dynamic group of planners and venues and are very excited to share our new portfolios that feature images from their clients’ events.  I am already anticipating the new images we’ll be seeing in the coming months.

 

One of my proudest accomplishments in 2011 is the newest model of the YouBooth photo booth.  The collaborations with our clients have allowed us to introduce the newest technology crazes to their events.  The YouBooth has a new exterior design, plus the most exciting new feature: a social media application that allows guests to upload their photos directly to Twitter, Facebook or email.

This year the YouBooth was proudly used at pop-up store events, holiday parties, mitzvahs, weddings – any occasion where fun was required.  What we love the most is finding creative solutions that maximize each client’s use of the booth.  I owe a special shout-out to my producer, Rylan Crooks, for always finding ways to execute our clients’ unending ideas of how they envision using the YouBooth.

Building a strong business in this economic time is certainly a challenge.  We have watched many of our partners in event planning scale down the past few years, and it’s so comforting to watch them scale back up.  We are very grateful for their trust in us and we treasure these partnerships.

I am also very grateful to my 5^th Avenue Digital team: the amazing group inside the office, Beth, Rylan and Tim, and the photographers, videographers and designers that make our clients their number one priority.  Teamwork and partnerships have been the overall theme in 2011.  Knowing that you have the right people in the ship makes being the captain a joy.  I am grateful every day that I get to work with the team I have, and I would not have been able to double our business this year if it hadn’t been for them.  There have been some rough waters in terms of owning a photography business over the past three years, but it looks like smoother sailing ahead.

Thank you all who have contributed to an amazing 2011.  We will be sharing some of our favorite photographic moments in galleries over the next few weeks.  Here are a few more of my favorites.

The Ultimate New York Engagement

January 5th, 2012 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

Lots of engagements take place in New York City, but rarely do you see an engagement like the one we covered over Thanksgiving.  An inventive man from Canada was determined to propose in a truly memorable and impressive way while he and his girlfriend were in New York.  So he decided to rent out the Rockfeller Center Skating Rink and propose on the ice, beneath the glittering Christmas tree and holiday crowds.

The day before the proposal, the groom-to-be realized that this momentous life occasion should be photographed. He turned to his concierge at the W Hotel for a photography recommendation, and found his way to us.  We were able to provide an exceptional photographer at the last minute, and the couple’s special moment was captured.  The results are magical – take a look!

 

Headshots Make a Difference

November 14th, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

We’ve long known the impact professional headshots can make to enhance a company’s image, but we recently found out that great headshots can also make a big difference to a not-for-profit organization, too.  In this case, the organization was the International Special Events Society (ISES) and the occasion was the Biz Bash Expo.

At this year’s Biz Bash Expo, we partnered with ISES to ramp up membership recruitment at their booth.  Every year at the Expo, ISES hosts a booth where they offer information and on-the-spot membership sign-up.  Typically, people have taken the information and deferred the membership application.  This year, ISES wanted to encourage memberships at the Expo by offering a free headshot to those who signed up, complete with professional make-up.

The membership drive was a huge success!   ISES garnered 15 new memberships at the Biz Bash Expo, a record for the New York Chapter and perhaps, they think, for the entire organization.  Seems on-the-spot headshots were the perfect incentive. Read the rest of this entry »

A Bat Mitzvah Girl’s Dream Comes True

November 4th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

At five feet and seven inches, Isabel never really considered herself a contender for Next Top Model, but she’s still loved getting in front of a camera almost since the day she born.  Clothes have always loved Isabel, and Isabel has always had the right amount of style and attitude to pull off her amazing sartorial selections.

As her Bat Mitzvah approaches this November, Isabel and her family wanted to create a glamorous affair at The Capital Theater.  Isabel’s mom asked 5^th Avenue Digital to set up a modeling shoot in advance of the Bat Mitzvah, so they could have great photos to use for the sign-in book and other décor elements at the Mitzvah party.  That was the original reason for doing the shoot, but what resulted was an interesting realization.

Modeling is hard work, and everyone learned soon enough that it’s not nearly as exciting as a 13 year –old Bat Mitzvah girl would imagine.  There was more time spent sitting still in a make-up chair than there was in front of the camera.  The dresses were gorgeous, but heavy and a little itchy.  By the end of the day, our Bat Mitzvah girl was exhausted! Read the rest of this entry »

The Fun (and Art) of Marketing YouBooth photobooth at Trade Shows

October 26th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Having been in the event industry for over 20 years, naturally I’ve become adept at working trade shows and other industry events.  I like them because they offer opportunities to mingle with some of the movers and shakers in both the social and corporate events industry.  This week was one of the most fulfilling for my little networking self.

The YouBooth photobooth was a huge hit at The Knot gala, the first event I attended in my marathon week of networking events.  We brought in our YouBooth “photobooth” to give everyone there a chance to see it in action.  Carley and her dynamo team at The Knot were lovely to work with and many industry friends stopped by to check out the photobooth. Read the rest of this entry »

Onsite print for British Tourism-testimonial

October 14th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

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Nice to finally meet you as well, and thanks for bringing the frames down after-hours.

Michael and Stavros were great to work with.  Both gentlemen went above and beyond my expectations for the evening.  You’ve got a great team there!

Cheers…!

Glenn Reimer/Fourth Wall Events

A Hard Rock Bat Mitzvah

October 11th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

The Hard Rock Café is slowly becoming my favorite Bar Mitzvah venue.  It reminds me of the Dezerland venue of years ago.  It’s all about pure rock and roll – and what 13 year-old doesn’t want to party among rock stars?  It even provides a shot of nostalgia for the adults.

We’ve photographed Bar Mitzvahs at The Hard Rock Café a number of times, and at every occasion the venue offers a completely new experience for both the kids and parents alike.  This time, the venue was decorated by the talented folks at Shine Events.  Matt and his team not only planned the entertainment, they put their special flavor on the entire party.

One of the best things about hosting a Bar Mitzvah at The Hard Rock is the fabulous photo opportunities available in Times Square.   Check out Chloe and friends (below), at a Bat Mitzvah we photographed last weekend, with the Times Square backdrop.  The location, the décor and the entertainment all came together to create a cohesive whole, and a Bat Mitzvah Chloe will always remember.

What I love about photographing families during their children’s Bat Mitzvahs is the look of pure joy on everyone’s faces as the party kicks into gear.  It’s priceless – and great material for the photographer.  Capturing these heightened moments is what great Bar Mitzvah photography is all about!

Onsite print with Bernard Hopkins-testimonial

October 5th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

It has been my pleasure working with you and your team as well.  Stavros and Julia were professional, personable, and produced high quality photos.
Everyone was pleased with the outcome of this event and your team was definitely a part of that success.

I look forward to working with you in the future!

Zenitra Perry

Sales Developement

HBO

Rave Reviews for Onsite printing with Carmelo Anthony

September 30th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Thank you again to the 5th Avenue Digital team for helping us pull off a spectacular event last night with the tightest of schedules!  Everyone was amazing and Stavros was fantastic, keeping the line moving and managing some of the “challenging” guests.  Our client was thrilled with how things went and this effort was a big part of that, stepping in late in the game and rising to the occasion.

Again, awesome job and looking forward to working together on future projects.

David Cosentino

Sun and Moon Marketing Communications