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. 

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.

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!

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.

The draw was two-fold: first, everyone walking by could see our make-up artist extraordinaire, Filis Foreman at work and our photographer, Stavros, doing the headshots.  This created some curiosity and buzz.  Secondly, for those contemplating a membership to ISES, the offer of a free professional headshot was enticement enough to seal the deal.

It’s gratifying to know that the headshot photographer and make-up artist we provided made such a difference to the ISES membership drive.  Filis was phenomenal, making everyone look better than they ever thought they could.  Stavros delivered outstanding headshots, working in minimal space and on the fly.  All-around, it was a successful venture for everyone.

ISES has said they want to repeat the promotion next year, so if you’re interested in ISES and want a new headshot, look for us at the 2012 Biz Bash Expo!

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!

All in all, the camera loves Izzy and the shoot was a big success.  We called upon the amazing Debra Martinez for her hair styling expertise.  We said we were looking for Hollywood glamour as inspiration, and she provided the rest!  The taming of Izzy’s modern-day curls into soft, old school glamour was transformative.  The shoot also couldn’t have been done without the stunning gowns supplied by All Dressed Up.   Our photographer, Jennifer DelCastillo is simply perfect for Bat Mitzvahs.  Her quiet demeanor put Izzy totally at ease in front of the camera and the photographic results were better than we imagined.

We were able to provide everything our client wanted for the Bat Mitzvah: amazing photographs that they will cherish always, and Izzy and her mom got to check off modeling on their bucket list.  We can’t wait to be part of her Bat Mitzvah.

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.

To give the picture-taking a focus, we decided to pose the question, “What’s Hot in Weddings?” and provided an erasable white board on which everyone could write their answer.  This infused the YouBooth photobooth function with some creativity and gleaned many interesting answers.

Bottom line: everyone found the YouBooth entertaining, and best of all, they had an opportunity to upload their photos directly to Facebook, Twitter or email.  This was the first time we’d offered the image sharing feature for a large group, and it was a huge hit. I was beyond thrilled to hear Xochitl from Always A Bridesmaid declare it was the best photobooth she’s seen.

The next night we made our yearly appearance at the BizBash pre-tradeshow party, and brought along YouBooth photobooth.  The social media mavens were in full blast and the crew enjoyed our new social media feature.  We included props for this event, which reminded me yet again of what a difference adding a few fun props makes.  Everyone seems to smile more when you add props!

The following day was the BizBash Expo, where we did double duty.  Our YouBooth was in the social media lounge, and at the ISES booth we offered headshots with professional make-up, beautifully provided by Filis Foreman Make-Up view images here.  Everyone who signed up with ISES at the Expo received the make-up session and a professional headshot.  The promotion was a huge success for ISES, yielding 15 new memberships in one day – a record number that’s sure to be envied by other ISES chapters.  We’re happy to have been a part of that.

I treasure the relationships I’ve developed in our industry, and these events give me wonderful opportunities to reinforce them.  It was so gratifying to show the newest developments of the YouBooth photobooth to the world and to hear all the valuable feedback from my friends and colleagues.  Working these events takes some finesse – and stamina! – but the payoff is invaluable.

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

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!

I look forward to working with you in the future!

Zenitra Perry

Sales Developement

HBO

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

David Cosentino

Sun and Moon Marketing Communications