Meet the 5th Avenue Digital Photographers: What’s the Funniest Thing That Happened to You on a Wedding Shoot?

May 22nd, 2013 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Photographing a once-in-a-lifetime wedding can be pretty serious business, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of the unexpected, the humorous and the totally hysterical. Our professional wedding photographers at 5th Avenue Digital share some of their funniest moments.

Stavros Panopoulos:  There have been many events that were funny, although the bride and groom’s opinion may differ, but one stands out that I think all can agree on. I was photographing a newlywed couple in Central Park after the wedding and Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith walks in to photo bomb the shot. Everyone was delighted. The bride gave him a kiss on the cheek and he went on his way. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s New with 5th Avenue Digital’s YouBooth

April 26th, 2013 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, we found some new ways to make our YouBooth photo booth even better.  With a few technological tweaks and twists, we’ve made it more simple and fun to use. Here’s what’s new:

Enlarged Screen—Our monitor is twice as big, so you can see yourself better.

Photo Preview—See what your photo will look like before it prints.

Retake Option—If you don’t like how your photo looks, you have the option of retaking it.

 

 

Read the rest of this entry »

A Perfect Match: Meet 5th Avenue Digital’s New Sales Associate

April 11th, 2013 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Please welcome Adrienne Hays, who joined 5th Avenue Digital this past February as a sales associate for our social photography division. Adrienne’s strong desire to work more directly with clients in a creative environment led her to us. We’re happy to have her on our team. A stint as a salesperson for one of Manhattan’s major storage companies taught her about sales, but it was “too restrictive” and didn’t take advantage of the people skills she’d honed from her years as a concierge in the hotel industry—where she was known as the “negotiator”—or offer much in the way of creativity. It’s second nature for Adrienne to make other people feel comfortable. However, she knows she has a long way to go before she catches up to Elizabeth Beskin and Beth Baynum, who she assists with sales, as she learns the business of event photography. The close relationships and loyalty they’ve built with 5th Avenue Digital’s clients impresses Adrienne. Bordering on awe, she states, “The same event planners, same hotel representatives, call again and again.” Read the rest of this entry »

How to Maximize Your Event Photography

February 25th, 2013 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

One of our most loyal and beloved clients, Consultants 2 Go, recently celebrated their 10^th anniversary in business, and we were there to capture the event.  Consultants2Go® is a management consulting company providing marketing and analytic consultants to Fortune 1000 companies.  Being experts at using PR to market their services, they had a specific plan in mind for using their event photos.

We asked Sandi Webster, one of the company owners, to re-cap their strategy for maximizing use of the event photos:

1.    All photos were posted to the company’s Facebook Page and website

2.    Individual photographs of clients, consultants and staff gave more ways to market:

• Sending individual emails to each attendee who was photographed, along with a Thank You for attending.  For clients, this individual email was a follow-up to any conversation had at the party, and was another client touch point.
• For some clients, including a photo of a consultant who can help their business.  Even if they didn’t speak at the party, it gave them an increased comfort level since they probably saw the person at the event.
• For consultants who attended, sending a link to the Facebook page so that they can see the album

3.    Emailing a newsletter including links to the pictures

4.    Sending a press release announcing the anniversary, with a photo

5.    Making commemorative photo albums for the staff

These are just a few ideas for extending the use of your event photos.  Including your event photos as part of your overall marketing efforts is strategic and smart – just like Sandi.  Thank you for sharing your marketing expertise, Sandi, and congratulations on 10 years in business!

Ten Things I Learned this Week in Sandy’s Aftermath

November 5th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

1-It is time I start to believe the hype about incoming storms. Sometimes they are correct.  I’ll never go through a tunnel again without remembering the sight of the flooded Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.  Kudos to Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg for leading us calmly and fearlessly.

2-It’s time to move to higher ground.  It’s tiring getting evacuated once a year.  My family in Connecticut all own their own generators. That won’t help on the 19^th floor.

3-New Yorkers are always nicest in crises.  I met the most wonderful people sharing cabs, bargaining with livery drivers, waiting on the bus line and sharing a power strip in Starbucks.  We come together and help one another when it counts.

4-Facebook has improved communication in crises.   This was the first crisis I’ve been involved in where Facebook was a major source of family communication.  We found out who left town, what Fire Island looked like, who had showers, and who needed a hug.  We shared sad pictures and humor and we have been able to help out friends in need faster than in times past.

5-New Yorkers are tough.  When one way doesn’t work, we find other ways.   We band together to help our neighbors and we speak our minds when we think we are not being treated fairly. Staten Island was offended by the idea of the merriment of the marathon – and Bloomberg listened.

6-It’s key to have a friend in the Police Department.  After the crane collapse on 57^th Street, we couldn’t get into our office, but needed to, to access our equipment for the weekend’s jobs.  Detective Bueller and Sergeant Gardella could not have done more to help us.  We were able to get into the office and get the equipment we needed. This was the result of Sergeant Gardella being a good friend of one of my dear friends, Alexis Fine DeAngelis of the Glazier group!   Detective Bueller even helped us lug our equipment down the street!

7-I have the best friends in the world!  This is not something I needed Sandy to learn, but it’s always reassuring to see how my friends are always there to check in and give support, to offer a desk, a bed, a shower and laugh.  I am eternally grateful.

8-I have the most amazing team.  While I also did not need a hurricane for me to learn this, Sandy reaffirmed it in a big way.  Camping out in Starbucks, strategizing how to get event galleries completed and YouBooth jobs fulfilled was a wonderful day.  We each brought humor and skill to the tasks at hand.  When the news came at the end of the day Friday that the marathon was cancelled and all our herculean efforts were for naught, Rylan and Beth went back to work managing the new information and informing the rest of our team.  I am so fortunate to be working by their side and learn from them always.

9- After 25 years of marriage and a few crises beyond our control, my husband is the best partner I could ever ask for.  I hold it together for a good period of time, but when I don’t he is there to make the decisions and work together in a true partnership to get through.  I am incredibly lucky and I am reminded often.

10- Some things work out the way they are supposed to.  About three months ago, our top technician, Ron, told us he was getting married on November 3^rd and asked us to use the YouBooth for his wedding.  When the marathon booked three booths, we quickly began working on YouBooth version 3 so we would have an extra for Ron.  We were close to it being finished, but Sandy got in the way and we were closed out of the office because of the crane.   Ron understood of course.  When the marathon cancelled, we had an extra booth and were able to supply it to Ron and Daphne!

All in all, there is always learning that comes from catastrophe.  The government will be spending lots of time on how to improve New York’s infrastructure.  I’m lucky to know that there is nothing I need to improve except my need to be in control.  Because, are we ever really in control??

Green Screen Success

July 23rd, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

5^th Avenue Digital’s green screen photography is more popular than ever!  We’ve seen lots of different ways green screen photography is used, and some ways are more effective than others.  A top tip we give our clients is to use a background image people can interact with.  That makes for the most fun photos.  We recently provided green screen photography for a Spiderman movie screening sponsored by Goldman Sachs, which illustrates this beautifully.  Check it out!

The Social Media Portal

July 19th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Take a quick look at our new promotional video for our Social Media Portal!

The Social Media Portal from Fifth Avenue Digital on Vimeo.

Please feel free to tell us what you think.

Event Focus Friday with Stavros Panopoulos

July 6th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

On his way to becoming a filmmaker, Stavros Panopoulos was seduced by the beauty of still photography. After studying with some of NYC’s best photographers, he opened his own studio with an impressive client base of major corporations. With a dedication to planning, exactness and organization as his basenote, Stavros developed a signature style similar to a jazz musician’s—of precision and spontaneity. Every subject, whether a portrait, still life, wedding or landscape, is a visual improvisation, a chance to learn and express something new while keeping in tune with his clients’ vision. As Stavros says, “this is a job that is easy to love.” Stavros shares more of his ideas and inspirations with us.

What makes a great event photographer?

Preparation and flexibility are the foundations of successful and great event coverage. Being able to approach the job with a plan and be ready to let go of it and adapt to a more appropriate approach—this is what generates success and appreciation from the client. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Photograph Fireworks: Tips from a 5th Avenue Digital Professional

July 4th, 2012 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stavros Panopoulos is one of our most prized photographers, with great experience shooting fireworks for all types of corporate and social occasions. It’s not as easy as you think!  Here are Stavros’s tips for capturing the color and excitement of fireworks:

• For me an essential element is a tri-pod to capture the life of the pyrotechnic.
• Timing is key.  I set my camera for a low ISO and a long exposure to capture the rocket’s tail on the ascent and the multi-directional flaring streaks after the blast.
• If the fireworks are on the river, try to position yourself at the water’s edge to capture the firework’s mirrored reflections.

Thank you, Stavros.  Happy July 4th to all, and have fun photographing one of summer’s brightest pleasures!

 

Green Screen Photography Takes Consumer Marketing Around the World

July 2nd, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

When the event marketing pros at Eventstyle needed green screen photography for their client, Hotels.com, they turned to 5^th Avenue Digital to make it happen.  The event they produced is an ideal example of consumer event marketing at its best.

To promote Hotels.com’s connections with hotel properties around the world, Eventstyle created a Bedventure in the heart of New York City.  They set up a giant bed next to the Flatiron Building, where people on the street could have their photos taken with their choice of international locations as the background.  That’s the magic of green screen photography!

Extending the consumer outreach even further, the event included 5^th Avenue Digital’s exclusive Social Media Portals, which allowed everyone who had their photo taken to immediately email it, or post it on Facebook and Twitter.  The Social Media Portal is our Special Sauce that turns standard event photography into marketing mojo.  All those photos will now be sent, posted and tweeted around the globe, taking exposure for the Hotels.com logo and marketing message to new heights.

Perhaps the age-old admonition not to jump on the bed had an effect: many people at the Bedventure had a blast doing just that!  Take a look: