Julian Haber » EVENTS

Adding a photobooth to your next event is easier than you think

Julian — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:43:34 +0000

This year I’ve covered several events in Montreal from corporate gatherings and annual conventions to 40th birthday parties, and I’ve witnessed a huge increase in demand for an onsite photo booth. I am a big supporter of this trend as it really adds a lot to an event and takes the photographer from being a part of the background to being an integral part of the event. Guests love the opportunity to ham it up in front of the camera and the resulting photos can be displayed almost immediately if the venue is set up with a screen and projector. This creates a great feedback loop that encourages more people to wander over to wherever the photo booth is set up, and the photos can get wilder and wilder. It is a really fun way to use an event photographer’s skill and equipment, and provides guests with something fun to do at the event. Add in a few different backgrounds and some onsite insta-prints at the end of the night and you have a recipe for a very successful event you and your guests will love.

Photobooths can range from renting out actual old-school photo booths (the kind that you posed in with your girlfriend in high school at a metro in Montreal) which nowadays can be quite expensive, to a camera on tripod with a simple backdrop and one flash unit that can be set up almost anywhere no matter how small your event space. While you can do it yourself (using the self timer function on the camera or a remote control for your camera) it is much easier to ask the professional photographer you’re hiring to include the photo booth option as part of the quote.

As a professional event photographer, I am increasingly incorporating a photo booth into my work with great results. At weddings you can be guaranteed to get a portrait of all your guests for your wedding books and if you are hosting a theme oriented party (see onsite print posts from a James Bond themed event here) you can really add to the guests enjoyment and engagement throughout the event.

The advantages of including a photo booth for your event:

More fun!
Highly engaging for guests
Images can be seen and shared with all guests instantly
Moderately more expensive than simply asking for event photos – but hugely more entertaining and instant value generated for event organizer and guests

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Pros and cons of onsite printing at events

Julian — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:44:21 +0000

I’ve recently photographed a few events in Montreal where I delivered instant onsite prints during the event. While setting up a photo booth and managing the process adds a layer of complexity and costs to an event, in all cases where I’ve done this the client – and especially the event guests were thrilled with the results. Even though we live in an age of photographic image saturation, fewer and fewer people ever get a good old fashioned photographic print in their hands anymore but when they do, they are delighted. Here’s the brief pros and cons list from an event photographer in Montreal’s point of view:

Pros:

Makes event more memorable for your guests
Branding opportunity – the photo can have your logo as well as the date and place of the event helping keep your organization in mind long after the event is done.
Happier guests – most people get dressed up for events (especially gala functions or fundraisers) and enjoy seeing themselves in a photo looking their best
Adds excitement – posing for the photos and have a real (albeit improvised) studio set up as part of your event adds a little pizazz and excitement. After a drink or two, almost everyone loves to get in front of the camera for a shot.

Cons:

Raises cost of event to cover additional cost of prints
Requires a little extra space in venue
Best achieved with two photographers on site rather than just one which is often otherwise sufficient

In short, if you are running an event on a tight budget and only want the minimal coverage to have a few photos to distribute after the event in newsletters or on a website, then you probably don’t need to add onsite prints to your event. If, however, you are looking to make an impression (no pun intended) with your event and want an additional way to keep your organization top-of-mind for your guests, giving them a small print of themselves to take home with them is a value-adding activity that has a big impact for a marginal increase in costs.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Fundraiser event at Place des Arts

Julian — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:33:54 +0000

Covering the fabulous Concert contre le cancer at Place des Arts for the fourth year running. We started with a photobooth for VIP guests, printing off their portraits on a superfast Sony Snaplab. Cocktails to follow, but for now I sit inconspicuously in the loge snapping shots of the musicians in this gorgeous new concert hall.

The concert was a success, raising close to $500k in donations!

Here are a few more images from the event:

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Less is more

Julian — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:29:26 +0000

I’ve been an event photographer in Montreal for more than a decade. In 2012, I’m committed to providing superior service to my clients. One thing I’ve learned and will be applying in 2012 is that clients want you to curate collections when you deliver the goods. Gone are the days of dumping hundreds of unedited proofs online for a poor, overworked event planner or still blushing bride to have to go through and choose from. In 2012, I will be delivering far fewer images to clients with the goal of provided a clear, focused set of the top photos of a manageable size.

I’d love to hear back from people who hire event photographers on how you handle the post-event photo delivery and what you expect to see. Please feel free to email me or respond in the comment form below.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Happy Holidays

Julian — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:57:51 +0000

Happy Holidays from Julian Haber Photography

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Announcing a new events and portraits website

Julian — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:49:14 +0000

Hi all, I’m launching a new events and portraits website today and would love to get your comments on it. I’m offering a $50 discount on future event or portrait contracts to the first 5 commentators so get out your website critique kits and have at it. Here’s the link: www.julianhaber.photoshelter.com

New portfolio site showing off some of my event and portrait work in Montreal

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Pro event photography for your holiday party at reasonable prices

Julian — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:05:33 +0000

Right about this time of year people start planning their holiday parties. Invariably, as there are only a few available weekends for parties and events in December, there will be many events happening on the same dates. If you’re planning to have an event for your employees, staff, team or even family and want to have some photos taken of the event, now is the time to book.

Even if you’ve already thought of who you’ll be using, why not shop around a little? Given these times of economic austerity, it is still possible to hire a professional event photographer to cover your holiday party at a reasonable rate. I cover events throughout the year and have recently been amazed at some of the outrageous pricing my competitors charge for what should be a reasonable expense to capture the important people and moments at your company party. It’s always a good idea to shop around and ask for quotes, being sure to measure not only the bottom line, but your photographer’s attitude, demeanour and generally how you feel about him or her. Ultimately, your photographer is a guest at your event – albeit one who’s there to do a specific job for you – but still representing you and your company and you should definitely have a good rapport with him or her. You want to be sure to get the images you need and enjoy working with your event photographer.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Extend the reach of your launch with an event photographer

Julian — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:36:01 +0000

Opening a new restaurant or bar? Launching a new album/film/book/product? Kicking off the opening of a new facility? If so, here are a few tips for getting the most out of your investment in your event:

Hire an experienced professional event photographer! While this is entirely self-serving, it is also in the best interest of the event planner or event coordinator for the launch. If that’s you, you already know how many details you need to take care to make the launch run smoothly. Everything from making sure the audio-visual components work, to having well-presented and tasty food, a good choice of red and white wines (not too cheap, not too pricey). Are you including a cocktail as well? And then there is the staff, both your own and that of your caterer and perhaps a team of volunteers who have the enthusiasm but may need a little guidance. The last thing you need to worry about is your photographer screwing up or not understanding the marketing value of good, clean, focused event photos.

Have your key people ready for a few quick important photos early: you don’t have to wait for the event to happen to get those key shots (like the one above taken before the event began). If what you are launching is important enough to merit a budget for an event, then you want to have a few key photos of the principals standing within a well-framed shot including a branded background if possible or other important visuals that link the event, people and purpose together. A professional event photographer in Montreal will know what to do and how to get that critical photo for you and can have it in the can before the event even starts.

Get all the static pre-event shots done first: With an early start, your event photographer can also grab shots of the venue looking its best, including the food presentation and any other item that doesn’t require your guests to be there but are an essential part of the experience. These static shots are great to have for use in future brochures, on your website, in marketing letters and campaigns and are easy to get if your event photographer is there before the event has already started.

Ask for photo delivery on the spot: why wait for your images? Digital images are created instantly and a professional event photographer will capture them with correct lighting and colours balanced right off the first take. As a client, you can and should ask for a download of those images right away. Leave the photographer some time at the end of the night to process the images for you and end your event with DVD in hand of all the high and low res images – ready for usage immediately if you want to make the next day’s papers. Any specific images you later want to have a few touch-ups applied to should be included in your event photographer’s service to you (mine always does) so that you can have both speed and quality for one simple price.

Planning and running events are stressful and often thankless tasks. If it is your job to organize one, you want to work with professionals all the way through. As a professional event photographer, I’ve covered literally hundreds of events in Montreal and most likely have already covered and event in the venue you’ve selected. If you’re in the early planning stages feel free to ask for advice on venues, caterers, djs and other special event performers as I’ve encountered many throughout my career in Montreal as an event photographer and am glad to share with my prospective clients.

Below are a few sample shots from the Miriam Foundation‘s recent launch of their brand new facilities housing their Abe Gold Learning Center.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Photos from Montreal International Startup Festival

Julian — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:04:59 +0000

Had a great time photographing and attending the Montreal International Startup Festival and have just posted the photos from the event to my Flickr photostream. I’ve written a few articles and will be adding a few more on Next Montreal – you can check out my coverage of Randy Smerik‘s excellent presentation on making sure your company is always ready to be bought here. Thank you to Ben Yoskovitz for the invitation to help him cover the event and many thanks to the many people I met and / or reconnected with whose good looks and willing smiles gave my camera something to focus on. I’ll be connecting directly with those of you whom I had the fortune to chat with personally but if we failed to meet at Startupfest, please feel free to do so anytime with me here or on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter. (In header photo from left to right: Phil Telio, (Startup Festival King), Dave McClure (500 Startups) and Ilana Ben-Ari whose Twonicorntoys.com got Phil and Dave to wear the same shirt blindfolded).

Yes, they're techies too.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Tricks for a great group photo

Julian — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:50:26 +0000

Whether you are a professional portrait or event photographer, or managing a public relations or communications project, you will at some point require a good group photo. Having worked for more than a decade taking hundreds of group photos of corporate management teams, wedding parties, graduating classes and countless ad hoc groupings of people having a good time at an event, I’ve learned a few tricks on how to make sure the group photos come out well.

Take control: whether it’s a grouping of just two starry eyed newlyeds, or a mass of 75 recent graduates, the moment when you are setting up to take that photo is when you need to step up and take control. Make sure everyone in that photo is listening to your instructions and doing what you tell them to do. If there are other cameras getting in on your set up, that’s fine, but be clear to your subjects that they need to look into your lens at all times until you are done. Most of the time, the people in group photos want to get the photo over with as soon as possible and they will value your leadership and professionalism in helping that happen while still getting the best possible shot.
Use common sense & stay cool: Putting tall people in the back and shorter people up front seems like an obvious suggestion but if the group is large enough to need two rows, it can also be large enough to be difficult to manage and in the heat of the moment a photographer may be tempted to just snap away at any configuration. Resist that temptation and make sure everyone is organized as well as you can according to height so that no one is blocking the view of anyone else. In many groups there is someone or some smaller grouping that is more important – place them centrally.
Keep all eyes on you: make sure you can see everyone’s face in your lens and tell everyone in the shot to make sure they can look straight into your lens. If they are looking at the back of someone’s head, you need to reposition people until everyone has as clear a view of you as needed to make sure they get their smiling faces in the shot.
Take more than one shot: while this is true for nearly all important photos, it is especially true for the group photo. No matter how charming, organized and clear you are in communicating what’s required to get the perfect group photo, inevitably someone will blink, or turn their head or otherwise be the person who ruins the shot. It’s your job to catch it when it happens, take another shot, and then another to be sure that your final deliverable is what everyone is expecting. A great group photo with everyone in focus, looking happy and with their eyes wide open (see images 1 and 2 below).

I’m sure there are other tricks of the trade out there and I’d be happy to hear about them from anyone else working as a Montreal portrait or event photographer. Add your comments or send me an email with your tips on getting the best group photo you can get.

Share and Enjoy

• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • Google Buzz • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS