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Your next business event is coming up and everything seems to be coming together nicely. You’ve got the catering, the sound system and the guest speaker all lined up. What about your photographer?

Corporate events should always be recorded in photographs. Its a time when you bring members of your staff together, often away from the usual workplace. It might be a celebration luncheon, a pep-talk, a training session, a welcome to new members of the leadership team — whatever. You will find numerous uses for photos from such events, especially if it is successful.

I’ve shot countless corporate and small business events over the years, and I’ve experienced great and not-so-great event planners. If you’re charged with planning your company’s next affair, consider these points when working with a photographer.

1: Don’t plan on briefing the photographer just before the event

Your photographer needs plenty of information to achieve the best results. Often, an event planner will contract me to shoot a corporate event or meeting and suggest we meet “a few minutes before hand to go over everything.” It sounds good in theory, as it saves time for both the planner and the photographer to eliminate an advance meeting. In practice, I’ve found that no matter how well planned, the hours leading up to the start of the event are extremely hectic. The planner always envisions plenty of time to go over things before the occasion starts. Then the caterer gets lost. Or the sound system goes on the frizz. The harried planner waves me off saying something like — “Sorry, cant meet now. just shoot whatever you think looks interesting…”

Trust me. always schedule an advance meeting before hand to go over specifics. Both you and the photographer will be glad you did.

2: Explain to the photographer what kind of photos you need

How do you intend to use photos from this occasion? Print? The web? How soon do you need them returned? Do you need digital (delivered on CD or DVD) or prints? Will the photographer provide you with an online gallery you can download from? These factors will impact the way the photographer shoots the event and what equipment he uses. Get all of this laid out in writing before the event. Don’t skimp on this step.

3: Don’t surprise your photographer

Event planners love to surprise their guests. Nothing wrong with that, but the cameraman should not be kept in the dark. Recently I was shooting a corporate event where the planner arranged to have a small, concealed cannon spew forth hundreds of streamers into the air. Acting quickly, I was able to catch some of the streamers in flight. Had I known what was going to happen before hand, I could have placed myself in position to capture a much stronger image.

4: Provide a safe place to stash camera gear

Expensive camera gear is a prime target for thieves. You want your photographer to be concentrating on getting great images, not worrying about someone walking off with his gear. If possible, have a safe, secure place where extra camera gear can be stored.

5: Arrange parking and unloading areas

Depending on the event, your cameraman might bring along a load of equipment. He or she will need to get all that gear to the event venue. If possible, provide the photo crew with close, accessible parking. If that can’t be managed, then make sure they can unload at a convenient spot and then move their vehicle elsewhere.

6: Always brief security before hand

In the post-9/11 world, security is often very tight at major corporate events. This is as it should be, but you don’t want your event photographer to be caught up in a security snafu. Provide some sort of written credentials and make sure security knows you have hired a photographer for the occasion. If you fail to do this, security might detain or otherwise prevent the photographer from doing his job. You will most likely be emersed in other aspects of the event and won’t be available to straighten everything out until afterwards. So much for photos from the event!

7: Find out if the photographer will be bringing an assistant

Assistants can be a great help to a photographer — running errands, holding up lights, taking notes, running interference or shooting additional images. If your photographer is bringing an assistant you will want to know before hand, so you can provide credentials, brief security and make whatever other arrangements necessary.

8: Inform the photographer about the dress code

There was a time when corporate or business events had a simple dress code: suit and tie for men, business suits for women. The only deviation from this would be a true black tie affair. Today, corporate events are all over the map. Some may still be formal or at least dressy. On the other hand, causal dress has invaded the workplace at many companies, especially for out of the office meetings and the like. You want your photographer’s clothing to match what everyone else is wearing. Some of the best event photos are candids, shot when the subject was unaware they were “on camera.” If your photographer is dressed to blend in with everyone else, they will have a much better chance of catching good candids. If their attire sets them apart, they will be easier to spot…and avoid.

Every event is different, and there may be other aspects you and your photographer need to address. By taking care of the above issues, however, you will have a much better chance of obtaining excellent photographs from the event. 

Pictures

Ever since I started my career as an Israeli fashion and advertising photographer I have been asked this question. Each time I am interviewed about my fashion and advertising photography work, this is the main topic. And I also ask myself sometimes, if my career would have been different if I were a male and not a female photographer.

My answer keeps changing all the time and I still feel that I have not reached a final conclusion yet.

When I started as a professional photographer in the late 80’s, I insisted that there is no difference between a male and a female photographer. Nevertheless, the first time I was interviewed for an exhibition at the Israel Museum, I admitted that there were very few active female photographers in Israel. But at that time there weren’t many freelance or self-employed women in other business areas in general.

I was and still am very determined, so I have always been offered big campaigns and complex productions. I have always felt that I have more physical strength and stamina than my male colleagues. I am really not a giant, but especially in the beginning of my career, it was my will power and strong work ethics that made me work 20 hours non-stop and still be precise in my work. I do not recommend working 20 hours in a row to anyone, but it does happen.

And along the way, my two daughters were born. During the first pregnancy I worked all the way through to the day I gave birth, I actually had to ring up a client and cancel a shoot to go to the hospital instead. During the second pregnancy my belly was already much bigger one month before I was due, and I could hardly breathe, and so I slowed down and let myself rest. After each birth it took me about three weeks to return to work.

I did it because I love my work, it is very important to me to creatively express myself and keep a mental balance, but also because of my personal ambitions. I simply find it difficult to define myself without my work. I was breastfeeding each one of my daughters for nine months using all kinds of tricks, while I was back at my studio full time, available for any kind of project. I am not recommending this formula as the perfect thing for everyone; it was simply my own way.

Back then I started thinking that there is a difference between male and female photographers after all.

As a matter of fact, there are many male and few females photographers. So I started thinking about our differences…

Firstly, we have a different mentality.

Secondly, few women actually feel that they deserve success, few women really fight for their dreams and too many of us still define themselves through managing their homes and families.

Thirdly, there are specific differences that are unique to the field of photography. Female photographers are much more willing to experiment for the sake of art, for their own personal process or just out of curiosity and the sake of trying something new.

But women are less focused on targets; therefore they are often perceived as being less serious. Hence the big projects are often given to a male colleague of the same level. In Israel for example, you will find more feminine presence in magazine work and less in the commercial field, which is much better paid.

This is because women refer to *** in a different way. So in the commercial industry, whose main message is sex, the feminine point of view is less popular with advertising agencies and fashion manufacturers simply because it is more complex and less one-dimensional.

But today, in the year 2008, the point of view of the fashion industry has broadened and many campaigns give diverse messages and not just the “be pretty and show a **** face” message. There is a bigger variety of photographers out there, even though the main message has remained the good old heterosexual way, and for this purpose a male photographer with a male eye will still regularly be preferred over a female one.

Another issue is the technical issue – many girls tend to be techno phobic, some even regard it as some sort of chic. Unfortunately, this makes society regard women as technically incompetent.

I find it obvious that if a female photographer arrives at a shoot, she must be technically minded in one way or the other, since photography is a very technical process in itself and one needs to be familiar with different kind of tools.

But even today when I am working on a big production, being in charge of a lot of people, someone always comes up to my assistant to ask him if he is the photographer…It always amuses me, but it shows what most people really think: After all photography is a business for men.

Finally, networking is really important and most networks are still male driven. This is especially true for Israel where many contacts are from the time in the army… Feminine networks are still very young, but they are growing.

Attached is a link to an interview conducted with GO Magazine about female photographers…

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3535070,00.html

Have a read what I have to say… but don’t be surprised if I change my mind about this issue again.

Photo

Wedding Dress Ideas

Searching for ideas for the ideal wedding dress gives you numerous options. Whether it’s a modest wedding dress, a celtic wedding dress, a gothic wedding dress, a colored wedding dress, the selection is just about endless. You could likewise design your own wedding dress.

But even as there are myriad ideas for wedding dresses there are a lot of possible pitfalls.

Whilst looking at wedding dresses there are a couple of things you ought consider.

1. Examine out a few dress styles on your own first of all. yes you heard right, do not take anyone with you. No, not your mother or your lifelong best friend. Everybody to some degree has a preconception of what their preferred wedding gown would be. This approximation is made as a result of previous experiences, emotions etc. Their idea of their wedding dress may have no resemblance to yours.

Get going exploring for wedding dresses on your own just to get an idea and narrow down your alternatives a little. And then when you’ve shaped your own opinion on the types of wedding dress that appeals to you, by all means take your friends and mother with you. But working with a large party of friends at the very outset of your search is calling for for trouble. Get the groundwork done first.

2. Pay attention to advice offered by the retailers. Their experience has taught them many things. They’ll recognise which wedding dresses are infamous for wrinkling, which wedding dresses suit which types of figures.

3. The critical advice that these pros can offer will not be confined to wedding dresses alone. They can counsel you on the types of underwear that is the most appropriate for each style of figure and dress. Try out several styles of bra, take your time, you don’t want to have any regrets. These folks will also be able to assist you with picking out complimentary shoe styles.

4.. If you are thinking of a wedding dress in a shade that is not white or cream deliberate on the following.

Blonde and fair haired brides generally have blueish/grey eyes and find that blue colored wedding dresses and lilac colored wedding dresses work particularly well.

Very pale skinned brides should avoid the following colored wedding dresses, very pale whites or light greens.

Peach colored wedding dresses, cappuccino colored wedding dresses, champagne colored wedding dresses work very well for brides with olive to dark skin, these colors also work well for brunettes and redheads.

6. Whilst searching ideas for your wedding veil weigh up the following ideas.

A wedding veil should always complement the wedding dress not compete with it. Wedding veils can be vary from those below the shoulder, to waist level to full length veils to train to the awesome ( and sometimes problematic ) cathedral wedding veils.

The elongated, dreamy floaty veils are broadly speaking made from a silk tulle and favor a bias cut or a columnar style wedding dress. Shorter veils become the full skirted ballerina style wedding dress, which also happens to become the taller bride.

You want also to consider of how well your veil will suit your wedding hairstyle or updo. In that respect are practicalities to be thought of such as how it will be attached and how the underpinning will be hidden.

Wedding Site

Single parents meet with other singles at online dating services is common these days. Seeking a companion, they just need to register their personal ad at any single parents dating site. Single parents need love from someone who loves them, so do we. Every body need to be loved. You are a single mom who seeks a single man. And if you are a single dad who seeks a single mom. Then the best place to seek dating single mums or dads is from online dating parents services. Because of your busy life, it is too hard to find single fathers or mothers at the bar or nightclubs. Who will take care of your children when you go to find dates at these places? Online dating services are the best choice to find single parents. There are also free dating sites which provide a free two-way match making service to help singles dating single parents. Single parents need love so they should not give up on seeking new love in their life.

Single parents seek their dates sometimes confront with tricky situations. That is your children who may not accept your new boyfriend or girlfriend. It is hard to let the children to meet with your date. You need to talk to your children first and explain to them that you need love. They may not understand about your situation because of their young ages. Keep explaining to them about why you need a date. If you have small children, then it is easier. Some children may **** their single parents if there are new people to live in their houses. If you are a single female seeking another single male, then it is simple and easy. Dating single parents is tougher because you need to accept that person and your children need to accept that single person also. So, there are two stages that single parents must go over.

Some single parents are still afraid about their last relationships and divorce. However, you should be strong to start over. You can not live with your history of memories. Your future is waiting ahead. There are single parents meet each other online so you can do the same thing. Given up on love is a bad choice. Your dating single partner is waiting to meet you. You have to be opened for trusting new people in your life. Do not let your past relationship to haunt you. Forget about your last marriage and move up your life is an on-going thing your must do. Thanks to this computer world, free online dating sites help many single parents to meet their dating singles. Some dating on line sites generate many marriages a year. So, start joining these single parents dating sites to meet your new date.

Single parents dating their dates is a good thing. Single parents should not give up on love. Meeting an online date to make your life more beautiful. Do not wait. Take action now. Join these free online dating services to find a special single mom or dad of your dream.

Start Dating Now

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