In my Albany NY convention photography work, I often cover many different types of photographic assignments during the event. At one moment I may be photographing executive portraits. At the next I might be taking convention group photos. After that, I may be working as a photojournalist covering speakers, presentations and media events for a corporation.
One aspect of meeting photography while I’m working as a conference photographer that is very difficult is taking large business group photos.
The actual execution of the photograph is relatively easy for an experienced Albany business photographer such as myself. I have taken many convention group photos during my career and am familiar with what the challenges of getting a large group photograph done are.
Where my experience as an Albany meeting photographer comes into play is in the organization of the photograph. It takes a lot of experience and skill to visualize well before people are even assembled in the room how a large convention group photo will be taken. Will there be risers needed for a group photo? How many people will be in the photo and how large will they be spread out in the room? Inevitably, the space you are given for a large group photo at a business meeting is never 100% ideal. After all this is not taking a group photograph in a studio. This is working under difficult conditions, often with very strict time constraints.
So the real skill of a good Albany meeting photographer is being able to pre-visualize what the photograph will look like. This involves understanding how many people will be in the final group photo. Then it involves visualizing how those people will fit into a space that has been allocated for the photo.
In this instance a small meeting room was all that was available to be reserved for this executive group photo. And, the time constraints meant that the executive group could not be moved a long distance. So I executed this photograph by securing risers and chairs from the hotel that I was working in. And I set out a plan in advance of where people would be standing, sometimes I will tape their names down on the floor if necessary, so that everyone could step into place quickly.
The true test of a good New York meeting photographer is being able to shepherd and marshal people quickly and deferentially into the exact locations needed. These are skills that I have perfected over decades of doing these sorts of photographs. After all, nobody ever seems to want to do a large executive group photo. But after-the-fact all of the participants will be highly critical of the way they appear in the final photograph.
No single shot ever captures everyone looking perfect and that is where my advanced Photoshop skills come into play where I am able to seamlessly combine people from several images to make one pleasing Convention group photo. I have executed this sort of meeting photography taking pictures of large groups in New York, Syracuse, Albany, new Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami.
It would be great to speak with you a little about your upcoming Albany NY meeting or convention. Let me help you plan seamless and effortless photographic coverage!
Contact Me At This Link. I’m always happy to talk about the early planning stages of a project or to help you out of a bind on short notice.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Location: Syracuse, NY.