Montreal event photographer
By Allen McEachern
C2 Montreal wrapped last Friday night. This year marked my 7th edition as one of the official photographers of C2. My role in this edition was to cover the speakers and events of the Cabaret venue. Great master classes and tons of insight into the trends of today and tomorrow. Here are a few of my favourite images from #C2M19.
By Allen McEachern
Over the past five years, I have had the tremendous pleasure to be one of the official photographers of C2 Montreal. Every spring I look forward to the week of C2. The content, space, participation, and logistics of this project are impressive. As one of 5 photographers my take is limited to the main conferences and general movement from place to place. Here are some of my favourite images from C2 Montreal 2017.
By Allen McEachern.
Photographing large, multi-day corporate events is something I truly love to do. The combination of all the moving parts that make these events so amazing also offer a lot of visual stimulation and inspiration for me. Large scale production - lights, sound, sets, talented and interesting speakers, access to industry leaders, creative spaces, other production teams, tons of people, networking, movement, working as a team, 12+ hour days, working closely with clients, sending images to media in almost real time, seeing your work live beyond the event, capturing a moment, sculpting a message...all of this without loosing site of why I am there...to create strong, clean, visually engaging creative content to help my client market, promote, share, sell, and explain. Do you attend large corporate events? What are your thoughts and experiences? Below are a few of my favourite images from events I photographed in 2016.
By Allen McEachern.
Photography is a very competitive business with many great photographers all going after the same clients. Often, the contracts go to the photographers whom not only know how to shoot, but who also know how to stand out and get noticed. A simple way to be remembered is to leave the client with something that contains your branding. One item that I currently use is a branded pen / USB combination. My supplier is USB Memory Direct. I like the pen / USB combo because it is a useful item that won't just be trashed at the end of the day. I use these to deliver back up images, small sample portfolios, bio info, etc..... Getting noticed is the start, being remembered is the road to being hired when the right job comes along. Leave something behind.
By Allen McEachern.
I recently had the great pleasure to travel to San Francisco to photograph a 4 day C2 Montreal event produced exclusively for the global accounting firm Ernst & Young. Here are a few of my favourites from day 3 and 4.
By Allen McEachern.
Photos highlights from the Quarter Finals matches of the Snow Polo Tremblant International Tournament. #SnowPoloTremblant
By Allen McEachern
Late last week I had a wonderful day of work with the international staff of Mirasee. Mirasee teaches internet marketing and social media skills to business of all sizes through an on-line subscription based platform. An innovative company that employs remote workers from around the world. They all came together north of Mont-Tremblant at Blueberry Lakes in Labelle for a week of training, team building, and conversation. I joined up with them for a day of corporate portraits, head shots, team photos, and to create an image bank of technology themed marketing visuals. Here are a few of the portraits.
By Allen McEachern.
Looking back into the music images archive...Paul Banks of Interpol from their live performance in Montreal on July 30th, 2007. Are you looking for images of your favourite band? Keyword searchable music image archive at: http://bit.ly/Allen-McEachern-Live-Music-Photos
By Allen McEachern.
Relais Pour La Vie - Mont-Tremblant. Canadian Cancer Society.
Non-profit organizations sometimes approach me asking for a donation of my commercial photography services. I often say yes, but I do have a structured approach. Here are the main points to consider...
1. Charities operate with very limited budgets. Volunteers and donations are what help these organizations maximize the use of the funds for the people they help. Adding commercial photography greatly increases the organizations brand, market presence, and advertising. Additionally, it helps in their internal communications and community relations. I try to align myself with projects that match my personal values. Sometimes it is ok to say no. Try to refer someone else if you are not available.
2. ROI - Return on investment. In this case, time. Through the organizations I work with I have meet numerous people I would not regularly have access to. Business leaders, other professionals, politicians, celebrities, and so forth. The amount of business generated from these contacts is often substantial. Additionally, increased visibility for my brand comes from on site branding at events, publication of my logo in printed communications, local and national media coverage, photo credits, publication in the annual report, etc, etc, etc. You get the point. The returns are often much larger than the donation.
3. It feels good. Taking a positive, active role in your community is hugely rewarding. Giving of your time and of your expertise can greatly enhance the lives of others. Working alongside like minded individuals creates a silent bond that follows you all year as you interact with your community. I highly recommend getting involved.
Personally, I try to be involved at least once per quarter with a non profit organization. I work with charities that help underprivileged children (something close to my heart), with the Canadian Cancer Society, and with foundations that ease the transit from life to death. What ever you choose, getting involved can have a huge impact on both the organization, and yourself.
By Allen McEachern.
Pinterest offers the commercial photographer a unique, and powerful tool. Here are three ways that I use Pinterest in my business mix.
1. Create Inspiration / Mood Boards...I use Pinterest to create private mood boards to share images with clients and other team members. These private boards allow me to share images that I like, and that match what the client is describing. The client also shares what they like, what they want to create, sets that match their ideas, etc.. This is a powerful tool for getting everyone on the same page before any shooting starts.
2. Drive Website Traffic / Increase On-Line Sales...Pinterest offers free on-line permission based marketing of my images to a target audience. Carefully use of key wording and strong hashtags allow my images to be found by people who are looking specifically for what I am offering. I use Pinterest to get my fine art prints in front of buyers with back links to my on-line store. My images show up on Pinterest searches for Wall Art, Home Decoration Ideas, Custom Fine Art Prints, etc..Again, a very powerful tool.
3. Research...Pinterest is a great place to start when I am researching a location that I have never been before. A simple search of a place can result in hundreds of images that provide visual cues. I can see how other photographers have captured a place. What light can look like at certain times of day. I find inspiration from looking at the images of others. How did they create that image? What would I do different? What lenses will I bring? Again, often these images will link back to blog posts, and other sources of information useful in my research.
By Allen McEachern.
Do you remember Montreal Fashion Week? Here is a shot from one of the last editions before La Semaine de Mode de Montréal stopped....Click on the image or http://bit.ly/Montreal-Fashion-Week to see more from my 10 years of photographing this bi-annual event as one of the official photographers...enjoy!
By Allen McEachern.
I have been working as a commercial photographer since July 2004. I have been using Photoshelter as one of my business tools since 2005. Originally, Photoshelter launched as a searchable on-line storage / archive coupled with an image stock agency. Today, Photoshelter offers on-line storage for serious photographers. Their site is searchable by keyword, so buyers can find your images. Here are some of the other things that I love about using their platform in my business mix...
1. Client Proofing Galleries...proofing galleries that I can share with multiple people. Each person has a login and their choices are unique. I can then review all the selected images - seeing which choices are mutual.
2. Image Delivery...I use Photoshelter to share images with clients through galleries. All the images can be downloaded in a batch or individually. There are multiple file sizes available, each automatically generated from my master file. This saves a lot of time when multiple people need access to the images.
3. Unlimited Searchable On-line Storage...all pro accounts come with unlimited storage. I can upload my entire archive and remotely access it anywhere in the world. RAW, TIFF, JPEG, PSD, etc. etc.
4. Customizable Website Templates... Photoshelter offers a lot of template options for websites. I can have a custom domain name, or a hosted domain with Photoshelter. Personally, I use this option as a add on to my portfolio site, a keyword searchable archive with a e-commerce back-end. http://archive.allenmceachern.ca
5. On-line Store...I use Photoshelter to sell images, prints, and digital downloads of rights managed stock. Clients can order prints and check out. Clients can license images and check out. There are so many options for print vendors and products. My store is always open, and it is global.
These are only a few of the many powerful features available to professional photographers via Photoshelter. If you would like to find out more please click this affiliate link to learn more.
By Allen McEachern.
Congratulations to all the winners at the 2015 Gala Excellence - Chambre de Commerce de Mont-Tremblant. The Gala honours local businesses, employees, and self-employed professionals who excel through out the year. A special congratulations to Chateau Beauvallon, winners of Business of The Year.
By Allen McEachern.
A keyword searchable image bank for rights managed photo stock and fine art prints.
By Allen McEachern.
Photo highlights from the final day of the Festival Mode et Design Montreal. #FMD15
By Allen McEachern.
Photo highlights from the Passerelle Casino de Montreal - #FMD15
By Allen McEachern.
Photo highlights from day 2 of the Festival Mode et Design Montreal.
By Allen McEachern.
Photo highlights from day one of the Festival Mode et Design Montreal.
