The Pressmen as Fake Paparazzi and Event photographers

The Pressmen as Fake Paparazzi and Event photographers

In an earlier article I looked at the concept of Value for Money. In 2013 we are living through a period of austerity where the country if not actually in Recession is suffering a downturn along with many other countries. Clients must consider how they are using their money and whether the service they are buying gives them enough value.

The value I believe is in the blending together of a theatrical experience combined with relevant event photography. Event photography can be categorised in two ways.

The first is the photographer who essentially creates a studio environment on site in the chosen venue. They will arrive with a dedicated backdrop, usually a lighting set up with two lights each with either an umbrella or a soft box. They will adjust the lights to give general lighting that is pleasing to the eye. The lights will fit with getting a good recording of skin tones with neither too much light or to little. The idea in diffusing the light being to reduce shadows which lessens wrinkles and skin issues. The goal is to get a really pleasing portrait that enhances a persons look. Not only this the photographer will aim to get the best angle and the best pose to end up with a photograph that clients like so much they will want a copy.

This type of event photography will also involve having a printer so that prints can be delivered on the night.

In creating the Pressmen we have created a different strategy which is the second type. Our aim is to be like newspaper photographers and capture the best moments in a function. Sometimes this strategy is called reportage or candid photography. Because this method calls for instant judgements it is necessary to have cameras and lenses that are of a very good quality. We cannot afford to have a lag between the moment when we push the shutter release button and the moment the camera actually takes the picture. It is important to understand the way light effects a picture and when to take pictures with just the ambient light and when flash light is needed. We tend to have flash lights that can be separate from the camera in order to be able to create different atmospheres. Light from above,below or from the side. Light from different angles create or reduce shadows which has a major impact on a photograph from simple pleasant light to very dramatic shadows.

But reportage photography involves not only technical issues but also artistic ones.

The photographer who was the of great importance to this tradition of  candid photography talked about the decisive moment. He described it in this way,

"Photography is not like painting," Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

This takes study, experience and much practice.

It is the goal of our photography in the pressmen. To capture all the decisive moments. Add all those together and the story of the event is captured. The photographs allow a client to remember all that took place at the event and to be able to relive the experience of the event with all its passion and intense emotion. Even to see things that they may have missed. In other words it is a visual description of that event.

The Pressmen are thus able to produce a veritable feast of images using the art of photojournalism but also with the theatricality of fake Paparazzi or Spoof Paparazzi they can become an essential aspect of what is necessary to make an event work both on the day and to memorialize it for years to come.

Fake Paparazzi Value for money

Fake Paparazzi 

can be just that. Fake in the sense that their job is to help create a fun atmosphere and help to ensure the guests feel special. This would easily fit into the concept of Mix and Mingle Entertainment. Ice breaking Entertainment.

 Value for money

 It is important to ask if the client is getting value for money. It is an idea that is rarely thought about. Most clients do not have a good overall vision of what makes an event. They have surely been to events and experienced them but in general it is not their area of expertise. 

What makes an event work and has it achieved its goals which are often implicit rather than explicit. At say a birthday how will a client categorize their event as a success. For each client it will be different but there are certain universal values one can point to. At the end of the event is the client feeling good about their party, are the guests feeling the same, are they thinking about the party, remembering aspects of the party to tell their friends ,have they a recording of the party and so forth.

What goes into achieving these results. The venue, the décor, the food, the entertainment, the atmosphere etc.

So if we are talking about value for money where do fake Paparazzi fit into this. It is important at the beginning of the event that the Fake Paparazzi help guests feel like they are at a party, help to ensure that each guest feels special and help to break the ice between guests who do not know each other. These are the building blocks for creating a fun atmosphere.

Value for money really needs more than that. Fake Paparazzi have cameras and it is a big loss if they don’t have cameras that are fit for purpose and know how to use those cameras as well as know how to look for all the decisive moments that go to create special memories. The skills of a Professional Photographer, or an Event Photographer.

Cheap cameras or camera phones will record certain aspects of a party but they will not be able on a consistent basis capture enough of  the decisive moments. For example, at a birthday party there is the cake cutting moment. There is a period of time when the cake is being cut but in that time there are only a few instances when the photograph would be right. Let alone that the light would show up the person and the cake in the best aspect. To take the decisive moment takes both a skilled photographer and a professional camera and lighting system.

To get value for money the Fake Paparazzi must have the quality of an experienced performer as well as the skills of a professional photographer. The value for money aspect comes in the way the Fake Paparazzi or Spoof Paparazzi can create atmosphere and create memories by recording the decisive moments.

All of that makes the Fake Paparazzi/Spoof Paparazzi/Event Photographer an essential element in what it takes to create a successful event. 

Fake Paparazzi and Birthday Parties

Fake Paparazzi and Event Paparazzi together

Choosing the correct way to explain what we do is always difficult. Much depends on the understanding of the person who is reading the words. 

In the case of birthday parties we are using Fake Paparazzi and Event Paparazzi to help create the atmosphere at the beginning and to create memories throughout with photography and trying to catch the decisive moments.

"I just wanted to say thank you for making my party such a success – everyone thought you were great and I love the photos."

 see more testimonials

The difference between Fake Paparazzi and Event Paparazzi

Fake Paparazzi is the theatre created at the beginning of an event. It is that moment when guests arrive and they are treated as special celebrities.

Event Paparazzi is the candid or reportage photography that happens during the event. Because we have created a relationship with the guests through the theatre of Paparazzi it means the guests are more relaxed around us and this allows for much better photographs.

Fake Paparazzi for birthdays

As can be seen from the above quote "everyone thought you were great"  As Fake Paparazzi we created an impact with the guests and this not only made the party more fun but also helped to get better photographs,"I love the photos"

Fake Paparazzi and Fake Autograph Hunters

Fake Paparazzi in action

Working at an awards luncheon for a medical supply company. At this function we had a series of goals. We had two fake Paparazzi and two Fake Autograph Hunters. The two Fake Autograph Hunters were trained dancers and actors. 

The first goal was to help create a fun atmosphere for this awards ceremony. As it was in the companies building and during a working day we had to really add extra enthusiasm to create the right sense of theatre. As people arrived the Fake Autograph hunters and the Fake Paparazzi rushed over to the arriving guests treating them as major celebrities,asking for their autographs,calling for them to look at the cameras,and without a doubt creating a sense of fun. After the event we heard from the client as to the impact we had on the awards ceremony. The second goal was to continue creating a sense of fun during the lunch and then continue with that energy into the awards themselves.

During the lunch itself we added an idea that could be called Photo Bombing. People do this when an odd person turns up in a picture. This can happen with tourists when a stranger pulls an odd face at the back of their picture. Here we turned this idea into a very positive experience combining it with the continuing idea that all the guests are very special. So both our Fake Autograph Hunters posed behind guests at every table. That way everybody had a good time and we got to take photos of all the guests enjoying themselves.

As to the Awards Ceremony we again helped to build the atmosphere. With a lot of awards the continued walking to the podium can be a downtime if there are lots of awards. Our dancers accompanied people along the red carpet improvising new actions with every award winner. So cheering their name,different dance steps with them,twirls and whirls. This was something the client had not seen before and they were very pleased  with the interaction. 

Of course all of this was professionally photographed by the two pressmen.

Pressman working as event Photographer

Fake Autograph Hunters in action

Why choose the Pressmen and both Fake Paparazzi and professional photography

Fake Paparazzi

What is Fake Paparazzi? Sometimes it is called spoof paparazzi or digital paparazzi.

Within the idea of Fake Paparazzi one can have 1950's style or a modern style. For us at the Pressmen we prefer the old fashioned style with double breasted pinstripe suits,trench coats and trilby's.

We do have a modern version which although good is not as strong theatrically.

Theatrical Paparazzi

What is in it for the client. How will they benefit from booking Fake Paparazzi? There are two main factors. One is they act as an icebreaker at the beginning of a party and in doing this help create a fun atmosphere.

For the client this makes their guests happy which in turn makes their party fun and everyone remembers the party. Impact and memorability.

The nitty gritty of doing this is to create a moment of theatre. As soon as guests see the Fake Paparazzi they know what they represent. They understand the setting. The stage is created. That leads into making the guests feel special. The Fake Paparazzi treat them as special,as celebrities,as winners. They talk to them as if they are famous and that in itself  although a piece of theatre still has impact. In modern anonymous society to be treated as a human being as someone who is special, that has impact. 

The key to performing in this way is to set the scene and then listen to what the guests says. Then improvise to their reply. This cannot be overlooked if the performance is to maximize its impact. Listen and relate to what they say. It is essential to listen and create a dialogue. It is only a quick moment but it is essential that there is real dialogue. 

Listening Paparazzi

If as Fake Paparazzi we get both the listening and dialogue at the right level we have done our job. This creates a relationship to the guests which has an immense effect later on in the event. It is essential for the event photography. Listening Paparazzi create relationships for the evening. This makes the Fake Paparazzi opening work and it is a key to the effective taking of photographs. 

And so ends Part 1 of this blog. These ideas will be developed in the next part of this blog.