On a Sunday afternoon in I was walking into the Santa Fe Convention Center to photograph an event for ACOMS and to my great surprise I learned I was photographing the actual U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams! I was told I would only be photographing a presenter and then some candids of the vendor area. This was not my first time photographing a prominent political figure. In Florida in 2011 I had the chance to spend a day photographing then U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. I have also photographed three governors, a U.S. Senator, U.S Representatives, and at least 3 mayors.
Networking events seem to be dreaded. Something a business owner needs to do. However, not all networking events are created equally. I always bring my camera with me to Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce events, and this Biz Crafty networking event was no exception. I love to get candid photos at events, which is helped by people really enjoying themselves. Look at these candids, and you will see a lot of people having a very good time, yet this is still networking! Candid event photography is my speciality as I find the reactions that will be remembered for years.
I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from Tracy Stuckrath about photographing her presentation at the Albuquerque Convention Center for today! Due to cloudy skies in El Morro, New Mexico, I was available and I am very glad I was because her presentation on food served at events, meetings, hotels, and conferences was very interesting and very relevant to me. Being a combo of vegan and vegetarian since 1996, and being a professional photographer since 2009, I am often shooting events, but not often being offered a great veggie meal at them. Tracy advocates for not just vegetarian meals, but more awareness in general to accommodating various food needs by attendees and guests that include allergens, religious preferences, and even having non-alcoholic cocktails for people (like myself) that do not drink.
If that background above looks familiar, it’s because I just photographed another conference in the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque three months ago. This time it was the NACWA Winter Conference 2019. The conference was focused on clean and safe drinking water. I was hired to photograph the awards ceremony and a few other tangential events like 1-on-1 networking, and a reception after the awards, I liked how the organizers had me photograph the award recipients before the actual ceremony, so we could take our time and get the best shots possible, not trying to keep everyone together and looking at the camera in the split second on stage after receiving the award. You can see the lighting setup this allowed me to use below.
A Gala with the Governor, Mayor, and Chevel Shepherd!
What is the La Noche Encantada - Calavera? It is a gala and the biggest event of the year for the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. 2019 featured no less than Chevel Shepherd winner of The Voice in December 2018. Newly elected governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke, as did Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. I am a chamber member, but was at the event in an official capacity as a photographer, along with Jessica assisting. My job was to first make 200+ red carpet photos of people arriving! Then on to the dinner banquet, and finally to the Kiva Auditorium for the musical performances. Not many nights have I had such a diverse range of photography assignments! It was a very exciting event to photograph and experience through the lens.
Being part of a community is pretty important for an entrepreneur. There is no better community for an entrepreneur to be a part of in Albuquerque, New Mexico than 1 Million Cups. I have been going nearly every Wednesday for 8 months straight and enjoy listening to the stories of the presenters about how they started their business, and the challenges they are currently facing. The presenter asks the audience for feedback and with any needs they have. This benefits all in attendance at the event. I always take away one nugget or thought to keep in mind as I go home to work on my photography and drone business. Today it is about keeping my work space even tidier than I normally do per the advice of Feng Shui with Connie K. There are also free donuts and coffee each week too, if that appeals to you!
Car shows are in fact, a very hard place to actually photograph cars in. That’s why when I go to them, I often just bring my 50mm lens, or in this case my Tamron 90mm macro lens. For the SuperNationals Custom Car Show 2019 in Albuquerque I guessed it would be crowded, people walking into potential photos from all directions, and the cars would be bunched in close together and often roped off. All this was the case so I was glad I decided to focus on getting details shots of the custom cars there with my macro lens.
