(Pictured above: Deckel & Moneypenny at KBIS)
Photographer Gary Prochorchik Shoots Tradeshows Since 1983
by Lisa Abrams
A hundred years ago, Fred Barnard said it well, “A picture speaks a thousand words.” With today’s images going viral at an unbelievable pace, this could not be truer for the tradeshow industry.
You spend countless hours and thousands of dollars selling, designing and building the most incredible exhibits. Innovative fabrication combining a tried and true system and the most awesome lighting and LED screen technology adorn your new 100,000-square-foot build. Do you trust this to an iPhone or someone who happens to give you the lowest price or do you call a photographer who specializes in tradeshow exhibits?
They say it’s not all about a “bike” or a “camera,” but a photographer that is truly adept in photographing exhibits will have specialized equipment. Your photographer needs an expert eye—and the right tools. Some lenses have features that allow the photographer to see more like our brains. Our eyes are only lenses. Our brains are what makes everything look how we perceive it to be. Have you seen photos where the vertical lines converge? Some lenses keep this from happening.
A photographer serious about their work will invest in the proper tools needed to produce the best images; tools that allow the photographer to capture the exhibit in ways the designer hadn’t even imagined. After all, you want only the best images for your portfolio.
Speaking of portfolios, be sure you see photos of the photographer’s previous work. You should see many examples of photography similar to what you need. You don’t want to waste your time and energy getting a photographer onto the show floor only to find out they usually shoot weddings and pets.
Whomever you choose should have a good understanding of how to photograph architecture and be nimble enough to work within the confines of shows. Make sure your photographer understands the tradeshow industry. Include photos of smaller inline exhibits along with large island exhibits. Customers want to know that you’re able to scale your creativity. And some 10x10s are pretty amazing. Be sure to have a large example of built exhibits so potential clients know that you actually did build them; not only design them. Some exhibit builders will show a rendering and the finished photograph next to each other, using it as a selling tool to show what was sold and what was delivered.
Bottom line
The goal of the exhibit builder is to make the brands look great. The goal of the photographer is to make the exhibit builder look great. The brands win. The exhibit builder wins. Mission accomplished.
The next time you need a photographer to photograph your exhibits, call Exposures, Ltd. Gary Prochorchik has been photographing in the tradeshow arena since 1983 and truly understands exhibit photography. His team at Exposures, Ltd. work closely with designers, builders, account executives and marketing professionals to identify and capture the critical aspects of your exhibit to support design contests and future case studies. So, improve your image…call Exposures, Ltd. Gary can be reached at www.exposuresltd.com or at (781) 715-1216.
This story originally appeared in the Special 25th Anniversary issue of Exhibit City News, p. 108. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_25th_anniversary
