The Art of a "Grab Shot"...at ShutterFest

Please Note: Before you read the post, help me find the photographer who sent it to me...I posted the question on the ShutterFest Facebook page, but nobody's come forward. I love the shot and so appreciate the effort and it being sent to me, but I can't for the life of me find the original email!

Update! Here's a great little back story on this one. The photographer is Thomas Roesner and he just called me after his wife spotted the post on the ShutterFest Facebook page. He was a volunteer helping Aaron Nace and happened to be walking by when Craig and I met for the first time.

Thomas mentioned to me that he's just getting started in this industry, but looking at the effort he put into this one shot says a lot about where his career is going to be down the road a few years!  I couldn't find the image, because he never really sent it to me. He had posted it as a comment on a previous blog I wrote about friendships. Adding even more to the story, Sheila and I met Thomas and Marissa last year at ShutterFest 2014. 

And there's one more story about why social media and ShutterFest are such a kick...they keep us connected!

We all grab shots of people we're hanging out with at various conventions, but this black and white I received a few days after the show sets the standard for quality. It's me and Craig Lamere at the top of the stairs overlooking the trade show floor from ShutterFest. I was headed downstairs and Craig stopped to introduce himself. I had no idea the shot was even being taken.

What's funny is that just a little while earlier I was photographing Craig teaching on the ground floor, just below the stairs. I was watching his class and thinking, here's somebody I need to meet. Hands on teaching is a significant part of what ShutterFest is all about. Every day there were dozens of groups like the one above all over the hotel.

The ones below are all part of the fun.  Catching up to old and new friends is a key reason to be at any convention in the first place, but you can't do a lot with them except just enjoy the moment. They're great for what they were meant to be - a post on FB, a tweet or an Instagram shot. However, the image with Craig Lamere captures the setting; the toned image fits with the retro feeling of Union Station and if I had a need for an image for part of a PR campaign, it's totally useable.

I've got two points to really make in this post. First, if you're going to get a shot you can use for something else later on, savoring the memories of times with friends, then you might as well put some quality effort into the shot. Second, a big thanks to the artist who took the time to send me the image. My lack of organization on this one and not being able to find the original email isn't typical.

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Sheila grabbed this one with good buddy, Gary Altman.

Posted by Cathy Buck after Midnight Madness

Mimika Cooney grabs a "selfie" on the trade show floor

However, putting my two points completely aside, grab shots are grab shots.  The friendships that every image represents is the whole point of capturing them in the first place.

Actually that's one of the biggest points about ShutterFest too - it's about great friendships! If you're not already registered for 2016, what are you waiting for? The link is below!

ShutterFest 2016