I had the opportunity to photograph the Nocking Point Wine Mixer at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia, Pa on Sunday, May 10th. It was a fantastic event which was a lot of fun due to the awesome guests and hosts of the party.
First a little back story as to how I got the opportunity. I volunteered my services as an event photographer for the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia. The people at Wizard World knew about the mixer and said that they needed a photographer for a celebrity event. Since I was already working three days straight with the last day being Mother's Day, I really wanted to go home after the Comic Con and then head over to see my mom. So when they asked on Thursday, I had declined. Well at 10:49am on the day of the event, I get a call from one of the Wizard World employees asking if I could shoot it. After hearing the full details and finding out that Stephen Amell was going to be there, I said yes. Stephen Amell was the one celebrity that I didn't get to photograph at the con that I really wanted. So I figured this will be my chance to get some good shots. By the way, my mom was okay with this since I was able to get shots of David Tennant the day before.
Comic Con Photo Gallery
So after I finished my assigned shots for the con, I walked from the convention center to the Union Transfer. There I met Drew and Sarrah from Nocking point. At this point, I had no idea who anybody was, what this event was about, how I am going to shoot it, and how Stephen Amell fit into all of this. In short, compared to the ravenous fans patiently waiting outside, I was clueless. This level of ineptitude lead to some pretty classic foot-in-mouth moments for me.
So as everyone was setting up, I got shots of the merchandise that the fans had quickly snagged up leaving the counter bare in a short time after the doors opened. After getting all the shots I could, it was time to wait for the doors to open at 5pm. Well at 4:21pm I get a call from the guy at Wizard World asking where I was. I told him that I was already at the Union Transfer. He apologized and let me know that he never got in touch with Nocking Point and that they went with another photographer so my services weren't needed.
Well isn't that great. So I let Drew know that I was not the photographer that they were expecting and that there is someone else coming. I told him that I would stay until the other photographer arrived to make sure that they weren't left without a photographer. Drew and Sarrah talked for about 2 seconds and decided that having two photographers would be a good thing.
Thank you very much!
Then just before 5pm Mr Amell shows up. After some discussions, I am standing on the main floor next to a lady who I thought was the mother to Drew and Sarrah. She was wondering what shots they wanted in front of the Nocking Point sign.
I say to her that you should get all the shots you want. Now I am thinking this is a situation like how a card store brings in an athlete to draw sales when doing a signing for the fans. So I say to her, "Unless you are hanging out with people higher up than Stephen Amell, I would get all the shots you can with him". Now in hindsight I see how I made a fool of myself for not knowing the relationship between Drew and Stephen. I found out about their connection after they got on stage and talked about it later that evening. Way to go dummy for making a fool of yourself. So at that point I still thought she was Drew's mom. Now after the event was done I find out that she is "Momma Amell". So now my embarrassment is ten-fold. Not only does she know Stephen, she gave birth to the man! She never corrected me about my faux-pas. So either she took it all in stride or she never heard me. In any case, this is why I like to research who and what I am shooting before I go do it.
Now the doors opened and the fans came pouring into the venue. At this point I figured I needed to get shots of the patrons receiving their glasses. I stood on the bench near the door to get some overhead shots but I wasn't liking that fact that I didn't see faces as much as I wanted.
So I changed up my position to be on the floor level and started to get shots of the people as they entered. The shots I got were fantastic but I quickly saw that I was causing gridlock as the fans would stop and pose for the shot. So to my dismay, I stepped away from the entrance. At this point I found Mr Amell on the floor pouring wine for the fans. It was amazing to see how one fan had asked him to pour a glass of wine had turned into everyone queuing up for a personally poured glass of wine.
As a photographer, you can't just camp a spot and just shoot the same thing all night. So I started to roam the floor looking for people to photograph who weren't in line. I found the bartenders pouring glasses and fans milling around.
When I rounded the one corner, I found a group of fans in a circle talking. I figured this would make a great non-posed, casual shot that would show the atmosphere. I circled around them finding the best angle to shoot them. As a photographer you need to be quick and get the shot before the people notice you. Well, I wasn't fast enough. The lady in the blue dress (I am sorry, but I forgot your name) sees me and raises her glass for the photograph. The shot was great but it wasn't what I initially wanted. This is what happens when you aren't fast enough with the shot. She jovially mocked me as I asked them for shot of them talking. Even though it wasn't the shot I first saw, this one came out way better. The look on her face is priceless and everyone else is smiling. It is also nice to get razzed by the patrons because I would hate it if the people find me annoying and disruptive. Maybe they did but they were being polite. I guess I will never know. Afterwards, I did manage to get a group shot of them before I continued on my hunt for more group shots.
Now I did find myself spending a bit of time in front of the Nocking Point backdrop. It would start off with one couple wanting a shot and then I would turn around to see a small line forming for shots. Also, I took shots with their phones. I quickly became versed in camera phone apps. Some of the couples/groups that I photographed, a few of them come to mind.
This one guy was wearing a Blue Jays shirt so I joked with him why he would wear it. He says that he is from Toronto. So I replied by saying that shouldn't he be wearing a Maple Leafs shirt. He said hockey season is over. I said hockey season is never over. He then mentioned that they do have the Hockey Hall of Fame and agreed that hockey season is never over for them. FYI, I am extremely biased towards hockey since it is my favorite sport and it is what I normally shoot.
Now for another foot-in-mouth moment was when this gentleman shows up with two women. He wraps his arms around each one of them as he stood between them. So I said something about being a stud. Well, it turns out that they are his sisters.
Doh! He said that he gets it all the time. I apologized to them all profusely and I could feel my face going red. I guess I really should know when to not say anything and just do my job and shoot.
This group was very entertaining as they showed up several times for shots. The first one they held up their glasses in a sophisticated manner. Later they came back with some empty bottles and posed for this classic shot. Now during one of their shots, two of them stuck a pose of them pseudo arm wrestling. I got the shot and then I checked the image to see if it is was good or not. While I was looking at the back of my camera, they were still posing.
Another lesson, don't chimp (review images) until after your subjects are done. They got back into the pose and I was able to get it. They seemed to have a good time with the shots. Now this last shot was interesting. These two ladies got up to the backdrop and got ready to pose for a shot. Now I had no idea what they were going to do but hey, it's my job to get the shot and not worry about what they are doing even though knowing what is going on does help in getting better shots. So after I take the shot, I show them the preview on my camera.
Well the lady in the blue and white outfit complains to her friend that she wasn't quivering right. At this point I have no idea what they were supposed to be doing. She (in blue) asks me what she was. I told here that I had no idea. So she said that she was drawing back a bow and that her friend was supposed to be a quiver full of arrows. Ah, so that's what they were doing. So exactly how does one pantomime as a quiver full of arrows?
As for intimate shots, here are the two best shots I got all night.
Getting a good intimate shot can be difficult to get since you can't be seen. At least this time I was able to get the shot without being seen. What also makes tender moments like this one so hard to get is that you are blasting the poor people with a flash. This is the downside of getting a good shot. You can be annoying and possibly ruin their mood. They were cool with it and didn't seem to mind. I hope after they see this image they will know that it was worth it.
Now this next shot I took from the balcony level. I found that trying to get any shots of Mr Amell with any fans was nearly impossible as they completely surrounded him. It didn't give me much room to get the shot that they would want. So by having the high ground, I was able to get this fantastic shot of a female fan patiently waiting for Stephen to pour her a glass of wine. The looks on his and her faces speak volumes. These are the type of shots that make shooting fun and rewarding.
Speaking of Stephen Amell, this is my favorite expressive shot of him. This was his reaction to when he 'accidentally' let everyone know that two people die in season finale. Overall I am pleased with my work and from reading some of the comments, so were the fans. I wish I could have gotten shots of everyone in attendance but there is only so much you can do. I really hope that I get the chance to shoot another mixer in the future for them.
Knocking Point Wine Mixer - Philadelphia Photo Gallery
