Posts Tagged ‘networking’

Yes, I know the plural for moose is moose, but mooses sounds more amusing so I’m using it.

I was at a CityLocal networking event at Eastleigh Football Club earlier today.

Anyone who has networked with me knows I don’t really do the whole public speaking thing – which is partly why I use the “I talk in pictures not in words” catch phrase.

It was a slightly odd 60 second round because everyone was getting a polite ripple of applause after they’d said their bit.  I’ve been to loads of networking events, and this was a first.  Even BNI wasn’t that bizarre.

So this morning I had to stand up and give my “60 second” pitch directly after another photographer.  This guy was the polar opposite of me, loud, outgoing, well spoken.  He’d done his pitch standing on his chair.  Upon finishing he turned to me and in a friendly way said “follow that”.

I stood up, held up my moose postcard and said, “Hello, I’m Michael Palmer, another photographer.  I don’t stand on chairs, but I do shoot mooses.” and sat down again.  At the risk of offending some of my fellow networkers, some of the 60 second pitches I hear are so deathly boring that they made you want to self harm yourself.  My current marketing thinking is to make an impression and to be remembered.  The moose theme does actually seem to be helping that somewhat.

It was the first public outing of my new moose postcards and I was rather pleased with the reaction.

Being different and original is where it’s at, and it’s starting to work.

… what you can’t do.

That was the message that Gary Johannes was getting across during his 4sight at a 4Networking meeting in Grantham last week.

Although Gary was talking in general terms that none of us should let anyone tell us what we cannot do, his story was more personal.  Several years ago his son, Christopher was in an accident where he broke his back in several places, paralysed from the mid-chest down and had the top surgeon in the land was telling him he wouldn’t walk again.

You can read more about their story on their blog, but to sum up briefly, Christopher can now walk, the surgeons still don’t understand fully how, and in October 2010 they are both doing a 450 mile bike ride across Vietnam for charity.

I’ve probably taken more photographs of 4Networkings Managing Director Brad Burton than anyone else during the last few years.  We had another photoshoot, our first since the release of Brad’s “Get Off Your Arse” book last week after a 4Networking meeting in Lincoln.

A photoshoot with Brad is unlike a photoshoot with anyone else.  It’s typical Brad, high energy, fast paced but the job gets done.  This shoot was no exception.  Brad knew what he wanted and the shoot from start to finish took no more than 3 minutes.

I’m not talking about Brad just because I get a credit in his book, because I’m his official photographer or because I consider him a mate but also because of the way we really got talking and working together is featured in the book.

It was around 2 years ago, I’d met Brad at a 4N breakfast in Poole, and a few days later he called me to ask how I was doing.

To quote a few lines from his book…

“Normally the response would have been ‘Fine‘, but it went something like this.

‘Do you want the truth or the BS‘

‘Give me the bull.‘

‘Yeah business is great; I got orders coming in from all angles.‘

‘The reality?‘

‘Debtors piling up, no leads, feeling ill, and I don’t know where to turn.‘”

It just goes to prove that sometimes honestly is the best policy.  A few weeks after the phone call I found myself at the 4Networking headquarters in Taunton photographing Brad, Tim, Terry, Tasmin and Abby.  My work has gone on to feature on the first 3 covers of the their 4Community magazine.

To find out more about 4Networking – www.4networking.biz, and to find out more about GOYA - www.getoffyourarse.biz.

…  doesn’t always have to stay there.

On the 28th November 2009 business people from all over the country from the UK’s biggest joined up networking group, 4Networking had their Christmas Party at Rookery Manor.

While wearing my event photographers hat I try and capture the essence of an event without actually dictating what happens.  If you need an event photograph for either a photo-booth or to capture the goings on, please think of me.

What follows are a few memories of the nights events.

Happy people everywhere.

As well as a few disturbed people.

Not forgetting the beautiful people.

Striking a pose.

Some people were having too much fun.

He’s ‘armless really.

The face of someone who has just seen Brad Burton topless?

Some people were just generally confused.

Even the balloons were happy.

Some people really really do not like having their photo taken.

Never ever touch the hair of the person on the left.

There were legends a plenty in the room.

Man with horn.

No idea how to caption this one.

Hands up who hasn’t wanted to hit Brad Burton with a big stick at some point?

Award winners.

Come on!

A legend getting an award.

Some people wore silly suits.

Fat men dancing.  Always good for a laugh.

If anyone wants to use any of the photos from the party for facebook, twitter, blogging, website etc I will be charging £15 for each hi-res jpg image.  If you use any, expect an invoice.  Just saying