Christmas and Hannukkah are just around the corner, so it is time to start preparing! Here are some creative and fun photography tips that we hope you’ll enjoy.

1. Prepare: Making a List, Checking it Twice

• Make sure you are prepared to capture the moments of this holiday.

• Check that you have everything and find some good places to take some shots

• Pack the camera

• Make sure the batteries are charged and you have extra memory cards

• Put someone on ‘photos’.  Make sure someone is taking charge and photographing the whole event!

• Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash?
• Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting?

2. Get Your White Balance In Check: Pay attention to what type of light you’re shooting in and set your white balance accordingly.  If you have a camera that shoots in RAW, however, you can change it later.

3. Set Up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’: Time to be creative and set up a photo booth station where the party is.  An idea would be to photograph everyone as they come in and then leave a tripod set up with a self-timer on the camera for people to take pictures of themselves during the party.  As the party goes on, the photos get crazier!

4. Capture the Preparation Stages:

• The meal or party is the best part of the day, but there are other photographic opportunities; mainly the preparation stages of the day.

• Food preparation

• Putting up decorations

• Wrapping gifts

• Kids throwing a tantrum while getting dressed in their Christmas outfits

• Setting the table

5. Before and After Shots: Take pictures of the place before the party starts and after it has finished. It will show you what a success it truly was!

6. Time-lapse Christmas Series: A creative idea would be to set up a web cam on the table looking down the Christmas tree. Set the camera to go off every 5 minutes over the day and you will end up with one of the most wonderful series of shots. Of course can be applied to a Hannukkah bush as well;)

7. Christmas Lights: This can be tricky so read up on it!

8. Find a Point of Interest- but just per shot: Work hard to de-clutter your images

9. Fresh Group Photos: Take the group photo before the day gets started and when everyone looks their best.

10. Opening Gifts- Shoot in Continuous Mode: Opening gifts bring a wide array of emotions, facial expressions and excitement, so be ready to capture all of them! You will find a lot of really exciting, memorable photos.

11. Fill Your Frame: Fill your frame with your subject either by using your zoom or getting up closer to the subjec

On Wednesday night, we attended the SF Weekly Holiday Event at the Academy of Sciences benefiting One Warm Coat. There were hosted bars, hors d’oeuvres, live music, games, crafts, raffle prizes, and most importantly – Fish! We had a great time, but have to say that it lacked some fundamental event planning and production elements. There was a rather large line to get in, and nothing differentiating the ticket holders from guest list or VIP invites. It was pretty chilly out, so we were super excited to get inside after a bit of a wait. There were only two people at the registration desk, so we’re guessing this was one of the reasons for the lengthy line. We know we’re hard to please, but these things are really important!

It’s hard to bash an event that offers a full hosted open bar and food from over 6 Bay Area restaurants. Again, we were super thankful to be invited in the first place. Upon entering, we headed towards the food which for some reason was all crammed in this back area that was almost like a narrow aisle. Everyone was jammed up next to each other and again, and more lines! Why wouldn’t you space out the food throughout the venue a little better? I’m not even sure I know who the caterers were as I wasn’t able to grab any business cards with the masses. We decided to skip dessert and grab a cocktail, but the lines again were so long upstairs that we headed down to the Aquariam and found Artesa, where we were able to get a few tastings. By the time we headed back upstairs for dessert, they were cleared and everything was gone! One vendor was left with some yummy scones, but the rest must have ran out. I was bummed!

There were plenty of Ugly Sweaters, and casino games were provided by Homefry’s. We wanted to play a round of blackjack but weren’t patient enough to wait. I think they needed at least another 5-6 tables or so. There was a mock photobooth set up, in which they used Victoria’s Secret paper as the backdrop. They also used this to cover the registration tables. While this looked nice and creative at first, it quickly began to rip and it just ended up looking like trash all over the floor.

We left as the Raffle was going on, and looks as if they were giving out $1,000 in prizes for donating a coat. Last year’s event donated over 1,200 coats. So, even if the event didn’t have flawless production, this is a pretty good feat! DJ Eric Sharp was great and have nothing bad to say there. We were able to dance for a bit and had a great time overall! SF Weekly- let us help you with your planning next year. We’d be happy to make your event run a bit smoother, and ensure that everyone leaves with raving reviews!

Do you ever spend hours in a store or shopping online, trying to find the perfect gift for someone, but just can’t quite figure out what to get them? Well, now your days have become much easier, and just in time for the holidays!  Givvy is an “open community that let’s you participate in shaping the next gift-giving trend”. Whether it’s for a birthday, holiday present, housewarming party or a little something for yourself, our community of curators makes it easy to discover trendy new gifts that will inspire you and delight your friends and family.  You can also keep track of your most important occasions and social events with a personalized calendar and gift reminder service.

Givvy is uniquely designed for use inside Facebook—so you can discover gifts and share occasions while staying connected to the friends you love most. Givvy is an open community that let’s you participate in shaping the next gift-giving trend. Simply share your favorite gift ideas with friends and earn points as your influence gains in popularity. The members with the most influence earn exclusive rewards and join our community of Curators.

Your Holiday season of gift giving has now become much easier.  Make sure to check out Givvy’s Facebook page for great ideas for the perfect gift.

ABCey Events would like to thank Larry Rubin, one of Givvy’s founder’s for making our gift-giving days much easier!

Who would have thought that you could “collect people, places, and things with a touch”? Poken, is a small device that stores all of your personal information, such as, your name, business, and contact information. This information can be traded with other individuals at the touch of another Poken. This would be great for an event! Rather than trading business cards, you can simply exchange your information through the Poken, and in return, Poken creates a timeline of the people you met with all of their information. This is a great way to generate business leads and gather brochure information at your next event! Here are some of the benefits:

For You:

• Generate high quality business leads
• Simple and easy to deploy infrastructure
• Reduce paper waste and send a message of social consciousness
• Minimize printing and logistics costs of leaflets
• Track networking success with post-event analytics

4000 people were hosted in Orland, Florida and participants were allowed to collect information via Poken, click here to see the results. ABCey Events hopes to use Poken at our upcoming events!

We stumbled across this fabulous invention, created by Lumacoustics, that allows you to create a graffitied masterpiece without making a terrible mess! The YR Wall is an interactive drawing art tool where users create virtual digital graffiti on a large wall using a modified spray paint can. It is basically graffiti with a can that contains no paint, only a button and IR light source which is tracked using a computer vision system. The digital paint appears when the can is sprayed and looks exactly like graffiti.  Now it is possible to graffiti a wall, the way you have envisioned it since a little kid, and not get in trouble! No paint, therefore no drips and no damage! And no arrests;)

The paint includes a wide array of colors, symbols, stencils, animated stars, swirls and drip effects.  You can even custom make a user’s name, picture, or logo.  After decorating the wall, YrWall can then turn your art into a t-shirt, sticker, or photo for a keepsake.

This way the user can work with digital paint to create their own digital graffiti art. No more swapping paint cans to change color or having to wear a face mask and gloves. This is entirely environmentally friendly and accessible by anyone without any prior computer or graffiti skills. Oh, the excitement of working in a virtual envirornment.

YrWall, which can be hired short- or long-term or installed bespoke, has already been quite a hit at events like the UK’s Secret Garden Party. They have also recently worked with Daydream Network and Royal Albert Hall on an exciting new exhibition. Adding to the concept’s appeal and branding opportunities, people can receive a free digital copy of their art to share with friends, or can have their design printed on t-shirts and stickers right after they’ve finished their piece. Virtual postcards can be sent as well.

This is great idea for events as a way to keep people entertained and having fun! We love this creation and hope that we will be able to use it at ABCey Events very soon!

Check out the demo and tell us what you think!

YrWall Digital Surface Demo (preview video) from Lumacoustics on Vimeo.

ABCey Events was super excited to be a part of the massive 3,000 person 2 day red carpet Tesla Model S Event that was held this past weekend in Fremont, CA at the former Toyota NUMMI plant & now Tesla factory. We were hired by the well known Los Angeles based Event Management company, Best Events to act as a local resource for production elements such as Staffing, Florals, DJ, etc. SF Local Favorite DJ Mancub spun some chill tunes for a record amount of time both Sat and Sun, and the crowd seemed to love him!

Saturday began with an investor event, followed by International Media, then VIP and the main Customer Event for those who have put a deposit down on this fancy electric vehicle. The car is to roll out next year as a 2013 model with prices at around $57,400. Tesla says the S will have a range of up to 300 miles, depending on which battery option the buyer chooses.  What’s more, the Model S is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit that helps bring the cost down to $49,900.

Those who have preordered the vehicle were able to take a tour of the company’s facilities and do a test drive in a prototype (although they weren’t allowed to drive it themselves)! Guests were also allowed to tour the factory to see how it is made and learn some details about the car’s features from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. drove onto the stage in a burgundy Model S. From the car emerged seven people: five in the front and back seats and two tow-headed boys from the rear-facing seats, all of whom seemed to be carrying large duffel bags and backpacks. As Musk began to talk to the crowd, a ninth person person, sprung from the front trunk, surprising the crowd, which roared with laughter. The obvious point, made well with the display, was that the Model S has tons of cargo room — even under the hood since there’s no engine there. Tesla later tweeted that front + trunk = “frunk” — which will likely catch on quickly.

The souped-up Tesla can reportedly accelerate to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds, which is two-tenths of a second quicker than the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera with a manual transmission. We must say, the event was a huge success and everything seemed to go off without a hitch.We love you Tesla!

If you would like to view the full album of our own personal pics from the event, please click here!

Giant headphones with lavendar!! LOVE!!

ABCey Events would be happy to show you the space. Please inquire to events@abcey.com or call us at  877.435.4036.

We’re hoping that we get to the point where Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder and Facebook founding president calls us as last minute to pull together an event that warrants over 300 facebook “likes.”  He was celebrating the arrival of his latest venture, Spotify, the European-based music-streaming service that launched in the United States earlier this year and quickly picked up more than 10 million subscribers. Stanlee Gatti was the lucky planner that was hired to produce this incredible last minute event. He says that his crew had to pull the whole thing together in less than two days. “I got the phone call at 12:08 a.m. on Monday night.”

The graffiti theme continued inside the warehouse where soaring Rye Bar cocktail stands and bars teemed with every top-shelf tipple imaginable. All the better to pair with the bounteous McCall Associates buffet stands groaning beneath sushi and lobster bars, spit-roasted suckling pigs, pounds of fresh-sliced proscuitto and Parker’s personal favorite, Mac & Cheese copiously sprinkled with just-shaved truffles, six pounds of the pungent tuber which McCall Executive Chefs Lucas Schoemaker and Josip Martinovic had flown in from France. Amid the exhuberant extravagence, a few whispers about a potential bubble burst wafted upward to the warehouse ceiling bumping into towering chandeliers. “This isn’t old school because the first tech boom was never this good,” observed one partygoer, with a joking aside. “This is about kings and artisans of the court. So it’s more like medieval school.”

Spotify allows users to easily play music and share it with their friends in real time via their Facebook profiles. The collective hope is that increased access and exposure to new music will result in a boost in sales for record companies and maybe an incentive to subscribe to the full-fledged versions of the services on offer.

“What we discovered is the product consumers were willing to pay for was convenience,” Parker said. “Solving the piracy problem can’t happen unless you build a service that will compete with it. The party drew many Silicon Valley and music industry luminaries, including the managers of Top-10 pop acts such as Eminem and Bruno Mars. Zuckerberg made a brief cameo in the pit during Snoop Dogg’s raucous, expletive-laced set while socialites, including author Danielle Steel and former Mayor Willie Brown, mingled with guests on the long white couches that lined the room. (Lady Gaga was rumored to be making an appearance, but that didn’t happen.)

For the entire SF gate article, read here.

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) came back to Moscone Center this Monday. The WWDC showcases the latest innovations and the newest technologies in iOS and Mac OS X. Every year there are a variety of special events surrounding the WWDC experience. Thousands of developers from around the world will be in attendance, creating a unique setting for you to make new connections. You can strike up a conversation with other developers, create relationships that go beyond your week at WWDC, and gain inspiration from how your peers are using Apple technologies. Some of this year’s highlights include:

1) Keynote Speaker
CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple Executives kickoff the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference with a keynote address. The address (Monday) is now available to watch on podcast.

2) Mobclix & Groupon WWDC Mashup Cocktail Party
Last night on Howard Street, there was twice the space from last year, more awesome music from DJ Solomon, and networking opportunities. There were cocktails, the company of the creme de la creme of mobile app developers, and 30 of the hottest iPhone/iPad app demos.

3) Lunchtime Session with Pixar
Dr. Michael B. Johnson, a Pixarian since 1993, has been involved in all of Pixar’s feature films and many of their short films. In this talk, Dr. Johnson will discuss specific case studies about how the art drove the technology while the technology inspired the art.

4) WWDC Bash at Yerba Buena Gardens
As the week nears the finish line, it’s time to relax and enjoy great food, beverages, and entertainment. Yerba Buena Gardens is a short walk from Moscone West and offers a great setting for attendees to mingle with peers and have fun.

Over 1,000 Apple engineers guide attendees through five exciting days of in-depth technical sessions and hands-on labs. The special events are crucial to the success of the event as they help balance the sessions and labs.

What special events would you like to see at the WWDC?

To see more on the conference, click here

Tonight is another installment of Yuri’s night at the Academy of Sciences this evening. Featuring none other than our SF fav dj collective, The Space Cowboys. Yuri’s night is an annual celebration of humanity’s achievements in space. The event takes place each year in April, to commemorate Yuri Gagarin’s first flight into space in 1961, as well as the first launch of the US Space Shuttle in 1981.

The night will include a lecture by Mary Roach, author of Packing for Mars, and best known for her novels Stiff, Spoof, and Bonk. Other activities range from a screening of Dawn of the Space Age in the Planetarium, a Tour of the Night Sky with SF Amateur Astronomers, various visuals throughout the academy, and of course the amazing Space Cowboy DJs!

The Space Cowboys will also be hosting a free event after Yuri Night at MILK on Haight Street.

Purchase tickets to Nightlife here:

https://www.calacademy.org/event_tickets/index.php?d=April+7%2C+2011