ribbon cutting

Doyle Wealth Management Ribbon Cutting Event with Mayor Bill Foster

Mayor Bill Foster of St. Petersburg on hand for the Doyle Wealth Management ribbon cutting

I met Anne Drake of Doyle Wealth Management at a new member orientation for the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce a few weeks back.  She told me of her company's relocation and ribbon cutting event so I attended it in an unofficial capacity, i.e. just a networking opportunity for me, but of course I brought my camera.  Got to see Gary (photo left) again of WUSF, an interesting fellow.  I see him at most of the networking events I go to.

In his brief appearance, Mayor Bill Foster shook a lot of hands, but not mine.

If I had had a chance to talk to Mayor Bill Foster I would have asked him to fix up the North Shore Dog Park as the cold winter has really destroyed most of the grass in the park.  Alas, I had no such audience with him.  Last year I did have a chance to directly ask a question to former Mayor Rick Baker.

Should have let me take take the photo!

The most interesting person I spoke with at the event was Sylvia Doyle, who I did not realize right away was the mother of the president of the company!  She said she had been living in St. Petersburg since 1957, when it was of course a far different place.  She thanked me for keeping her company, as no one was talking to her before, but I said on the contrary I like listening to your stories and there is very unlikely anyone else there that I would have anything in common with.  

I heard that to be a client of this wealth management group you need to have a minimum of $500 million in assets.  It blows my mind that there are enough of these people living in the area to keep a business like this in business.  

UPDATE:  according to their website it's a minimum of $500,000 I knew the other number was way too high, there are only so many people in the whole world with that much money, never mind in St. Pete

Robinson Family Medicine Ribbon Cutting Event

Jo was really excited as Dr. Robinson cut the ribbon on her new business!

 There was a very large turnout for the Robinson Family Medicine ribbon cutting event.  Much more than I expected.  This was the second ribbon cutting in as many weeks that I photographed for the Saint Petersburg Chamber of Commerce.  Each in a totally different setting and offering its own photography challenges.  However, I was allowed to choose the spot for the actual ribbon cutting and had ample time to dial in manual settings on my Nikon D300 and SB-600 Speedlight to get the above shot.  I could not have asked for a better reaction from Jo to make the shot have a little something extra.

There was a raffle after the ribbon cutting . . . 

 An unwatched raffle bowl is a vulnerable thing . . .

. . . someone may just sneak a hand and, but they were caught!

It was my first time inside Bank of America Tower, which is not that much to look at on the outside, but has an impressive lobby with great light beaming through during the golden hour.  I will return to photograph inside there some day.

Ribbon Cutting at Landmark at Waters Pointe Saint Petersburg

Landmark at Waters Pointe officially opens ready for residents wanting great waterfront living.

This afternoon on behalf of the Saint Petersburg Chamber of Commerce I photographed the ribbon cutting ceremony for Landmark at Waters Pointe.  Assistant manager, Amy, gave us a tour of the very nice grounds and model apartment.  I also had a chance to learn about Amy's rather interesting life and the complex path that ultimately led to her becoming assistant manager of an apartment community.

This was a little bit of a tricky shot to make.  The ladies were standing in the shade, but right behind them was a pool with concrete deck reflecting a lot of light, then of course the water and blue Florida sky in the background.  Not wanting to have my SB-600 Speedlight on camera, but not having the ability to setup a light stand or anything, I simply handheld the SB-600 in my left hand as far out and up as I could while holding my Nikon D300 with only my right hand.  I have actually practiced this shooting technique a lot so I am fairly comfortable with the balancing act it requires.  

It is always fun to attend and photograph these Chamber events.  A couple more are coming up in March.  They also make good networking opportunities.