I photograph headshots. That’s my lane, and I stay in it. But some projects are bigger than headshots — and when they are, the smartest thing I can do is bring in the right people.

A company flies their entire team in for a three-day offsite. They want individual headshots, yes. But they also want video content for their website, candid coverage of the sessions and breakouts, and group photos they can actually use. That’s not a one-person job. That’s a team.

Over the past few years I’ve worked alongside two creatives who I trust completely and who are excellent at what they do. I want you to know about them.

Marikate Venuto — Event Photography

Marikate is a photographer based in Havertown who has been producing event and corporate photography in the Delaware Valley for over 12 years. Her venue list reads like a directory of every serious event space in the region: the Union League, Fitler Club, the Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia Convention Center, ARAMARK headquarters, Borgata, the Pyramid Club, Longwood Gardens — and that’s a partial list.

She’s not just showing up and taking photos. She’s embedded in the Philadelphia business community. She’s a member of BNI Main Line I Chapter. She photographs for the Entrepreneurs Organization of Philadelphia. Her event work has appeared in Philadelphia Magazine. She closes out every year photographing the All Service Academies’ Ball at the Union League — servicemen and women from every branch.

Her clients say it better than I can. Edward Piscopo, who headed the Special Events Committee for CoreNet Philadelphia for 15 years, hired Marikate for their high-profile events repeatedly and called her “the best at what she does.” Katie Stone, a marketing manager at Irwin & Leighton, said Marikate was “so full service” and that “everyone looked AMAZING.” Marcia Zaruba O’Connor, CEO of The O’Connor Group, said Marikate “truly captured the spirit and joy” of their annual holiday party. And AnnMarie Gulian, an executive recruiter at Raytheon Technologies, put it this way: she wanted photos that represented the real her, not a fake version — and Marikate nailed it.

Event photography is a completely different skill set from headshots. I’m controlling the light, the background, the expression. Marikate is reading a room — anticipating the handshake, the laugh, the keynote moment — and capturing it without disrupting it. It requires a different eye and a different temperament, and she’s exceptional at it.

When a client needs both headshots and event coverage at the same gathering, having Marikate handle the candid work means I can stay focused on delivering the headshots without splitting my attention.

Find Marikate’s work:

Johnny James — Video

Johnny James runs Johnny J Media out of Philadelphia, and right now he is crushing the video scene in this area.

I met Johnny at the AI for Everyone event at UPenn’s Pennovation Center. I was running a headshot booth, he was handling video and event coverage. You know within five minutes of watching someone work whether they’re the real thing — the way they move through a room, how they interact with people between takes, whether the energy they bring makes the event better or just louder. Johnny’s the real thing. People naturally click with him. He’s professional, he’s easy to be around, and he makes the people he’s working with feel comfortable immediately. That matters more than most clients realize when they’re hiring for video.

His background spans more than a decade in visual storytelling. He started in southern Florida capturing automotive content and has since worked with Netflix, Skittles, and the NFL. The video on my own website is his work — and his Instagram feed (@johnnyjmedia) is where you can see the current projects that are turning heads right now.

Here’s what matters from a logistics standpoint: Johnny and I can work the same event without stepping on each other. While I’m running headshots in one room, he’s capturing interviews or b-roll in another. The client gets two deliverables from one day — and neither one suffers because the other is happening.

Video is one of those things companies know they need but keep putting off because it feels complicated. Johnny makes it uncomplicated.

Find Johnny’s work:

Why This Matters for Your Next Event

If you’re planning a corporate event, offsite, or conference and you’re thinking about visual content, here’s the honest advice: figure out what you need before you book anyone.

Do you just need headshots? I’ve got you. That’s a solo job.

Do you need headshots plus full event coverage? Marikate joins the team.

Do you need headshots plus video? Let’s bring in Johnny.

Do you need all three? Now we’re building a creative team around your event — and the result is dramatically better than trying to have one person do everything.

The best projects I’ve been part of are the ones where everyone stays in their lane and does what they do best. Nobody’s stretching thin. Nobody’s rushing. The client gets three sets of deliverables, each one done at a high level, from people who actually enjoy working together.

Want to talk about what your next event needs? [email protected] | 484.320.7535

Isolde Baylor is a headshot photographer with 173+ five-star Google reviews, serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and King of Prussia. For projects that need more than headshots, she works with a trusted network of creatives who are just as good at their thing as she is at hers.