Photo Finish

Debbie Newman makes everyone look great in event photos

by Kelly Merritt

Sometimes life takes a unique path – a single event can begin a whole new journey. That’s just what happened to Debbie Newman, president of PhotoMagicEvents. Newman left a career in non-profit management five years ago to care for an ailing parent.

“Soon after, my husband and I attended an event in Scottsdale, Arizona where we were photographed on the cover of PEOPLE Magazine – and when I look at this picture four years later, I have a rush of memories and emotions of our trip, the venue, what I wore, being with high school friends and sharing in their special day,” she says.

Newman’s ability to recognize an amazing opportunity would change her life.

“I have always had a passion for photography as I believe photos capture and keep memories alive,” she says. “Working part time as a nurse while raising my three sons, I spent many hours volunteering for arts organizations in Cleveland, Ohio and most of the projects I created and worked on involved some element of photography including an exclusive poster promoting the Cleveland Ballet or a photographic journal of its many supporters.”

Since her background is in nursing, social sciences and non-profit management where she developed and implemented many relevant plans, Newman says she felt comfortable beginning her business four years ago. Now, her slogan is “creating unique photo memories that keep you connected to customers, supporters and friends.”

“Photomagicevents, LLC started with the latest in Green Screen technology capturing an event’s theme and sending guests home with a photo filled with lasting memories, but also, we hope that our picture will also keep them connected to the organizations they support,” says Newman. “We love interacting with guests and making certain they look picture perfect.”

Newman’s most common requests? They come from both men and women asking, “Can you make me look thinner?” and “Can you remove my wrinkles?”

“Of course, we think all the guests look wonderful the way they are,” Newman says. “Sponsors also love the opportunity to include their logo and other information on the photo so this is a win-win for both the organization and the sponsor as guests will keep each top of mind.”

To add to an already satisfactory catalogue of fun photo experiences, Newman expanded her services to include a retro-style arcade photo booth which includes all the latest technologies.

“We also added Guppy Photo Booths with touchscreen technology, photo filters, instagram printing, short video recording, data collection all with social media sharing right from the booth and these booths are designed to take three to four photos at one time to create the traditional photo strip or a photo collage,” she says.

PhotoMagicEvents services all of Southwest Florida from Sarasota to Marco Island, but Newman also travels with her corporate clients to tradeshows in places like Dallas, Texas.

“We have a photo experience that can add a fun activity to any event including galas, golf and fishing tournaments, school events, corporate functions, retail events and special occasions,” she says.

For more information, visit Newman’s website at www.photomagicevents.com or call 239.482.0918.