If you are planning a big event, one of the main things you should be thinking about is event photography. If you have taken the time to plan out an event, you want some evidence of the event once it is over. Event photography is incredibly important because it will provide that evidence.
So why is event photography so important? Event photography is important because it gives your event or business credibility. It also provides a lot of great material for marketing and makes your business look professional and reliable. Good event photographers can provide images that can be used again to promote a business.
Event photography could be a very dynamic activity, but how do you capture movement in photography? Or how do you “freeze” a fast moving object? These are two essential questions that will be answered in this Photography workshop on camera technique.
This article aims to explain the ins and outs of event photography, why it’s essential, and some of the main things to look out for when hiring an event photographer. Read on to learn everything you need to know about event photography.
What Is Event Photography?
In short, event photographers are professional photographers that are armed with all the skills, equipment, and creativity needed to capture emotions, reactions, and great memories in environments where there is high pressure.
Event photographers tend to work in environments where they must think on their feet and respond quickly. Changes can include things like the environment, the lighting, the event agendas, and the specific on-the-spot needs of the client.
Event photography includes collecting various shots showing different emotions and highlighting key parts of an event. Your business can then use these images for a few different purposes. These can include marketing, posting to social media sites, using on your website, and using them to promote future events.
What Type of Events Would Benefit from an Event Photographer?
There are many different types of events that would benefit from an event photographer. The most common events that benefit from an event photographer include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Conferences
- Marketing and Editorial Events
- Gala Dinners
- Festivals and Entertainment
- Tradeshows
- Graduations and Formals
- Awards Presentation
- Private Parties
- Corporate Anniversaries
- Product Launches
- Brand Activations
- Weddings
No matter what type of event you are planning, it is always a good idea to consider an event photographer to capture all those precious moments.
Why Is Event Photography Important?
There are several reasons why event photography is essential. Below is a list of the main reasons why you should consider hiring an event photographer for your event.
Collect and Keep Memories
Many of the guests at your event would love to remember all the best parts of the event. However, it can be challenging to remember all the details. Having a professional photographer at your event allows for these memories to be captured so that people can look back on them.
Print outs of these memories could also be used as gifts to any special guests or speakers at your event. If there is a high-profile speaker at your event, stunning high-quality photographs are a must!
Professional Product Shots
If your event is focussed on a product launch, you will want the product to look the best that it possibly can. Professional quality photographs of your product will always come in handy – especially for marketing your new product.
You can collect a variety of images of your product, whether it be just a standing image of the product, or the product being in use. These types of shots are perfect for posting on social media during the launch of your new product.
Collect Images for Future Marketing Content
Digital marketing is a significant factor in businesses today. In 2018, estimates were that it brought in revenue of 192 billion dollars. With countless image sharing websites and apps, you must have high-quality images of your products or business to upload to such sites and apps to showcase your product.
Viewers take in visual images much more quickly than they do with text. This allows them to remember the content for a much longer amount of time.
The photographs that you receive from your event can be used for future marketing strategies and can also be used to promote your business. Professional event photography allows you to post excellent quality images on your website and social media.
What Are Some of the Main Benefits of Event Photography?
There are a vast number of benefits to having an event photographer at your event. Below is a list of the main benefits of event photography.
It Creates Word-of-Mouth
Good event photography is great for creating free marketing for your business. Hiring professional photographers who can capture the best moments of your event is worth it. High-quality professional photographs will have a significant impact on your branding and will affect how people respond to your business. You can create the buzz your business needs with good event photography.
It Generates a Sense of Credibility
High-quality photographs can give an event more credibility. Professional pictures can help to establish your business’s reputation and can convince potential clients and customers that you are running a reliable company. Professional photography looks excellent and makes for great content when it comes to showing off your business.
It Helps You Get Publicity
Great event photography is a huge key to good marketing. The photographs will open a range of opportunities for your business. Publicity raises awareness of your business and can ultimately result in more business opportunities for you as well as an increased client base or more customer interest. Also, a good photograph can be a good starting point for a conversation with a new prospective client.
Event Photography Tips
The following list includes tips on how to get the most out of your event photography and some of the key photographs you should aim to achieve at your event.
Know What Story You are Trying to Tell
You should have an idea of the story that you would like to tell with your photographs from the event. The strategy that you choose to go for will differ depending on the type of event that you are running. Be sure to know what you are trying to capture before going ahead with the event photography.
Identify the Key Moments of the Event That You Need to Capture
If you are telling the story of your event through photography, no matter what type of event it is, you want to establish some of the most important moments that need to be photographed. By planning this information, you can be sure you know all the key moments and details that need to be captured. Your planning allows you to have confidence that your photographer will capture every moment that you want.
Plan a List of Shots That You Need
Providing your photographer with a list of photographs that you need to capture will ensure that you get everything you want out of your event photography. The photographer should be able to provide options and several different styles of shots. Below are some of the most popular event photography shots that you should consider capturing during your event.
- Wide Shot
Wide shots are the perfect pictures to set the scene. These shots are great for giving your audience an overview of your event. Let your photographer know that you are interested in getting some of each.
- Close-Ups
Another great set of shots includes close-ups of the people during the event and the activities that occur during the event. People like to see themselves in action, and multiple close-up shots during the event could be beneficial.
- Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes photographs always make exciting and interesting shots. People love to see everything it takes to put an event on. Behind the scenes photos also increases people’s investment in the event. If the event is an unusually large one, some behind the scenes shots can make it appear much more personal.
- Interesting Interactions and Characters
It’s essential during the event to notice intriguing characters and get them on pictures. Be sure to capture interesting people and interactions that people will want to look back on. These are usually fleeting moments that people will miss, so you should always be ready to capture those precious moments for people to look back on.
- Interesting Details
Also, you want the photos to pick up on interesting details during the event and document these through photographs. These types of pictures do not need to be hugely complicated. However, they will help to give structure to the story that you are trying to tell through your event photography.
What are the Best Ways to Utilize Your Event Photographs?
There are many ways in which you can utilize your event photographs – especially for marketing purposes. Below is a list of ways in which you can use your event photographs for the good of your business.
Upload to Social Media
Your event photographs would make great content for your social media marketing. Collecting great looking shots of your event means that you will have plenty of content for your social media accounts. Since social media is becoming an increasingly popular marketing technique, a good set of event photographs can be great for this.
Use for Invitations
If the event you are throwing is an annual or similarly regular event, you can use the photographs from your event for invitations for your next event. Your event photography can showcase just how great your events are and can entice people to want to come to your next event.
Enhance Your Website
Your event photographs will make great content for your website. You might have an “about us” section on your website where your event photographs would work perfectly. Use photos on your website to show potential new clients and customers the type of company that you are.
Use Them in Blogs
You can use your event photographs in company blogs. Blogs about the event would work great, or you could write a marketing piece about your company that can feature some pictures from the event.
Any photographs that you have paid for during the event are free for you to use in whatever way you like.
What are the Benefits of Hiring a Professional Photographer to Take Care of my Event Photography?
Major events require a lot of planning, preparation, and contain a lot of work. With so much to think about, you need to make sure you don’t forget to hire a professional photographer for your event.
Large corporate events will usually have prominent guests, politicians, community leaders, businessmen and women, special guests, and celebrities. Promotional business events often feature some high-profile guests. It is a great idea to have professional photographs taken during your event to document the visit from these important people.
Most major events will bring about a collection of unique people and happenings within a single place. Below is a list of some of the great things that you can capture on a photograph during your event:
- Important guests
- Speakers
- Workshops
- Unique happenings
- Important parts of the event
- Guests dressed formally
- Things that happen
- Groups of unique people
- Activities
Capturing these moments on photograph allows for you to share them with guests as memories, or you can also share them with people who were not at the event to show them what went on and who was there. This can reinforce the significance of your event.
Why Can’t I Just Send Anyone Out with a Camera to Grab Some Snapshots of the Event?
Estimates are that nearly 5 billion people have a smartphone with a camera. This can be handy for quick access. However, it is not great if you want good results. There are several advantages to choosing to hire a professional photographer to capture your event. Below is a list of why a professional photographer is much more suited to do the job than just anyone with a smartphone:
- The photographer’s job is to get great photographs and nothing else. They are not at the event to socialize or otherwise take part in the event. So you can rest assured that the photographer’s focus will be entirely on getting excellent photographs of your event.
- A professional photographer will know about how to take pictures that will tell the story you want them to. They will also bring much better equipment on hand, so you will definitely get better results.
- Professional photographers will also have all the relevant training and experience needed to capture great shots, and they will know what to look out to get the best results.
- A professional photographer will have the skills needed to time photographs so that no-one is blinking or making a strange face.
- Professional photographers will also have the skills needed to frame the photographs appropriately and will have a level of creativity that a regular person on their smartphone just would not have
- Photographers have experience in capturing exciting and engaging moments that will compel people to want to look at the photographs.
- A professional photographer will have the skills necessary to anticipate human behavior. They will know what to look out for so that they can capture every emotion in each moment.
- Professional photographers have a creative eye and will know how to get the best results for each picture.
- Professional photographers will also have access to software such as Photoshop or Lightroom that can help to clean up or enhance those “almost perfect” images.
- A professional photographer will be able to provide you with a lot more shots that are better quality than a simple smartphone image.
How Can I Help an Event Photographer Get the Best Results?
One of the best decisions you can make when it comes to throwing an event is to hire a professional photographer to take event photographs for you. There are a few things that you can do to get the most out of your event photography investment. Below is a list of how you can help your event photographer get the best results based on what you need:
- Know how you are going to use the photographs and what you want to use them for so that the photographer can capture the images with your intentions in mind
- Introduce the photographer to the venue and the event planner before the event is due to take place
- Provide your photographer with a detailed schedule for the event so that they can be fully prepared beforehand
- Note all the times and places of essential occurrences so that you can be sure your photographer knows all the most important things that need to be captured during your event.
- Point out specific key individuals or items that need to be photographed so that your photographer can prioritize these
- Be sure to point out to your photographer all the designated areas that they are and are not allowed.
- If you have specific ideas of shots that you want to capture, provide your photographer with a list of shots so that you do not miss out on capturing those most important moments.
What is The Least You Can Expect from an Event Photographer?
There are several things that you should expect from your photographer as a minimum. Below is a list of the minimum things that you should expect from your photographer:
- The photographer should represent your business in a professional manner. When you hire a photographer, they are acting as an extension of your business, and they should behave in a way that reflects the professionalism of your business.
- They should make your event guests feel comfortable while capturing both candid and posed shots.
- They should set expectations for what they can achieve during your event and should follow through on those promises.
- They should be willing to adapt so that you can achieve the best possible results based on what you are looking for.
Tips on How to Find the Perfect Event Photographer
You know you want to hire an event photographer for your event, but how do you go about finding the perfect event photographer? Below is a list of tips on how to go about finding a photographer that is perfect for what you’re looking for and some tips on things that you should look out for when searching for someone to photograph your event:
Who to Book
Ask your colleagues and business contacts for recommendations on an excellent event photographer. It’s always beneficial to go with a photographer that someone you know has used before, as you will have a good idea of what to expect from them. Plus, if someone is happy to recommend a photographer, you will know that you will be hiring someone who is good at what they do.
Consider Your Budget
Photographers charge different amounts, so you want to consider your budget when it comes to hiring the right photographer. You do not want to end up going for a cheap photographer and come out with shots that are bad or not what you were looking for when you hired them. At the same time, you also don’t want to be overpaying when someone equally as capable could do the work for less money.
Ask for several quotes form recommended or highly rated photographers and compare the quotes so that you know you are getting a good deal. It might also be worth asking for a breakdown of costs on the quotes so that you can compare the prices of each element of the job to ensure you’re getting a reasonable price all round.
Think About Lighting
Consider your venue and think about whether it is going to be dark. Will the photographer need to use flash? You may not want a flash going off all the time. Ask your potential photographer what they intend to do in terms of lighting to ensure that it is not going to be a nuisance for your guests.
Ask for Portfolios
When looking to hire a photographer, you should always ask for their portfolio with examples of shots – specifically event shots. This will allow you to compare the different styles each photographer uses, and you can see which of the portfolios matches your branding or business style.
Can You Share the Photos?
Before choosing to hire a photographer, you want to ask them about their rules on sharing the images. Are they happy for you to post the images on social media? This is important as social media use is hugely beneficial in marketing your business or brand.
You should also ask the photographer how long it will take to get a few basic images from the event that you can post on social media. Just a few “highlight” shots would be perfect and beneficial if you can get them within a couple of days of the event. Be sure to ask about the turnaround for getting your photographs.
Ask About Shot Lists
We have already mentioned that you should consider creating a list of shots that you want to achieve at the event. It’s a good idea to have this ready when you are contacting prospective event photographers.
If you have this list ready, you can provide this to the prospective photographers and ask them if they are capable of achieving everything on your lists, and you can even ask them for examples of each of the different shots that you want to get.
Consider Marketing Photos
Ask your photographer about getting shots that can be used for marketing. If the photographer is good at what they do, they will have a good idea of what shots they will need to get to provide marketing images for you. See what ideas each photographer has and see which of them best matches your marketing plan.
Ask About Equipment
Every photographer has a tool kit. You want to know what your prospective photographer has and how these pieces of kit will be helpful for your event. Do they have their own lighting equipment? Do they use different lenses for each different type of shot? What else can they provide? You want to ensure that your photographer has all the necessary and correct equipment needed to get the best shots out of your event.
Do They Offer Insurance?
You should consider asking whether your photographer has any professional indemnity or public liability insurance. Accidents can happen, and you do not want to find yourself being held liable if the photographer causes and injury or if they have any of their kit damaged or stolen during the process of your event.
Why Is Event Photography Important? – Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are a considerable number of benefits to hiring a professional event photographer to carry out work on your event. No matter what kind of event you are planning on running, an event photographer is a must.
We have just armed you with everything you need to know about event photography, how to get the best results, and how to find the right photographer for you and your business.
Check out this article for a deeper dive into camera settings for event photography.
