Improve Your Photography: Event Photography, Part I - An Introduction

Always Capture a Banner of the Event

If you think about it, just about anyone who has picked up a camera has done event photography. The event might be a baby's first birthday or a special Mother's Day brunch. They are small, personal events but they are events nonetheless. I have done some work as an event photographer over the years and find the work to be quite exhausting and very satisfying. I have done everything from a surprise birthday party to the National Frisbee Festival in Washington, D.C. and the New Jersey Folk Festival. Weddings and sporting events could be included in this article but I think they are such big topics they should get their own treatment. I also believe that the objective of weddings and sporting events are different. Those events are all about the subject - the bride, the groom, guests, the star player, the winning goal, etc.... When I think of "event" photography the result should be greater than a sum of the photos - you should be telling a story. Wait! Isn't that photojournalism? Yes but not necessarily. The following snippet from Wikipedia explains (read the entire article here):

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Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (e.g., documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by complying with a rigid ethical framework which demands that the work is both honest and impartial whilst telling the story in strictly journalistic terms. Photojournalists create pictures that contribute to the news media.

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So, you see, while event photography and photojournalism can be thought of as being essentially the same thing they are not. The event photographer can use his photos to tell whatever story he wants and shoot however he wants. He can also manipulate the images and subjects - ask them to pose, perform a certain action, etc.... He is not constrained by journalistic integrity or rules.

While working as the official photographer for the New Jersey Folk Festival back in the mid-80's I struck up a conversation with a photographer covering the event for a local newspaper. During that conversation he gave me the best advice ever - the shots that sell are children, pets, women and veterans/active military. He told me that if I shot with that in mind I would do well. Those words run through my head every time I shoot at an event. If you take away nothing else from this post, remember those four (4) things and you will do well.

It is important to show the "personality" of the event

Preparation

The first thing you need to do in advance of the event is to make a plan. Research as much as you can ahead of time so that you know what to expect and determine what the important shots are. Some questions to ask yourself are:

• who are the event VIPs?
• what are the most important aspects of this event?
• what will the photos be used for?
• where is the event being held? indoors? outdoors? both? large area? small area?
• when is the event - daytime? nighttime? both? season?
• why is this event being held?
• why do people come to this event?

If the event is a charity event try to learn about the charity before the shoot and make certain to pay attention to the volunteers, they are as important as the participants. If you are covering a local festival you want to know what the theme is, who are the organizers, are there featured performers and what are the most popular events? If it is a political rally you might want to consider if the politician is controversial and what protests might take place. A company picnic has quite a bit going on and photos of the executives are important, try to get them interacting with the employees. If you can get the CEO with a face covered in pie during the pie-eating contest you have yourself a winner! Remember the four keys to a successful shoot? If the CEO is staring face-to-face with a 3 year-old covered in pie, you have the perfect shot.

Whenever Possible Get Group Shots

The more prepared you are before you take the camera out of your bag, the easier and more successful the shoot will be. If possible, meet with the organizers prior to the event and create a shot list. This list isn't written in stone and is only a guide but it will give you an idea of what is important to the organizers. If there are photos that must be taken, make note of them and make certain they are taken. You may find that the list is limited to "you're the expert, we will leave it up to you." That's great! Right? No, not even close. While this may yield satisfactory results 99% of the time you will inevitably miss a crucial shot at some time. Imagine if you are shooting a wedding and the bride says "I want you to shoot the standard list of photos that all brides want." You do exactly what she asks and then even more but you didn't get a shot of the bride with her third-cousin-once-removed from Boise who drove for two days to get to the wedding. You just lost a happy customer. In this case, a simple "Do you have a list of guests that you want me to make sure to photograph?" would have made all the difference. So, ask questions keeping in mind the above list of who, what, where, when and why.

I think this is a good place to stop. I have given you quite a bit to think about and hopefully laid a good foundation for you. If you follow some of these simple guidelines you will notice your event photography will be vastly improved and easier on you! The next part of this series will cover "Charity Fundraising Walks".