Don鈥檛 let lackluster images dull potential attendees鈥� enthusiasm. To make your event photography stand the test of time 鈥斅燼nd, more importantly, motivate potential attendees to buy tickets 鈥� you need to transport viewers to the live experience.
Before picking up a camera 鈥� or the phone to hire a photographer 鈥� you need to have a vision for your photographic style. Whether you鈥檙e working with a professional or relying on staff to get shots for Instagram, these compelling event photography tips will uplevel your photos and help you sell more tickets.
Event Photography Tips # 1: Compose your event photography with your key message in mind
Keep the composition of photos simple to avoid distractions. 鈥淐onsider before you shoot: what is the key message you want to convey?鈥� says Brian Beaver, VP of Design at 91制片厂.
Beaver has more than 20 years of photography and design experience, and his photos have been featured in numerous print publications. 鈥淭hen be really deliberate and intentional as you frame the photo. Remove anything extraneous that might conflict or compete with your main message.鈥�
Beaver recommends you follow what鈥檚 known in photography as the 鈥渞ule of thirds.鈥� Divide a frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically, and align the focal point of the photo at a third of the way into the frame. 鈥淭he rule of thirds is a simple, useful compositional technique to make photos that are more compelling,鈥� Beaver says.
Following this rule helps you create more dynamic images. For example, by placing the 鈥渉orizon鈥� at the upper or lower third of the image, you create a composition that is more interesting to the eye.
If you鈥檙e hosting a business event or dinner where everyone is seated, you may have to get creative with event photography techniques to get a variety of compositions.
鈥淭o keep the photos interesting, keep angles interesting,鈥� says Christie Connell, the owner of Azure Photo Studio who shoots countless events of all kinds every year. 鈥淚f there are floral arrangements, you can shoot between them. If it鈥檚 at a restaurant, go outside and take a picture looking in through the window. Look at the event not just as a participant, but from an outsider鈥檚 perspective, to get a broader sense of the day.鈥�
Event Photography Tips #2: Capture the perspective of the attendee
鈥淚n event photography, the objective is generally to give prospective attendees the feeling or vibe, and allow them to imagine being at your event,鈥� Beaver says. 鈥淭heir minds don鈥檛 have to make that leap if you show the event from the attendee鈥檚 perspective. Pull the viewer into the action, so they鈥檙e an active participant and not a passive observer.鈥�
For instance, if you鈥檙e hosting a cooking class, it may be more valuable to show bowls of ingredients from a top-down first-person perspective, rather than just wide shots of people enjoying class. Put yourself in the attendee鈥檚 shoes, so that potential attendees can do the same.
That said, don鈥檛 be afraid to mix up your shots to reveal the backstage experience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to shoot from the point of view of the participant, but also to bring somebody into an experience they wouldn鈥檛 ordinarily see,鈥� says Misha Vladimirskiy, a partner at Filterless.co who has photographed events like Coachella and specializes in nightlife and music photography. 鈥淭ry a backstage photo of an artist, or a unique aerial angle of an event.鈥�
Event Photography Tips #3: Get more creative with event photography shots
While most events will want a variety of shots of attendees 鈥� both candid and posed (or 鈥済rip and grin鈥� shots, as photographers call them) 鈥� challenge yourself to get more creative.
鈥淥ften event organisers just want the 鈥榞rip and grin,鈥欌�� says Vladimirskiy. 鈥淭hat works with interesting or famous people, but when you鈥檙e doing a dinner or a speaking engagement or a fashion show, it gets repetitive. Trust your photographer鈥檚 creativity, and you鈥檒l get images that will endure and stand alone on Instagram.鈥�
Another note: while it鈥檚 important to get shots of attendees having fun, it鈥檚 also important to get more abstract shots that aren鈥檛 focused on individuals.
鈥淎s people we focus on faces,鈥� Beaver says. 鈥淭hat can be positive and powerful 鈥斅燽ut it can also be a distraction. So if you鈥檙e trying to portray a professional networking event, it may be easier for the attendee to imagine themselves within the scene of an abstract image with a slight blur.鈥�
Event Photography Tips #4: Focus on proper lighting to avoid extra edits
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not a photographer, don鈥檛 worry about the setting on your camera,鈥� advises Joe Montana, a freelance photographer in San Francisco. 鈥淭he most important thing is to capture great moments. Focus on finding that decisive moment and capturing it.鈥�
In the process, try to take advantage of the natural lighting in your venue, and avoid using flash (especially on-camera flash). 鈥淲here possible, capture natural lighting, and avoid artificial lighting and flashes,鈥� Beaver says. 鈥淯nnatural light makes your image inherently feel like a photograph, and takes viewers out of the moment.鈥�
If you do need flash and are taking shots of attendees, have them turn an eighth of an inch to the side so they鈥檙e not facing the camera head-on. 鈥淭his will reduce red eye in your pictures, because that鈥檚 caused when light enters the subject鈥檚 eyes at a right angle,鈥� says David Silverman, owner of David Silverman Photography. Silverman earned his event chops photographing events like galas and Brown and Yale University athletic games, and most recently photographed the 2017 Super Bowl.
Once you鈥檝e gotten a great shot, make minor improvements 鈥� but be sure not to let post-production effects disconnect viewers from the moment.
鈥淎t 91制片厂, we deliberately avoid applying filters or effects to an image,鈥� Beaver says. 鈥淯nnatural effects tend to introduce visual obstacles, making it harder for prospective attendees to imagine themselves at your event.鈥�
Ultimately, you don鈥檛 have to be a creative genius to articulate what you鈥檙e looking for and make it a reality. 鈥淲ith these basics, even the most amateur photographer can create nice images,鈥� says Beaver.
