A Comprehensive Guide to Event Photography

Welcome to the Fisher Studios Event Photography blog post. My name is Sam Allard and I’m a commercial photographer at Fisher Studios. I personally have over 10 years’ experience photographing events, and work as part of the Fisher Studios team, who have a combined 40 years’ experience providing Event Photography in Oxford and across the UK.

A lot of guides talk about “capturing the moment and telling the unique story of the day” but my goal is to produce an easy to use, holistic and most importantly real and honest guide about what it’s like to photograph events, from the perspective of a photographer who does this day in, day out.

I’m going to talk through best practices based on my own and our team’s experiences. I’ll discuss what works best and what to avoid, including packing the day before (or the day of!), equipment choices, settings, positioning oneself and conduct on the day. I’ll also be talking about what you should be expecting as an event photographer and more importantly, what will be expected of you by the client, delegates and attendees. After all, without the people making the event possible, there wouldn’t be anything to photograph!

In 2024 at Fisher Studios we completed over 200 shoots which fell into the category of event photography, all with different briefs, equipment needs, locations, expectations and deliverables. The format of this guide will run through event photography from start to finish in these categories: Pre-shoot, Arrival, The Event and Post-shoot. Here’s a quick run-through of what to expect in each section.

Things you need to know and ask as an event photographer before an event and what to expect from a client in terms of brief, interpreting the brief, and making informed decisions on equipment and time management during the day.

Checking in with the organiser on arrival, confirming the brief is still correct and addressing any changes. Tackling the brief, time management and ensuring you’re in the right place, getting the right content and keeping everyone happy! Signing off with the client at the end of the day.

Delivery expectations, best practice for postproduction and delivering the photographs to the client.

So, you’ve been asked, or have put yourself forward to do some event photography. Well done! Event photography is a great way to experience new places, learn about new topics and meet people from all sorts of different industries and backgrounds.

Point of contact

The first thing you should do is to establish who your point of contact on the day will be. Depending on the event this may be an organiser, a third party (such as an agency), a communications person related to the event / venue or any number of other stakeholders related to the event who have commissioned photography. The key thing to know is who you should directly report to on the day and who you will seek clarification from should you encounter any issues or curveballs!

Curveballs

Examples of curveballs can be a key person requesting last minute not to be photographed or the social media manager for a delegate requesting access to the photos. It is so much easier to deal with issues like these when you can confidently go to your contact knowing they are best placed to help and get it all resolved before things lead to bigger problems.

Brief

Now that you’ve established your contact, you’ll be looking for a brief of some description. For a smaller event, such as a one-hour drinks reception with welcome speech, I would be looking for the following information:

• Date and time of the event
• Location and meeting place
• Meeting contact and their contact details
• A rough brief/outline of the running order and key people to photograph
• Any other deliverables required
• Finish time
• Delivery expectations
• Any other queries such as a dress code or venue requirements

The following is the typical kind of brief we would expect to receive:

The guests are arriving at 6pm and departing at 7pm. The location is Event Venue A, and the meeting point is the main entrance to the building. The drinks reception is for a department of 40 people and the director will speak shortly before the event closes. We are looking to have some photographs of people arriving and of the venue as well as people chatting at the event. Mostly informal but some groups (looking to camera) would also be nice. You can depart once the speaker has finished, and we’d like the photos sometime the following day. I will be your contact on the day and the best way to reach me is XYZ. There is no dress code and the venue have no requirements.

The above answers can inform your decisions on when to arrive, what equipment to take and the expectations of you on the day. The key information will allow you to arrive at the right time and be equipped to meet the requirements of the brief.

For larger events, such as a full-day or multi-day conference which may have many different speakers and locations, you would also hope to receive:

• A comprehensive outline of the schedule and the expectations of what’s to be covered.

In such cases, you may be working as part of a team to cover everything, but it’s also possible the organiser has prioritised specific sessions or locations to photograph. If you feel it’s possible to photograph more sessions than highlighted, do mention this to the client, as they may be receptive to you photographing more, but equally there may be reasons why only specific sessions are listed (permissions or sensitive information for example).

Some venues, especially those which host larger events, may have rules in place regarding the use of lighting, where equipment can be placed (if you’re doing any portraits with lighting) as well as insurance requirements and risk assessments.

You should now have a fairly good idea of where you’re going, who you’re meeting, what time to be there, what you’re photographing and the expectations of you during the event. With all of this in mind, you can then begin considering your equipment needs and plan your post-production schedule according to the delivery expectations.

Cameras

Photographers at Fisher Studios always use two camera bodies when covering events. This ensures that we always have fast access to two different lenses and that we have a backup camera in case either should fail. We use mirrorless because it is the way forward! We will be doing a follow up blog post discussing our choice of camera bodies (Canon EOS R series for your interest), so keep an eye out for that!

Lenses

For us, lens choice is key. The safest options are always a 24-70mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8. But other lenses can you give you an opportunity to get a bit more creative. Has the client asked for lots of photographs of the venue? If so, consider a super wide lens. We will often take an 11-24mm to produce striking and different looking interiors and exteriors. Do you expect to be taking lots of networking or people photos? If so, we find that a 35mm or 50mm prime lens offers a great perspective, with the ability to separate subjects from their background by using wide apertures such as f1.8 or wider. For portraits of speakers or delegates, an 85mm or 135mm prime lens can work well – you may also need to consider lighting and/or a reflector if an expectation has been put on you to provide headshots and a space allocated – if not, a more adhoc approach which involves seeking out the best available light on offer, should you receive an impromptu request, should suffice. These choices partly come down to experience as well as availability of equipment. We have the luxury of access to many different primes and focal lengths, but they’re not always applicable.

Flash

I would recommend very careful consideration when using flash at events. There are some events where flash photography may be acceptable or even expected, however in most cases I will limit flash use to only when it is essential, such as more formal group photos where it actually is beneficial to be more visible and have the subjects focus on you. My thought process is that a flash firing says “I’m here and I’m taking a photo!” to everyone in the room and there are times where that’s helpful and times where that’s inappropriate!

Delivery considerations

It is not uncommon for larger event organisers to request delivery of some photographs on the day or immediately after the event. Depending on travel and equipment, you may be able to offer instant delivery using either wireless transfer, by bringing a laptop and possibly assistant, or rushing some images to the client as soon as possible after the shoot. It’s important to establish the client’s needs prior to the shoot so you can properly plan your time and equipment needs on the day. Also, if using wireless transfer, do make sure this is working prior to the shoot as troubleshooting connectivity issues when under pressure is one of the worst things you can be faced with as an event photographer.

You’ve made it – you’re the official event photographer! You’ve read the brief, packed your bag and have arrived on time.

Arrival

First thing is to check in with your contact – depending on how stressful their role is, they may or may not have time to run through the day with you, so be prepared to just be left to get on with it. I usually take this time to familiarise myself with the venue, and depending on equipment needs, start setting up. The key thing is to arrive in good time to be ready when the client needs you. Being early is almost never a bad thing! Mainly though, this is time to enquire about any curveballs and to see what the spaces are like.

At Fisher Studios, we tend to keep all of our kit on us all of the time (with the exception of stands and lighting if the shoot requires them) as this ensures that we always have what we need and that we don’t need to worry about arranging safe storage at the venue. However, if this is not the case you can use this time to find a suitable place to store kit, which still needs to be easily accessible if you need it.

Approach

So your cameras are out and you’re all ready to go. How do you approach the shoot? Well, this will depend on the type of event and the brief you’ve been given as discussed above. I’ll now break down several common types of events and how we would handle them.

The different types of event photography we cover can broadly be defined as Corporate Events and Cultural or Public Events.

Corporate events include conferences, academic gatherings, seminars, product launches, networking events and awards ceremonies to name a few.

Cultural and public events could include street festivals, trade shows/fairs, local sporting events, entertainment events, music concerts and theatrical performances.

So let’s dive in. We’ll look at each of the above examples and I’ll outline some key things to look out for with each.

Typically, conference photography will encompass registration, conferencing, breaks and networking. Depending on the brief, the photo priority may be the speakers, and in some cases with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) (and how the organiser is dealing with photography consent) it may be that the speakers are all you’re asked to photograph, which is more common than you would expect! In most cases however you will be expected to cover all of the above.

Registration, breaks and networking sessions are where the majority of the scene setting and attendee photos take place. Typically, my approach is to be as visible as possible during registration and the first break to allow attendees to get comfortable with having a photographer around – comfortable subjects usually take the best photos! It’s also a great time to welcome people to the event, meet attendees and get a feel for the atmosphere.

During the conferencing, more often than not you will be photographing speakers on a stage in a lecture theatre or conference hall, capturing the action on stage, a sense of the scale of the event and some audience interaction. You may be restricted in position and how much you can move about during a presentation, but this does vary from venue to venue and event to event. Typically, you will have some degree of freedom to move along the aisles or the edges of the space. I firmly believe that discreteness is key when it comes to photographing speakers – movement should be considered and deliberate. I will position myself to give the best variety of shots in as least conspicuous way as possible. Timing movement with natural breaks is also key – moments of applause or audience interaction are great cover to quickly move from point to point! Mirrorless cameras with silent electronic shutters are also a must for indoor speaking events, allowing you to keep snapping without being a distraction; or worse, a nuisance!

Lighting in conference spaces is typically stage lighting for speakers and low house lighting for the audience. Modern mirrorless cameras can capture enough dynamic range to deal with both with no issues when shooting in raw. The most problematic lighting condition which we see commonly are large screens or projectors directly behind speakers. This can cause issues with exposure as well as flicker if using electronic shutters. Newer camera bodies allow ‘High Frequency Anti-Flicker’ shooting which will minimise the issue of flicker, but slower shutter speeds will also help if ‘HF Anti Flicker’ is not available.

During the close of a session, you may be expected to take a group photo or posed photo of a panel or speaker on the stage. Being in the right place at the right time makes this task so much easier and less worrisome. Assertiveness is key here as oftentimes the only moment to get the photograph is the close of the session. You may receive help in coordinating specific photos of this type, but I feel strongly that the photographer is best placed to initiate and make sure the photo happens!

Photographing product launches, trade shows and award ceremonies has lots in common with many other corporate photography commissions, just with a few added particulars.

Product launches and trade shows will inevitably have a product for you to photograph and showcase – this will tend to be a mixture of still life photos with the object on display, as well as people interacting with the product. Do check the brief or ask about the products in advance to best inform equipment decisions here – smaller products such as jewellery may require macro lenses or lighting. Trade shows are more likely to involve networking photography as well as showcasing the brand and branded items. Capturing the scale of a trade show is usually one of the key brief points, so look out for vantage points as well as wider or longer compositions to really show the size of the event.

With award ceremonies, the focus is on the awardees and speakers – it is often required to capture either a “handshake” or a posed photograph of each awardee receiving their award. The key with these photos is consistency and ensuring that you don’t miss anyone. I will usually increase my shutter speed and shoot on a smaller aperture to guarantee each person is sharp and minimise any potential motion. Thinking about positioning and lighting beforehand is also important, ensuring the person presenting the award knows if they are pausing for photos or just presenting the award without stopping. My top tip is to discuss this with the organiser and the presenter shortly before the event begins, to ensure everyone is on the same page. Otherwise, it’s up to you to problem solve during the presentations, which can be stressful!

Cultural and public events can vary in scope, size and brief, far more than corporate events, from my experience. The possibility of the events occurring outside and in a public place, offer its own set of benefits and challenges.

A typical brief for outdoor event photography, such as a street festival or outdoor market may include shots of specific vendors, activities and key people. Depending on the client and usage of the images, you may be asked to avoid taking identifiable photographs of members of the public which can make things a little tricky to get good photos! Weather can also play a role, so equipment choice is important. For street festival photography, I would stay safe with a 24-70mm and 70-200mm as well as some fast primes such as a 35mm and 50mm to allow use of wider apertures (this also makes keeping members of the public in the background unidentifiable easier!).

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed at these larger style public events, with so much going on and briefs requiring almost constant shooting or following the action. My top tip is to look for details and shots that illustrate the context, the surroundings and small details which tell the audience where they are and what’s happening.

Depending on the client, brief and location, the degree of freedom you have when photographing music, theatre and other entertainment can vary widely. Within theatre photography for example, during a dress rehearsal you may have much more freedom and control than press night. In some cases, you may be assigned a seat and be unable to move, so focal length may be one of the few things you have control over in obtaining different compositions. Researching the play briefly beforehand can help you prepare for key moments and alert you to any small missable details which may be key to capture. Oftentimes in theatre you only get one shot, so you must be on your toes. My insider advice for shows with changing lighting and fast-moving characters is to use Auto ISO and aim for -1EV. I would almost always photograph theatre wide open and at a suitably fast shutter speed to freeze motion, thereby reducing the chance of camera shake.

Music photography also is a completely different experience depending on the setting and the client. I shall use the examples of photographing a string quartet at a private event for the event organiser and photographing a band at an international venue for a publication. For the string quartet, you are likely to have full access to the venue and lots of time to capture as many creative options as you feel appropriate. For the band, you will be directed to the ‘pit’ in front of the stage as the show starts, and be permitted to stay for the first three songs of the performance. Limited space, options and time! My advice for shooting from the pit is to look at utilising your equipment to produce as many different options as possible, from extreme wides to extreme closups. Researching the band and previous sets and their setlist can also prepare you for the key moments in songs, where the real action shots are likely to happen.

Sports are always great to shoot, in my opinion – there’s nothing better than photographing skilled people doing things that they love, and sports is all about that. Depending on the event, client and brief, you may be assigned to photograph an entire game, a training session, branded sports equipment, merchandise or anything tangentially related to the sports event.

Sporting events are possibly some of the most equipment intensive events to photograph, usually because of the need for longer telephoto lenses and shooting at a high rate of frames per second. If longer lenses are not possible, consider using a 1.4x or 2x extender for a 70-200mm. Having a longer reach allows you to capture more of the action and isolate individuals without having to walk 20,000 steps as the subjects move around!

Sports event photography is another sector where assertiveness as a photographer can really make the difference, positioning is key and anticipating where the action is going to be, can make or break a shoot. For example, during a penalty shootout,  try anticipating the winning team running around the pitch celebrating, and have the presence of mind to position yourself to best capture this ahead of time. I am also a big advocate for shooting more than just the action on the pitch or court, looking out for those sideline moments will really help set your work apart.

As a shoot is winding down and wrapping up, it is almost always best practice to check in with your contact to let them know you’re finishing. This alerts your client to the fact you are leaving and gives them an opportunity to let you know of any final requests so that you can be sure you are indeed finished with the shoot.

Considerations regarding delivering the images to the client will vary depending on their needs and requests. For most clients, the expectation would be a digital delivery of your selection of photographs in a way which allows both viewing and downloading of images in the highest resolution you can supply, within a day or two of the shoot. In some cases where urgent delivery is required, confirming with the client exactly what images are needed and when your deadline is. It’s important to have a system in place for delivery, but also have a way of accommodating more unusual requests, such as a separate gallery of the speakers from a conference, or separate albums for each team at a sporting event, or raw files from a theatre production. The goal of an event photographer is both to produce great images which the client will find useful and to keep the client happy with the entire service, of which delivery of images is an important part.

Final thoughts

Photographing a full-day event is a demanding yet incredibly rewarding experience. It requires a combination of technical skill, creativity, and the ability to be both discrete and assertive when necessary.

It’s a job that often requires being on your feet all day, constantly observing, anticipating, adapting and best showcasing the event in the way required of you from the brief.

I hope that this blog post has not only provided a behind-the-scenes look at the work of an event photographer but has also illustrated the importance of high-quality event photography and how it can elevate and compliment an event when properly considered.