What Is Event Photography?

There are different kinds of photography, and several photographers specialize in documenting events, whether they’re for businesses, families, or non-profit gatherings. For this article, we’ll talk about what event photography is about, including its types and importance.

What Is Event Photography?

Event photography is an umbrella niche where photographers take pictures of people in shared experiences or as moments unfold. It entails taking stunning photos of various events, such as business gatherings, family events, or public gatherings. The goal is to document posed and candid photos of people and the scenery.

Documenting events is among the most tiring yet exhilarating types of photography. Knowing what event photography is will help you understand the value of hiring professional photographers.

Man in a blue suit and white dress shirt is speaking in front of a podium for a Sumo Logic event

What Does a Photographer Do at an Event?

Event photographers take images of people, moments, and scenery on a specific occasion. They must capture the event’s different highlights and the participants’ emotions.

About 11% of people use smartphone cameras for 50% of their professional images. Meanwhile, around 36% use smartphones to take personal pictures, even at events. The problem is the risk of accidentally deleting the photos without a backup or forgetting that you have event photos on your phone.

This wouldn’t be a problem with event photographers because they are focused on capturing moments the guests won’t even notice during the event. They also move swiftly by transferring the files during or after the event.

Importance of Photographing Events

Taking pictures of events helps capture the mood of the scenario or document relevant information. The importance of event pictures varies depending on where you would use them, although they are generally valuable to individuals and businesses.

Visual Documentation

Shooting photographs during the event lets you properly document the program and the people involved. The images can also serve as real-time updates on social media, helping you raise awareness of the gathering.

Meanwhile, images before the event aid in promoting your presentation, gathering, or exhibition. The pictures give prospective attendees a preview of the program’s purpose and goals.

Post-Event Publicity and Engagement

Photos taken at an event can be valuable marketing assets. For instance, Facebook posts featuring images saw an increase in engagement of 37% on average. Additionally, people who hear information with a relevant image are likely to retain 65% of the details three days later.

  • Post-event attendee engagement: You can use the professional event photos as part of your thank you emails to sponsors, social media posts for attendees to reminisce, or documentation on your website.
  • Post-event report: For corporate or community events, in particular, you could be required to present a report that evaluates the event’s success. The images can offer a visual analysis of the event’s positive and negative aspects.
  • Event publicity: You can use the pictures to advertise your next event. You may submit them to media outlets or use the photos for your marketing collateral.
Man in a black shirt and gray pants is on stage and talking to the seated attendees of the HPE PointNext event

Professional Editing

Some people think event photography is only about getting a smartphone or a digital camera and then taking photos. However, this is just part of the process. Professional photographers must still fine-tune hundreds or thousands of images to deliver the final output.

It’s vital that things like skin tone look natural or your business colors don’t get changed. Hence, photographers need to tweak the white balance, shadows, and highlights of the event photos. They must also select the appropriate filter or Lightroom preset that best represents their brand image or the event’s theme.

Types of Event Photography

Event photography is an umbrella niche for photographers to capture images to record scenes and people at certain moments. It takes photos of a variety of events.

  • Corporate: This is among the most lucrative and formal types of this photography style. The images influence the identity and branding of a business. The shoot may include product launches, trade shows, or company anniversaries.
  • Private event: There are benefits to documenting your life, especially if there are special events you know you will want to remember in the future. This photography niche captures the moment’s enjoyment, thrill, or sadness. Birthdays, baptisms, mitzvahs, weddings, and family reunions are everyday events.
  • Community event: This may include marathons, treasure hunts, street parties, night markets, live shows, food festivals, and donation drives. The key is documenting the community’s participation, social development, and volunteerism.
  • Performance: This event photography sub-specialty may include dance recitals, concerts, or theater plays. While the shot list focuses on the performances, the photos should also show how the audience reacts.
  • Sports photography: This type focuses on sports matches, games, and training. It can be part of photojournalism, where an image should depict what’s happening.
  • Step and repeat: For step and repeat, the subject will step in front of the banner to get photographed, then another subject follows to repeat the process. You can see this at specialty corporate events, galas, or awards nights, where the backdrop features a company or event logo.

Related Questions

What Are the Challenges of Photographing Events?

Finding the correct timing and reaction time to capture the moment is the main challenge in taking pictures of events. Multiple artificial lighting setups and the weather’s effect on natural light can also influence the sharpness of the shots.

What Are the Necessary Tools for Event Photography?

The tools for shooting events include a fast lens, a sturdy camera body, and a powerful external flash. It’s also essential to have extra batteries, memory cards, chargers, tripods, and lenses of varying focal lengths.

How to Prepare for Event Photography?

When photographing events, you must prepare by learning the program, developing a shot list, and ensuring you have the right equipment. It’s ideal to familiarize yourself with the setup, the important people involved, and the program parts so you can time your shots properly.

Conclusion

With event photography, you may choose various images to highlight the occasion, such as panoramic, up-close, and wide-angle views. A skilled Fortune 500 events photographer like Gustavo Fernandez Photography is crucial to record your memories, whether an intimate gathering or a multi-day event.