The Moments Between the Moments: My Approach to Event Photography
Every event has its big beats: the headliner walking on stage, the keynote, the ribbon cutting, the cheque presentation. I make sure those moments are a priority. They’re the shots everyone expects, and they matter.
But they’re rarely my favourite photos from a day.
My favourites are usually the ones nobody planned: a volunteer laughing behind the food stalls, a speaker taking a breath before stepping up to the mic, a crowd mid-chorus with their phones forgotten in their hands. That’s where the feeling of an event lives, and that’s what I’m always hunting for.
Every Event Is Different
A music festival and a boardroom conference are practically different jobs, and I like that.
At a festival or concert, I’m looking to capture the energy of the performance: fast-changing light, big crowds, and split-second timing. At a fundraiser or a corporate event, it’s usually quieter and more about people: handshakes, conversations, the small gestures that show who’s in the room and why they came. At a political event, it’s often a mix of both, with a packed room, a tight schedule, and a speaker who’s only in the moment for a few seconds.
So I shoot a mix on purpose: wide shots to show the scale and setting, tighter portraits of the people involved, and close-ups of the little details, like the signage, the food, the hands clapping.
Put together, they tell the whole story, not just the highlight reel.
Reading the Room
Good event photography is mostly paying attention. I get to the venue early, walk the space, and figure out where the light is and where people gather. Then I watch. Events never run exactly to schedule, and the best moments tend to show up without warning, so I’d rather be in the right spot a minute early than a second late.
I also try to stay out of the way. The best compliment I get is “I didn’t even see you there.” When people forget I’m in the room, they act like themselves, and that’s when the honest photos happen. All the while, I’m keeping an eye on the schedule and making sure the important moments don’t get missed.
Photos That Keep Working
An event lasts a few hours, but the photos can be useful for years. They end up in annual reports, on social media, in sponsor decks, and in the promotion for next year’s event. That’s always in the back of my mind when I’m shooting: I want you to have images you’ll actually want to use, not just a record that something happened.
Planning an event? If you want photographs that go beyond the highlights, I’d love to hear about it. Get in touch!
