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QUICK GUIDE TO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Short Guide
Written by Jason D. Little

Md saad andalib
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 It’s a sure bet that many people, upon hearing the term “event
photography”, immediately begin to think of fancy gatherings
like award shows, corporate fundraisers, weddings, proms, or
any manner of so-called black tie affair. But in reality — as far as
a photographer should be concerned, at least — as long as you
have a gathering of people doing something you may very well
have an event on your hands.

It could be an elementary school fundraiser, a community bake

sale, a family reunion, a photography meet-up. It doesn’t really
matter how the people are dressed or whether there are any
celebrities in attendance; introducing your camera to a crowd
of people represents an ocean of interesting possibilities and
observations, in terms of both human behavior and photography.

Regardless of whether you’re shooting in a very formal

atmosphere like a wedding, or a more laid back, casual setting
like a birthday party, there are a few universally applicable tips for
successfully photographing any event.

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 1. Be Prepared for Anything. Because
anything can happen anytime people
are freely mingling amongst one
another. Unlike a studio portrait shoot
where you, as the photographer,
exercise quite a bit of control over
the situation, shooting an event is
not going to afford you such a luxury.
Sure, you might get a few posed
group shots (especially at a wedding),
but generally speaking, you’re going
to have to go with the flow; whatever
happens...happens. Your job is to be
ready to click the shutter.

Paul Townsend
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 2. Capture a New Perspective. Create
images that alter the way we normally
see things. Events are interesting,
thus it would make perfect sense
to want to capture images that do
justice to said event. One way to
make interesting photos is to change
perspective. Get very wide angle
shots (yes, embrace the distortion),
shoot from up high or from ground
level. You don’t need to completely
disavow the standard straight-on
shot, just be sure to add some variety.

古 天熱
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 3. Shoot a Lot. And by “a lot,” I mean
a lot. This, however, is not a call to be
haphazard with your shooting, hoping
that you’ll get lucky and get some
great shots. But with so much going
on around you, there’s going to be a
lot to capture. Given the spontaneous
nature of the environment, multiple
exposures will be a great asset to
you; catching someone mid-yawn
or mid-sneeze or in some other
unflattering fashion isn’t what you’re
going for most of the time. The idea
is to capture the people and the
action at their best. You will need
observational skills, a quick trigger
finger, and maybe a little luck.

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 4. Keep it Simple. Don’t go in to an
event with the mindset of an abstract
photographer. Your best bet will be
to keep things simple in terms of
composition and framing. Just as we
do with books, people tend to read
photographs from left to right; action
should move similarly in an image
whenever possible. And be sure not
to crowd your image with too many
shapes and colors as this can distract
from the importance of your subject.
Basic lines and shapes that take
the viewer’s eye through a natural
progression around the photo are all
you need.

Luke Addison
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 5. Pay Attention. At any event, the
range of human behavior on display
can be astounding. Observe your
fellow human beings closely. Notice
the subtleties, focus on the details,
and extract stories. By telling a story
in pictures you can convey what an
event is all about without even having
to express explicitly what the event
is. It’s pretty easy to look at photos
of people of a certain age, dressed
a certain way, and conclude that
they’re attending Comic-Con or some
similar event. Photographed the right
way — with context and attention to
detail — a family reunion is as easily
recognized by any viewer.

Details are of particular importance

when shooting weddings; while
people are indeed the center of
Ting W. Chang
attention at a wedding, there are so
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ssdctw/2306471027/ many other things that play a major
role in the day — the rings, the
flowers, the cake. Don’t fail to capture
these little but meaningful things.

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 6. Be Properly Equipped. Unless you’re
shooting an outdoor event, you
should expect the lighting conditions
of the location in which you’ll be
shooting to be less than ideal in
terms of both quantity and quality
of light. Concert venues, school
gymnasiums, hotel conference rooms,
wedding reception halls -- they all
present something of a challenge.
So use your fastest lens and don’t be
afraid to boost the ISO level. Using
a flash shouldn’t be your first course
of action; some places won’t allow
it, but even if flash isn’t prohibited,
using it might be more of an adverse
distraction than anything else. As
they say, don’t let perfection be the
enemy of good.

Maxime Raphael
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 7. Be Efficient. Move around and work
the room without being intrusive; be
polite and don’t ruin anybody’s fun.
Don’t stress over individual shots,
don’t get hung up on trying to get
one particular type of shot. Shoot
everyone and everything around you
from different angles. Think as you
shoot and you’ll fall into a groove
soon enough.

Ray Weltzenbert
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 8. Have Fun. There is no doubt that
event photography can be hard
work. You’re on your feet the entire
time, operating at a heightened
state of alertness, trying to navigate
the crowd of people around you
and capture interesting images. It
is stressful. But there’s no reason
you can’t also have fun while
photographing an event. In all
likelihood, the event itself will be
fun which means the attendees will
be having fun — as a photographer
you’re allowed to have fun, too. Keep
a positive outlook and enjoy the
quickly unfolding display of human
nature before you. You will forget that
you are even working.

Some of these guidelines will apply more

to some events than to others, but the
essence of each is such that it can — to
Simon Fraser University
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application. Event photography can be
a bit overwhelming at first, but in time
you will be able to synthesize all the
various components you need to make
photographing not only a breeze, but fun.

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 About the Author

IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE

LEARNING AND IMPROVING YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE VISIT
PHOTZY.COM

Jason D. Little is a photographer (shooting macros, portraits,

candids, and the occasional landscape), part time writer, and full
time lover of music.
You can see Jason’s photography on his Photography Blog
or on Flickr.

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