“I’m an Event Photographer”. I’ve heard that sentence said in a multitude of ways. I’ve heard it said sheepishly, nonchalantly, sardonically, and with a hint of resentment. I’ve also heard it said very simply, matter-of-factly, and even once with a hint of near reverence. I don’t think the world of photography offers enough respect or appreciation for event photography, evident by our eagerness to define to our colleagues what we mean by “event photography.”

Usually we think of event photography as capturing candids during a corporate event; a poorly lit conference room with one viable angle from which to shoot. Or we might think of a charity 5km walk at 10am on a Saturday morning. Maybe a holiday party? A local swap meet? I donno about that one…

Rarely do we feel as though there is an opportunity to find a deeper artistic meaning in these photos; and usually we resign ourselves to getting the shots we need, delivering it quickly and putting it behind us so we can focus on our art, as we see it.

I would like to present the argument that not only is Event Photography far more encompassing than we choose to believe, but it also provides a huge opportunity for creative freedom, for skill acquisition and for building a really vibrant network of potential clientele.

A quick aside here before we get any deeper… MOST things are event photography; Weddings, engagements, sports, street photography, candid portraiture. Maybe it’s a blurry line between event, portrait, documentary, but zooming out a little, you’re usually capturing an event happening in front of your camera, so don’t get to up in arms about the whole thing.

First things first; not all events are equal. In this past year I’ve shot a Pow Wow at Saugeen First Nation, the Canadian National Barista Competition, the Ontario University Athletics Cross Country Finals, and a buying trip for a Mezcal exporter in the heart of Oaxaca. Those are WILDLY different scenarios, shooting conditions and opportunities for artistic expression. Some of them were cooler than others, some of them provided Portfolio shots, some of them were deeply moving. All of them were essentially event photography, and none of them were what I expected to be shooting. Having said that; I have also shot conferences, family birthday parties and soccer practices. Those weren’t as cool. They weren’t portfolio worthy and I haven’t looked at any of those images since. However, I would argue that if I went into those scenarios hoping to achieve a portfolio piece, I may have gotten a little closer, and a lot more creative.

So if some events are better than others, and if some offer greater opportunity for creativity, do you just prioritize shooting those? Depends what your bank account has to say about it.

Never mind that train of thought… Let’s talk instead about how to make event photography more interesting to shoot, and setting an intention of creativity and aspiring to create pieces that can live in your portfolio.

1. Find Unique Angles/Composition

This one probably sounds obvious. But what is powerful about event photography is the fact that images are rarely looked in Isolation. As such, you can build a story through images over time. These images may not make a ton of sense on their own, but they can tell the event in a way that most people would never see. Alternatively, they may also work as a standalone image thats really compelling, but if delivered on its own would not build enough of a story to capture the entire event. The images below were from a BTS shoot for a large restaurant group. They were shooting their new menu, and I was shooting them. None of these images would be viable for a billboard, none of them tell you the full story in isolation, but placed together they explore the day and capture things that those involved would never have seen.