When I transitioned from photographing weddings to corporate events, I carried with me the knowledge and experience of having photographed over 800 weddings in 22 years. That knowledge included the basics... exposure, composition, lighting, and a keen observation of human interaction – learning to anticipate when and where a good photographic moment was about to take place.

A corporate event has a few similarities to wedding receptions, but without the drama. The tension levels are not quite as high, there are no divas, no stressed-out Mother-in-Laws, no family dynamics that contribute nothing but unnecessary problems to the mix. There are no brides and grooms continuously staring at you for direction, expecting you to bend them into the near-impossible romantic poses they’ve seen on Pinterest. It’s a whole different dynamic because no one is continually under an uncomfortable spotlight.

Without a bride and groom, the new “most important person” at a corporate event becomes the event’s coordinator. This may be an employee of the company holding the event, or it may be a hired professional who specializes in these types of events. In either case, it’s always my goal to become that person’s “most valuable team player.” This requires asking all the right questions, and actually listening to the answers. They’re often responsible for coordinating the AV (audio/visual) team, the decorations, the venue staff, the caterers, the videographers, and possibly the entertainment (musicians, DJ’s, etc.).

As a photographer, I am simply part of the coordinator’s “team,” but if I’m expected to get great images, I need to be able to offer suggestions to them on key items that will affect those images, such as lighting (a big concern), or timing of introductions, podium placement on stage, position of awards presentations, etc. This means building trust with the event coordinator and often, being open to compromise – being a problem-solver, not a problem-maker. Developing a great rapport with them will not only make your job easier, but may lead to more jobs with that coordinator in the future.

In the past ten years that I’ve photographed corporate events, I’ve only encountered one event coordinator who wasn’t really suited for her job. She was a high anxiety, over-stressed mess, and everything around her seemed to be in a perpetual cloud of out-of-control chaos. It really wasn’t, but that’s how she reacted whenever a problem or issue arose. I did my level best to avoid contributing to her self-inflicted misery, but inevitably, there were times when her incompetence affected some degree of my photography. There’s nothing you can really do in cases like this, but stay out of the way and find your own solutions to producing the best images you can, then hope you never have to work with them again.

DO

  • Communicate! Emails, phone conversations, even face-to-face meeting when possible. This goes a long way to developing a great working relationship and rapport with coordinators.

  • Take notes – look at images from last year’s event – get educated on what your goals are.

  • Show up early – make contact and let them know you’re there, it goes a long way to eliminating one more thing for them to stress over.

  • Dress professionally – trust me, that whole “I am an artist, therefore I should look homeless” doesn’t really help you.

  • Always be asking if there’s anything they need or anything you can do for them – be the hero, solve a problem.

  • Be seen working, not standing around – continually prowl the event in search of “the money shot.” Every event has them, find more than one per hour.

  • Treat the guests, attendees, and other staff members with respect – they will respond in-kind.

  • Deliver ahead of schedule – don’t drag out delivery of the final product. The quicker your turnaround

    time is, the more valuable your images become.

  • On multi-day events, offer a limited number of social-media-ready (low res) images on a daily basis.

    They will use these on their social media accounts to promote the event.

Offer to stay late, especially when you know there are valuable images to be gained by doing so.

DON’T

  • Be late – nothing will start the event off on a bad foot faster than being late.

  • Elbow your way into the buffet line during a meal – wait until everyone has eaten, and always check

    with the coordinator first, they may have already arranged for your meal elsewhere.

  • Dress like a slob – wear the appropriate attire for the event – blend in with the guests.

  • Drink! – alcohol is a huge no-no on the job, period!

  • Be rude or dismissive to ANYONE! So WHAT, it’s “not your job” to do something... if you’re asked for

    assistance in doing something, DO IT! You’re part of a TEAM, remember?

  • Make demands – ask politely when you need something. It works so much better.

  • Leave without checking in with the coordinator first – always let them know 30 minutes before your scheduled departure, they may need you to stay later and are likely willing to pay overtime.

There are plenty more “do’s” and “don’ts,” but these are my top concerns and keys that should help in your quest to be a successful corporate event photographer. Work to gain the respect and trust of your event coordinators and let them become the referral workhorse that leads to more business.



by Kevin E. Newsome
Photo: Kevin Newsome 

Info: Kevin E. Newsome, owner of Newsome’s Studio of Photography in Tampa, Florida - established 1986, is a past president of three professional photography associations, a published author, and is a PPA Certified, Master Photographer. His work can be viewed at www.newsomestudio.com.