Why a recurring event needs a photographer, every edition
In the last post I said two events should never go without a photographer: a wedding, and a commercial event that repeats. The wedding is obvious. The recurring commercial event, less so. And that’s exactly where most people cut the budget without seeing what they lose.
Today’s event is what sells the next one. When an event has a next edition, the photos from this one become the material that fills the next. The photo of someone who was there is what convinces the person who wasn’t. That’s the basic part, every producer knows it.
Event photos are social proof that builds up, and travels. Every edition you document becomes ammunition to draw an audience, sponsors and partners for the next round. But it doesn’t only build up, it spreads. In eleven years shooting events, I’ve watched my photos become profile
pictures, shared stories, reels, which is what everyone wants first. And there’s something few people notice, and I know it happens: a good photo sits on someone’s phone and comes back on its own, as a memory, and makes them want to live the event again, or tell someone about that day. Event photography is what lets a person carry the good memory of that moment everywhere. No giveaway, video or promo material beats that.
Consistency across editions builds the event’s brand. People who produce events do a bit of everything, I know, I’ve been in that role. One of the main jobs is communication. And anyone who thinks about communication knows this: consistency, clarity and effectiveness are the
base for building a bridge to the people you want to reach. It’s obvious from here. If the look of the photos changes every edition, whoever sees them thinks they’re different events. That’s noise, and you’ve lost one more chance to build a bond with your audience.
The cost of not documenting it. The edition is over and it doesn’t come back. I don’t need to say much here: without photography, an event lasts a few hours. With photography, there’s no limit.
The photographer is part of the production. I have experience as a cultural producer, from small parties to music and arts festivals, and on long-term cultural projects. I know production from the inside. I know where a photographer helps and where one gets in the way, I know which questions to ask and which answers are already obvious. I fold into the team so the event runs as smoothly as possible, because an event that runs without problems makes better photos. So sometimes I do what not every photographer would: I help carry the sound gear, organise the artists coming in, talk to the crowd. And I also know when to disappear and let the flash do the talking.
The photographer is part of the experience. Last, and to me the most important: I make a point of being part of the experience of the event. Almost an act of its own. Making people smile, talking to the crowd, putting everyone at ease in that short moment we share. Staying on the detail, and staying available to keep shooting until everyone in the frame is happy with what they see on the camera. And yes: I show the shot on the camera right after I take it. I know it’s a taboo among photographers, some prefer not to. With me that doesn’t exist.
If you run an event that comes back, let’s plan the coverage together before the next edition. Send me a message. I work across Gold Coast, Brisbane and Queensland, in English and Portuguese.
