Photo or video for your event, and when you need both
Photo or video, which one matters more for your event? Social media made video the default, and lately it feels like that’s all anyone talks about. But can video alone really capture a whole event?
The simple answer: it depends on what you’ll do with the material afterwards.
I’ve worked with both since 2015. So I won’t push the bigger package on you. I’ll tell you when each one earns its place, and when the other is money spent for nothing.
A photo is a memory that stays still. On the wall, on your profile, on next year’s invite, in this month’s promo. It holds a moment and lets you go back to it whenever you want, no play button. For an event you want to carry with you, keep on hand, show, send, print, a photo delivers what matters.
The way I see it, two events should never go without a photographer: a wedding, and a commercial event that repeats. I’ll explain the second one in the next post.
Video keeps what a photo can’t reach: the voice, the movement, the music. It tells the story in more detail. I’ve covered nights that ran till morning in Surfers Paradise, intimate weddings on the sand, and a 5,000 person event across three stages, on my own. Some moments only video tells right.
But video asks more of everyone. From the production to whoever sits down to watch it. It takes time, it takes focus.
Some people call video the cherry on top. I see it differently: video is the last slice of the cake. A treat, but few people make it that far.
It’s easier to start with when they don’t. If the event is small and quick, a video already tells the story in a dynamic, practical way. If it’s a recurring event, you can have video of every edition and photos of just a few.
Now, if it’s an event that needs to stay in memory and also travel, go viral, that’s when photo and video together are the way.
And when is photo alone enough? When the event won’t need promotion later. When its value is in holding that bright, warm moment in your memory. Photo does that job well.
Before we book, I ask one thing: where will this material live after the event? The answer decides almost everything.
If you’d like to talk through your event, get in touch. I work across Gold Coast, Brisbane and Queensland, in English and Portuguese.