As photographers, we have photographed numerous conferences and events in Edinburgh, Glasgow and all over Scotland.
One of the main challenges is tying to capture the essence of the conference or event whilst also creating good strong images. As a photographer, this is particularly challenging as the event is live and constantly moving so there are no second chances. You can’t ask the speaker to do their presentation again or pose delegates for a shot whilst they are having their coffee break.
We like to capture images which give a sense of the event.
This is where our many years of experience in photographing conferences and events in Edinburgh come in. One of the key things is to have a thorough knowledge of the day’s timetable. We also always arrive early to do a recce of the venue and the layout so we can find the most suitable positions to capture the speakers. In addition to this we carry at least 2 camera bodies and a selection of lenses so we can get in close or take wide shots when we need to.
As well as having key speakers, conferences are also important networking events.
Another key element which has come out of experience is timing. I’ve often heard that people don’t like being photographed when they are speaking as they’ve had a bad experience before when the photographer has either used direct flash or taken hundreds of shots in a short space of time.
Our approach is very different, probably born out of years of theatre photography where you have to capture the action quietly without being distracting. We therefore only use flash when absolutely necessary (due to lack of lighting) and then only very subtly. We also carefully time shots so we can capture the action more precisely rather than having to rely on a taking dozens on a motor drive and then select the best one later.
Our experience in photographing theatre allows us to capture precise moments during a talk.
Here’s some feedback from a conference we photographed in Edinburgh for a very high profile government department. (Unfortunately, we cant’ share any names or images as we had to sign the official secrets act!)
“I heard nothing but positive feedback from my team about the photography on the day and we are very happy with the photographs provided. I would particularly like to extend thanks to you for working so hard in advance of the event liaising with my staff to ensure that the event was a success.”
As well as photographing large international conferences we also photograph smaller, more intimate, ones like this.