Event Photography

Challenges Abound With Event Photography

Taking pictures of special occasions offers challenges for everyone as event photography can take many unexpected twists and turns. Basic modeling and posing ideas don’t work well during event photography as most subjects are concentrating on what is happening and not on who is taking their picture.

Whether it’s a wedding, a birthday party or a sporting event, even if you’re getting paid to take pictures, the subjects are having more fun at the event than in being in front of your camera. Seldom do you see a running back bursting into the end zone looking straight into the camera lens and smiling for the camera.

The best shots you can take during event photography will be candid shots. Those are the shots of people doing what they do and enjoy doing it while appearing to completely ignore the camera. A staged photo of a four-year-old blowing out candles on a cake will look just like that – staged. Besides, getting a four-year-old to stare at candles and puff out their cheeks is another challenge all its own.

Gatherings Offer Their Own Set of Challenges

At weddings it’s common for the photographer to walk around taking shots of people at the tables during the reception. This almost never works out right, as there will always be at least one person who doesn’t want their picture taken. The best way in this event photography environment is to not the let the people at the table know you’re doing it.

In large venues, event photography is fun to watch for an experienced photographer. You see people sitting in the high altitude seats with their disposable camera with the built-in flash taking pictures from 400 to 500 feet away expecting to have professional results when they get home. It’s then they find out the picture will be cloudy or they can’t even see the subjects at which they were aiming.

Better equipment is needed if you hope to get good results during event photography, as the length of your lens, available light or even your flash attachment if you need artificial light, will be the deciding factors in the quality of the finished pictures. A variable zoom lens that goes from 80mm to 200mm is about average for most people and a flash that attaches to the camera positioned higher and to one side will prevent the dreaded “red eye” you usually see from using the built-in flash.

A camera with autofocus is usually better than trying to focus manually, especially in event photography, as the subjects generally never stay still long enough to fine tune the focus on your own. You can’t tell a running soccer player to stand still while you get it right.