Take Great Photos at Your Next Event
A handy guide for SWUG leaders, resellers and event organisers.
Photos are a key part of any event and it’s often not until the event is over and it’s too late that event organisers realise they don’t have enough photos, or they are poor quality.
After hosting DriveWorks World for over 6 years, we’ve learnt a lot about taking good event photos.
We’ve put together our top tips for making sure you get great photos that capture your event well. Whatever event you’re planning, we hope you find them useful!
1. Prepare Your Camera
Even if you’re just using your phone you need to prepare, make sure it is fully charged, the lens is clean, and you have plenty of storage.
2. Create a List of Photos
Plan ahead what you need to take photos of e.g. a guest speaker mid presentation, winners accepting their prize, audience clapping.
3. Assign a Photographer
As the event organiser you’ll be really busy at the event so assign someone else as photographer so you don’t miss any important photo opportunities.
4. Think About Setting
Try to have a plain photo backdrop and use as much natural light as possible. Take some practice shots before everyone arrives and make adjustments if you need to.
5. Follow Photo Best Practices
Avoid using the flash or zoom, use natural light and move closer to the subject instead. For clearer images, you can also tap on the screen where you want the camera to focus.
6. Make Photos Interesting
Move around the room and shoot from different angles so your photos don’t all look the same. Try using props and make the room look fuller by avoiding photos of empty seats.
7. Focus on People
Try to take a photo of every single person who attended, then they will share your photos. Remember to avoid photos of people eating.
Group shots are usually easier to get.
8. Take More Photos
Take more photos than you actually need so you can choose the best.
Take multiple photos of the same thing in case someone has their eyes closed or it turns out blurry.
9. Check Every Photo
Where possible check every photo immediately and re-take if necessary, it’s much easier than gathering everyone together again or realising too late that you didn’t get the shot.