Saturday, January 30, 2010

How To Succeed In Event Photography

By Wilma Phang

Event photography has been a lucrative occupation for those who have an artistic bent of mind. An event photographer is paid handsomely for his skill in clicking photographs of various events, such as marriages, corporate events, and sports events. People want to cherish such events and look back at them affectionately through the photos, which is why event photography is so important.

Any professionally trained photographer can take up event photography and be good at it. However, to do a good job, there are some guidelines that must be kept in mind.

The first and foremost point to be considered is the event you are photographing and the final use of the photographs. Take a corporate event as an example, the photos of the event could be included in an internal magazine of the company, and therefore, your aim should be to indicate the manner and scheme of the proceedings of the event in your photos. However, if you have to photograph an informal gathering, then you must concentrate on the people and their expressions during the event in your pictures.

Alertness is an important characteristic in event photography. You must be completely conscious of the happenings around you and must know when to take a photograph and when to wait. Even the customers prefer employing those photographers who can appreciate the things going on around them and need not be guided on the appropriate moment to click a picture. This is one skill which you will learn with experience but you have to make a constant effort from your side.

Familiarity with the site where the event is being organized is useful in event photography. You should familiarise yourself with the spots where most of the action will be happening and find good spots to position yourself for an unobstructed line of sight.

You must also have the technical knowledge of your camera and its various settings so that you can comfortably take images from difficult angles and capture the important aspects of the event. Lighting is a crucial part of photography and a good event photographer should learn about the amount of light that will be available at the site. On the basis of this understanding, you should be forearmed with appropriate equipment and with the camera in the right settings.

Finally, every event photographer must have a pleasant personality. You should be able to mingle with the group that you would photograph. If you are able to mix with the people and understand the mood of the event then the group would be more relaxed and the images will be much better.

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