The thing about portrait sessions during conferences...
Want to refresh your image portfolio while at a conference? Great…
But it’s not a walk in the park to create that kinda magic.
Recently, I had an opportunity to hang out with my speaker colleagues at Influence, the National Speakers Association’s annual conference.
It’s a great opportunity to see friends, colleagues and clients, as well as break bread with new folks, as well.
(I’m gluten free, so that bread is metaphorical, for the record)
It’s also a chance for me to serve while we’re all together under the same roof for several days.
But, here’s the thing:
In theory, it’s a no-brainer for experts in need of visual assets to take advantage of the opportunity while having a portrait photographer on site to capture photos during the down times in the conference schedule.
However…
Conducting portrait sessions in hotels and resorts can be a real pain in the ass.
How so?
First, a hotel is an extremely active space, and in the case of the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, there were thousands of people walking around at all hours of the day. And they don’t give a shit about walking in front of a camera - they’re living their best life…and rightly so!
So, there’s that…
Another challenge - you’re beholden to working with the existing decor and aesthetics of the place.
Sometimes, the look and feel of the lobbies and corridors isn’t conducive to amplifying the brands of the people in front of the camera.
For example, the Gaylord has a HUGE botanical garden in the middle of the resort. It’s beautiful and tranquil to experience during a leisurely walk around the property, but absolutely no bueno for branded lifestyle portraits for expert-based, business owners…
…unless they specialize in botany, that is.
So, there’s that…
And finally, there’s a severe time crunch to take into account.
In addition to scheduling around a packed conference itinerary, I only offered 60-minute sessions, which, for anyone who has ever experienced a portrait session, knows is simply not a lot of time to create.
So, there’s that…
As a result, the locations needed to be relatively close together so we didn’t burn a lot of time walking from location to location. The goal is to maximize the amount of time in front of the camera as possible to create as much visual variety from shot-to-shot as possible.
With all this in mind, the moment I checked into the hotel, I scouted the property to find a cluster of adjacent, workable locations within this massive complex to conduct sessions that offered several spaces for my clients to sit, stand, lean and speak in front of the camera.
Oh, and one last thing…
We needed a bathroom close by, too, as I can’t have folks changing outfits in the middle of a resort!
No pressure, of course :)
Fortunately, I found a relatively quiet spot in the upper corner of the property that offered just enough variety - and a bathroom! - to work for the 6 portrait sessions on the schedule.
Once the logistics were sorted, I took a deep sigh of relief as I knew the hard part was over, and the fun part was ready to begin.
In the end, the juice is worth the squeeze as these 6 experts walked away from their conference experience with a fresh round of image assets that can be leveraged far and wide across their online presences.
And I’m grateful, as always, for the opportunity to serve in that capacity :)
But, let this experience serve as a lesson to you when looking to book a portrait session during your next keynote on location in a hotel and resort.
First, does the hotel decor work for your business, brand and personality? If not, don’t bother trying to push a square peg in a round hole, it’s not worth it!
Next, can you identify pockets of spaces within the property that has less foot traffic than others? If so, you’re in luck!
And, can you find a photographer that not only can identify these spaces, but also work fast enough to create the required visual variety from shot-to-shot?
If so, drop the deposit and have confidence in your investment.
It’s a magical opportunity to create unique and compelling visual assets, so take advantage!
If you’re speaking at a conference in the near future and are interested in learning more about creating some visual assets during your stay on site, set up a time to chat with me to see if we’re a fit together.