Live Event Playbook
The Deliver Magic Live Event Playbook is your guide to capturing dynamic, compelling images that showcase the energy, conversations, and key learnings of every important moment in the room.
Your goal?
Create a comprehensive image portfolio that not only captures the details but inspires others to want to be in that room the next time this event happens. From shot to shot, your photos need to tell the story of what happened, what was learned, the connections that were made, and the overall experience.
What’s in the image content portfolios?
While every event is unique and no two rooms are the same, here’s a general overview of the types of images that Deliver Magic live event photographers are entrusted to create:
KEYNOTES
Keynotes are a powerful opportunity to capture the speaker’s presence and the impact they have on the audience. Capture the speaker before, during, and after their keynote to document their full presence and interaction with the audience. But, your focus needs to go beyond the speaker. Pay close attention to audience engagement, from their reactions and body language to any moments of interaction. Also, include the smaller details that matter, such as handouts, books, or other branded materials that tie into the speaker’s message and the event's theme.
PANELS
Panel discussions are all about the exchange of ideas and dynamic interaction between panelists and the audience. Your goal is to capture the conversations, the individual personalities of each panelist, and the moments where key points or insights are shared. Focus on the engagement between panelists as they discuss and debate, as well as the reactions from the audience. It’s important to showcase not only the panelists' interaction with one another, but also how they connect with the audience during Q&A sessions or discussions, capturing the full spectrum of this collaborative environment.
BOARDROOM-RELATED
In this context, "boardroom" represents any small, focused gathering of professionals working toward a common goal, whether it's a coaching session, mastermind or workshop. The setting is intimate and collaborative, with the goal of capturing participants thinking, speaking, engaging with others, and taking notes from all possible vantage points.
SOCIAL EVENTS
Social events offer a more relaxed and casual atmosphere, where the focus is on capturing the fun interactions between guests. Whether a welcome reception, dinner or book launch, these gatherings provide opportunities to highlight the natural moments of connection, from mingling and laughter to intimate group conversations.
CONFERENCES
Conferences are dynamic, large-scale events where the focus is on capturing a broad range of activities and interactions. From keynote presentations to breakout sessions, sponsor exhibits, group activities, breaks and networking areas, there’s always something happening. Your goal is to showcase not just the scope and energy of the event, but also the engagement between speakers and attendees, the learning moments in smaller breakout sessions, and the visibility of sponsors. Pay attention to the details that define the event, such as branded materials, signage, and the overall atmosphere, ensuring that the entire conference experience is visually represented.
For more examples of live event photos, go here.
How do you create these photos?
BEFORE THE EVENT
1. Strategy call: Conduct a call with the Agency and client to go over the program and establish key moments, people, places and things to capture.
2. Review the Location: Collaborate with the Agency to strategize how to use the elements in the space effectively.
3. Delivery timeline: Determine whether the photos will require same-day delivery or if they will follow a standard post-production timeline.
4. Gear Check: Double-check your equipment, ensuring your backup gear, chargers, batteries and other essentials are accounted for.
5. Logistics: Ensure all details are accounted for, including travel arrangements, timing and access to the venue.
6. Schedule editing time: Once the shoot is booked, block out time in your calendar to review and select photos with the Agency and to finish photo editing.
DAY OF THE EVENT
General Guidelines:
1. Arrive Early: Take extra time to walk the play space(s) with the shot list in hand.
2. Work with a Sense of Urgency: Move efficiently while maintaining a consistent attention to detail.
3. Put on Blinders: Eliminate outside distractions and stay focused on the goals of the session.
4. Selective Amnesia: Let go of missed shots, unforeseen obstacles or other breaks in rhythm to stay present and focused to get back on track.
5. Be Curious and Open: Throughout the session, explore different possibilities within the space, and be willing to experiment in order to create more visual variety.
6. Get in rhythm with the presenter’s body language — Observe how they move, whether they pace, gesture, or stay still. Use the entire presentation to adjust to their rhythm and capture a variety of angles and expressions.
7. Get it right - or Close Enough - In Camera: Frame your shots intentionally to reduce the need for excessive post-production corrections.
8. Unquenchable Thirst For Better: Challenge yourself to never be satisfied with what you’ve captured - aim to one-up yourself until the session is over.
Logistics:
1. Check in with the client and Agency: Let the client and Agency know you’ve arrived on-site.
2. Observe the play space: Connect with the AV team to learn the boundaries for shooting - where you can be and where you can’t. Be thankful to them in case you need a hand…and also, it’s good to be a nice human being, too 😀
3. Store your gear: Find a convenient location to store your camera bag for easy access to swap lenses and batteries throughout the event.
4. IF SAME-DAY DELIVERY: Set up a home base for your laptop, lenses and chargers to quickly back up and edit photos and to swap batteries and lenses. Before the event, coordinate with the AV team to find a convenient spot within the space to easily access.
Lighting:
1. On-camera flash: Balance your flash with stage or room lighting for clean, well-lit images.
2. No flash allowed: Adjust ISO and shutter speed to compensate for low-light conditions and plan to enhance images in post-production.
Lens Selection:
1. Wide shots: Use a 24-70mm lens or equivalent focal length
2. Tight shots: Use a 70-200mm lens or equivalent focal length .
3. Details: A 60mm macro lens or equivalent focal length
Visual Variety:
1. Shoot the shit out of it: Photograph the before, during, and after each event to ensure you capture all relevant moments that could be useful to the client, sponsors, participants and the venue itself.
2. 180-360-degree coverage: Capture different moments from various angles—high, low, left, right—to add depth and variety to the image portfolio.
3. Work in rounds: Use one lens at a time to keep things simple and avoid juggling multiple cameras, which will slow you down.
4. Presenters in action: Capture them interacting with the audience, as well as isolated close-ups, whenever possible.
5. Participant photos: Get shots of participants listening, asking questions, taking notes, and engaging with the speaker.
6. If the crowd is light: Avoid wide shots, and use the long lens to zoom in and frame out empty seats. AVOID including rows of empty seats whenever possible!
7. Emotion: Capture a range of expressions on both the presenters and participants faces, from intense concentration to laughter and everything in between to create more visual variety from shot-to-shot.
8. Unique compositions: Use the room’s elements—chairs, walls, windows, and objects—to create interesting compositions.
9. Branded elements: Photograph signage, branded materials, and swag items around the space.
10. Food shots: When applicable, capture the the food at the event, including behind-the-scenes shots of food being prepared, participants grabbing snacks, food being plated, and the food displayed in serving dishes. Focus on showcasing how food is part of the event experience, but avoid capturing people eating or shoving food in their mouths!
Post-Production Process for Same-Day Delivery:
1. Capture, copy, cull, crop and color: After each round of shooting you conduct, back up your images and start culling. Keep whatever is in focus and free of major distractions. Incorporate desaturation into the mix to create another level of visual variety.
2. Thorough cull, color and crop: Ensure each photo has passed at least 1 color and crop pass before exporting.
3. Export: For same-day delivery, export low-resolution photos (1100x733 px) and save sending the high-resolution files for after the event.
4. Sort: Create a folder for each day of the event, and then fill it with subfolders for each unique activity or part of the program, based on the run of show.
5. Send: Email a link to the same-day album with the Agency and the event contact person as quickly as possible.
AFTER THE EVENT (Regular Delivery of Photos)
1. Backup Your Photos: Immediately back up your photos before leaving the location.
2. Post-Production - 3 Passes:
Pass 1: Cull and initial editing, with feedback from the Agency
Pass 2: Color and crop
Pass 3: Final color and crop with a second culling pass
3. Don’t over bake your photos: Keep edits subtle to enhance the natural look of the event without altering its authenticity—focus on adjustments that bring out the best in the images while maintaining their true essence.
4. Export Settings:
Low Resolution: 1100x733 pixels
High Resolution: 72 dpi, 100% quality
