We’re coming up to an exceptional holiday event season, the first holiday event season for most of us since 2020. It’s natural to want to capture the excitement and camaraderie amongst your team with a Corporate Event Photographer. So the question becomes: what qualities make a good corporate event photographer, how do you choose a corporate event photographer, and what are some ideas for corporate event photography?
While we don’t photograph Weddings at Art of Headshots, we enjoy helping our corporate clients with memorable annual event photography. Here are some lessons learned and ideas for photography.
How to hire a good corporate event photographer
1. Read the reviews
Search on google and look at genuine google reviews . If it’s full of short sentences, then they may be fake reviews or not provide much context. However, if the reviews contain fully fledged thoughts and genuine feedback that only humans can attest to, you can be sure that it’s real.
2. Does the photographer fit in?
Consider that if you have a black tie and everyone is dressed accordingly, and the photographer comes in with jeans and smelly foot sandals, that may not be suitable. Maybe you have a casual team, and the photographer is the opposite. Your photographer should be dressed to blend into the background and not stand out.
3. Find an assertive personality
Sometimes a corporate event photographer might be wonderful at journalistic style of photography. Still, when a group photo is requested, this photographer is too passive to photograph accordingly. They should be able to direct the participants of the group into a flattering pose quickly and respectfully, and ensure everyone is alert and watching the camera. Alternatively, you risk getting a photographer that aggressively capitalizes on your event, constantly disrupting the guests for the right shot and intruding on the experience. Find out what the photographer’s personality is like ahead of time.
4. Professional conduct
Holiday events often have alcohol served to guests and sometimes event staff. Most good corporate event photographer will conduct themselves professionally by choosing not to drink. You can put your mind at ease by communicating with the photographer whether or not you’re comfortable with them drinking during the event. The best solution for when you choose to let a photographer drink is to drink only at the end and to limit themselves to one or two drinks.
5. Discuss terms
Some photographers keep their files and charge additionally after the event in a ploy to maximize revenues. Check with prospective photographers on whether digital files are included with their fee. Do you want to receive all the images as shot, or retouched? What is the turnaround time to receiving your images? Does their fee fit your budget? Expect very different pricing for event photography based on the answers to all these questions.
Photography suggestions for your annual corporate event reception
- Have a small studio space set up within the venue. Use it for new or updated headshots of employees or use it for a couple of fun photos (photobooth style).
- Get any event speakers photographed with the audience interacting in the background. Request the venue lighting to be a little brighter and allow the photographer to photograph from behind the speaker. This is an excellent opportunity to have images with the audience interaction.
- Request the guests not to model for the camera during the event. While employee group photos may be what you’re looking for, consider the benefit to candid photos. Candid photos are perfect for websites wanting to showcase the genuine bonds between employees and show off the kind of atmosphere new employees can expect when joining your team. When certain people see a camera coming, they wrap their arms around the nearest people and give fake smiles. Hence why you may instruct employees not to model in photos.
- Let the photographer know who the event’s VIP is. Your photographer may be busy looking for great interaction shots and might miss the quiet person sitting at the same table all night only to realize too late that this person is the company’s CEO. No photographer wants to come out of a night with no photos of the CEO or other important guests.
Schedule a discovery call to see if our corporate event photographers are the right fit for you
