7 Essential Shots That Tell Your Corporate Event’s Story

by | Oct 2, 2024 | Events | 0 comments

A row of panellists on stage at a conference for Mourant

Corporate Event Photography: 7 Must-Have Shots for Telling Your Conference Story

As a corporate photographer with nearly three decades of experience, I’ve captured countless business conferences. While each event has its unique style, certain key moments define a successful conference. I’ve identified seven essential shots that truly encapsulate the essence of a corporate conference. These images don’t just document the occasion—they create powerful visual narratives that can be leveraged long after the conference has finished.

1. The Engaging Speaker Shot

Male speaker in light blue shirt at conference talking on stage with branded blue background

Nothing captures the energy of a corporate event quite like a dynamic speaker in action. This shot is crucial as it showcases the event’s content and value, highlights the expertise being shared and creates a focal point for event recap materials

Pro Tip: Capturing speakers mid-gesture conveys energy and engagement. So capturing moments of passion or emphasis in their presentation always makes for a great shot.

2. Audience Reactions

Composite image of 4 photos, all people at a conference listening in the audience to speakers

The true measure of an event’s success often lies in the audience’s response. Capturing attentive or reactive audience members demonstrates the event’s impact and reach, provides social proof of engagement and offers relatable images for future event marketing

Pro Tip: Capturing expressions of concentration, note-taking, or positive emotional responses will help create compelling audience shots.

3. Panel Discussions

A row of panellists on stage at a conference for Mourant

Panel discussions are a staple of many corporate events, offering diverse perspectives on industry topics. These shots highlight the collaborative nature of the event, showcase the calibre of experts present and provide visually interesting group dynamics.

Pro Tip: Getting a shot that includes all panelists helps tell the story of the event and any interesting interactions between them.

4. Q&A Sessions

Image of a man in the audience of a conference with a microphone asking a question

Q&A sessions represent the interactive heart of many events. Photographs of these moments show audience engagement and participation, capture the exchange of ideas and help demonstrate the event’s value in addressing attendee concerns.

5. Branding Elements

Mourant Aligning for growth branding board at an event

In corporate photography, showcasing the brand is crucial. Shots of branding elements reinforce company identity, provide context for the event and offer valuable marketing materials for future use.

Pro Tip: Incorporating logos or signage into the images, without them feeling forced, is the best example of these shots.  Images of speakers on stage, with the brand logo within the frame, are always winning shots.

6. Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses

Composite image of three photos - one a women dressed in white jeans and blazer playing croquet, four women with croquet sticks and a croquet lawn sign

These shots add a human touch to corporate events. In this case, a fun croquet activity after the conference.  Behind the scenes shots shows the lighter side of corporate gatherings, so it could be capturing the events team prepping the event, guests arriving, networking during the day.  All these shots provide relatable, shareable content for social media and help to show genuine interactions and enjoyment.

7. Venue Establishing Shot

Exterior shot of Four Seasons Hampshire Hotel

A strong establishing shot sets the scene and provides crucial context. It showcases the scale and atmosphere of the conference, highlights impressive or unique venue features and provides a powerful opening image for event reports.

Ideally, this shot captures the venue, key details, or the conference room before attendees arrive. However, timing doesn’t always allow for this. In the case of the images shown here, I was brought in to photograph only the last hour of the conference, which meant missing some of these establishing opportunities.

Pro Tip: When full event coverage isn’t an option, focus on capturing establishing elements that are still available – even late in the conference. This might include wide shots of a full room, architectural details, or branded elements that give a sense of place.

Each of these seven types of shots plays a crucial role in telling the complete story of a corporate event. Together, they create a comprehensive visual narrative that can be used for post-event marketing, reports, and future event promotion.

The images shown here are just a handful from a recent conference I photographed at the Four Seasons Resort Hampshire, a beautiful venue that provides the perfect backdrop for corporate events. Interestingly, these shots were all captured within just one hour at the end of the conference, showcasing how you can capture the essential conference photography shots, even with limited time.

Remember, the key to great corporate event photography is not just about technical skill, but also about understanding the client’s needs and the event’s purpose. By focusing on these essential shots, you ensure that you’re capturing the moments that matter most, whether you’re there for the entire event or just a portion of it.

If you’re planning a corporate event and want to discuss how to capture its key moments, feel free to reach out.