The influence of photojournalism on corporate event photography.
After years of working as a photojournalist for magazines and newspapers like the New York Times and National Geographic, I developed instincts and skills that allow me to find the right moment and photograph it in a way that shows emotion and movement.
In the case of the Mexican dancer, I shot with a shallow depth of field so the background would go out of focus and draw all your attention to the dancer, and I shot slow enough to get movement from the flowing dress and fast enough to keep her face sharp.
Event photography of Mexican dancers in Los Angeles. Shot for Target Corporation.
Additionally, I was able to frame her with Target’s brand color in the background for further separation. Keeping the client's interests in mind gets me hired again and again.
I realize that this is a commercial consideration but it is necessary to keep my corporate event client’s interest in mind since they are paying me. It certainly does not compromise my photography but it does make my clients happy.
My camera gear is always the same for event photography. Two Nikon Z9 bodies, one 24-70mm f 2.8 lens and one 70-210mm lens. Additionally, I carry extra batteries and CF cards for all-day corporate events. I also will bring a wifi transmitter when my clients need me to deliver event images on-site for social media.
This allows me to shoot jpeg images to my phone where I can send them via email or text to my corporate event clients.
I like the Nikon Z9 cameras because they shoot at 20 frames per second, which allows me to expose for a brightly lit stage and a dimly lit audience, evening out the exposure so the audience does not go dark. This technique was never feasible at corporate events before
The wide-angle zoom lenses allow me to get close intimate moments of event attendees and the long lens allows me to get images of speakers on stage and people at a distance.
Another useful skill is the ability to observe and find images that give context to the event. If you look for a particular kind of image, you can miss great images that you are not looking for. The trick is just to be open to seeing; to wander without seeking anything in particular and just let the images of the event come to you.
Detail image of a person with the event client’s logo reflected. The event photography assignment was for Chivas Regal. Event photography by Ed Carreon
For this image I shot at an event for Chivas Regal, I just wondered around observing when the reflection of the client’s logo caught my eye. It is a cool image and keeps my client’s branding in the collection of images that I created for this event project.
The lens was a 24-70mm lens shot at f2.8 and since I was focusing on the logo everything went further out of focus and accentuated the logo.
Corporate Event photography of dancers shot for an Airbnb promotional event in Los Angeles. Event photography by Ed Carreon
I am a corporate event photographer in Los Angeles and the competition is huge, so I look for ways to set my work apart so, sometimes I change lenses to a 50mm f1.2 for the ability to toss the focus in the background. It is a cool look. The drawback to shooting with this lens is that if you use auto-focus the camera is choosing which eye to focus on, it is easy to miss the ideal focal point, like in the image below. The client still loved the image anyway.
I still need to be able to anticipate moments and caption action so that is where my photojournalism comes in. In fact is the key to making great pictures during corporate events. Otherwise, you are just taking pictures instead of making pictures.
A victorious girl reacts to winning a soccer match at a Chevron-sponsored event. Event photography by Ed Carreon
The ability to anticipate moments is critical to working as a photojournalist, a skill that most event photographers do not possess; especially in Los Angeles where shooting entertainment events is about photographing people looking directly at the camera. Entertainment events are where people go to be seen, so people mugging the camera is important in those events. All you have to do is get a proper exposure and push the button. Not so much in corporate events, trade shows, or athletic events.
Those are about getting moments, overall pictures, interesting branding images, and people speaking or engaging in activities like the image that I shot at a Chevron-sponsored soccer camp, where kids win and lose soccer matches, engage in dynamic exercises, and have a fun time with professional soccer players.
My ability to anticipate moments allows me to capture the spirit of the event without setting up any pictures like in an entertainment event.
