How to shoot Events Photography

I do a lot of events work throughout the year, and its mostly great fun! The venues are usually quite special, and the people attending are always up for some laughs. Its my job to make them look their best, and also capture the essence of the event and the mood of the occasion. 9 times out of 10 when I'm working at these functions, someone or more than one person, gets talking to me about my job, photography, the kit I use and how I do it. So today I thought I'd share some basics and explain how I approach a night like this. Firstly, I get my running order from the client and do a walk through of the venue so I can  work a few things out!

Its going to be dark, so we need additional light/s .... but we don't want to blitz the available light out so much that we kill the feel and mood that's there!?.... So we need to find a balance between the ambient light reading and our flash power. To put this simply... you need to expose for the ambient light (background available light) and then add in some foreground flash to light your main subjects nicely and 'Freeze' the action enough to keep it looking crisp! This is where having a camera with a good low light iso range comes into play. My ever faithful Nikon D3 is still great at low light level performance although its now 4 years old.

I always try to use some form of backlight for these events so its adds some drama and life to the background .... so I look around for the best places to set up shots. There were some key elements to this job that i needed to cover...

• Establishing shots of the venue - in this case The Roundhouse at Camden, a fantastic event space!
• Guests at the reception area - excitedly meeting friends, all dolled up wearing big smiles!! (Time to interact and smile lots myself too !)
• Guests seated at their tables
• Awards if any...
• Dancing and partying

You need to be organised, plenty of spare batteries (as you will be hammering your flash)...... I also like to use a simple 'speed Gobo' bouncer from Honl Photo for my flash so that the light is 'bounced light' rather than direct (its just a bit softer and more flattering) .... experiment!

I also brought along my Elinchrom Ranger Quadra Kit (x2 lightweight, powerful and portable battery packs, x2 flash heads, x2 stands x2 brollies) so I could leave them set up on the top balcony ready for some cheeky group shots after dinner... guests are always more relaxed after a few drinks and then you can start to have some fun with them.

If you look at the info on each image, I have shown the EXIF data settings so you can see my exposure settings ... I hope this has been helpful, but please ping me a comment if you have any questions! Ta. :)

CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE AT CORRECT SIZE AND SHARPNESS.

[caption id="attachment_3009" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 1100, F4.5, 1/50th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +2/3 power

Nikon D3, Handheld, ISO 3200, F5, 1/30th Sec, NO FLASH[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3007" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, Handheld, ISO 1100, F5, 1/30th Sec, Flash on Manual Power +1/3.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3023" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to left front and 1 light to right front allowing even light, bounced into white brollies.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3021" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to left front and 1 light to right front allowing even light, bounced into white brollies.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3020" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to right to give side light, bounced into white brolly.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3019" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to left front and 1 light to right front allowing even light, bounced into white brollies.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3016" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F7.1, 1/6th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +2/3 power.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3018" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to left front and 1 light to right front allowing even light, bounced into white brollies.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3017" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/8th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, 1 light to left front and 1 light to right front allowing even light, bounced into white brollies.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3013" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/13th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +1/3 power.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3012" align="aligncenter" width="665"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 1100, F3.2, 1/100th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, NO FLASH[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3015" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/13th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +1/3 power.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3010" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 1100, F4.5, 1/50th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +2/3 power[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3011" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 1100, F3.2, 1/100th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, NO FLASH.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3008" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Camden Roundhouse, Event Photography by Simon Harvey - Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 1100, F4.5, 1/40th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +2/3 power[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3014" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Handheld, ISO 560, F5.6, 1/15th Sec. Nikon D3, 24-70mm Lens, Bounced Flash in TTL Mode +1/3 power.[/caption]

An 'ExEvent' for a Rendezvous

My good clients ExEvents got me down for a great job last night!! .... The Chambord Rendezvous 2011 The venue; One Mayfair! Built in 1825, One Mayfair has recently reopened its doors and is set to be London's newest and most spectacular venue. After years of neglect this historic Grade I listed building has undergone months of refurbishment bringing it back to its former glory. As one of the largest event spaces in the Mayfair, it has already attracted a range of high profile events.

Guests were wowed by the excellent transformation the space took on under the expert handling of the ExEvents team. The winning drinks were served throughout the evening along with a wonderful dinner, again with the winning chambord recipes. I unfortunately was working ... but then even when i'm working its not work! The guests were great and it was good to be in amongst this happy crowed ... DJ Philly was on hand spinning up some excellent tunes before Comedy act Mr Russell Kane introduced the evenings events. BBC Radio 1 Celebrity DJ Edith Bowman then took over on the decks and things really hotted up ... drinks were flowing and butts were shaking! My trustee Nikons were also working their own little butts off as you can see from a selection of the shots here. Enjoy!! :)

[slideshow]

Wireless Speedlights - Strobist Softbox Technique Tutorial

YouTube - Strobist Softbox Technique Tutorial. http://www.youtube.com/v/w0g63DggyzQ

Ok, so for a while i have wanted to use my speedlights a bit more creatively, so I bought the Nikon SU800 Commander which allows me to control as many speedlights as i like remotely. I invested in a couple of popout softboxes and off i went.... straight round to my kids and got them on the trampoline to see what we could get!

Watch this space....

Wireless Speedlights

Well, here are the results of my first play with wireless flash. I hooked up 2 Nikon SB800 Flash units onto some small light stands with my great new fold out softboxes... All was quite straightforward.... only limiting factor is that you have to angle the flash to make sure its 'infrared' sensor window can see the SU800 commander on top of your camera... if it can't - NO flash! I am really pleased with the ease of use, portability and quality of light you can get using this set up ... throw them into Lightroom and job done! :)

The Harvey Juniors are both great guinea pig models and always on hand for a bit of camera fun...! :(

I love this shot of Daisy, she has such a great sense of humour in front of the camera.... her 'casual' expression and mad pose looks brilliant! Go Daisy! ;)

I

This is my fave shot! Love Daisy's body language and face in the background! Gabe doesn't seem to be noticing her annoyance at the amount of time he has been on!

Howard Webb ~ England referee in training for World Cup

After Referee Howard Webb was chosen for 2010 World Cup, he embarked upon some intense altitude training, conducted at Sheffield Hallum University in their specialist Faculty of Health and Wellbeing unit. I was asked to go and shoot Howard for Polar Sports watches whilst training. After claiming my pitch amongst the other snappers and Film crews i was ready .... I used my Nikon D3 and a couple of wirelessly activated remote flashes (Nikon SB800's) to add a bit of drama to the dull fluorescent lighting, dialled in some settings to allow for a slow shutter speed and i got the 'motion' effect i was looking for!

Webb officiated the second leg of the Carling Cup Manchester derby Englishman Howard Webb has been selected as one of Fifa's 30 referees for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It will be the first World Cup for the 38-year-old Webb, who will be assisted by Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey.

Webb caused controversy in Euro 2008 when he awarded hosts Austria a late penalty against Poland for a 1-1 draw. Yorkshireman Webb suffered during Euro 2008 when he was on the receiving end of death threats and fierce criticism from then Poland coach Leo Beenhakker, although his decision to award the penalty was backed by Uefa.

Webb will be attempting to restore England's refereeing reputation at the highest level after Graham Poll was sent home from the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He booked Croatia's Josip Simunic three times during a group match against Australia.

Howard was a top bloke and i wish him all the best out in South Africa.

[caption id="attachment_81" align="alignnone" width="399" caption="Howard Webb"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_88" align="alignnone" width="497" caption="Howard Webb Referee "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="399" caption="Howard Webb Referee training for 2010 World Cup"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_84" align="alignnone" width="399" caption="Howard Webb Referee training for 2010 World Cup"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignnone" width="399" caption="Howard Webb Referee training for 2010 World Cup"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_86" align="alignnone" width="399" caption="Howard Webb Referee training for 2010 World Cup"][/caption]