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]

Set Stills Photography with lovable Aussie boys, Hamish and Andy

Some of you might know, that during the summer, Aussie TV and Radio sensations - 'Hamish and Andy' were over here in London filming their new TV show 'Hamish and Andy's Euro Gap Year'. I was pulled in to do some Set Stills Photography, Promotion shots and some behind the scenes photography too. I have to admit, before I got the call about working on the show - I had never heard of them. After a quick Google and Facebook search, I soon realized that these cheeky smilers have a big following on the south side! 1.6million facebook likers and half a million followers on twitter! Zoiks... i hoped they were cool!?

Our first shoot was set for some calamity capers around the London Eye, Westminster and then onto St Johns Wood for some Beatles Abbey Road fun! within 2 mins of meeting the guys i was pleasantly surprised at how absolutely lovely they were! Grounded, polite and great fun! from there on in .... it was all easy!

I hope you like the images and will check out these chaps... Hamish and Andy's Euro Gap Year is showing on ITV4 at the moment, and i guarantee you'll be smiling if you tune in! Enjoy!

Sneak Peek - Music Promo Photography with Tankus The Henge

Today I met up with my crazy friends - Tankus The Henge! I've known and been photographing these lovable lads for the last 4 years now and there has never been a dull moment. With the arrival of their new Drummer, their manager thought it about time we got some new promo shots done... so we headed to the wonderful floating Dutch Barge that is 'Tamesis Dock' on the London Southbank of the Thames... Apart from being a great location, Neema the lovely lady who runs this ship (literally) provides some lovely food and drinks....! get down there and check it out! its magical! :)

The Tankus boys were in fine form, even if it was an early start... and we soon got going with some cheeky antics....

These are just a couple of tasters from the shoot. Hope you like them, and if you fancy coming along to listen to these chaps.... have a look at their facebook page here and come along!! I challenge you to not be able to love them!! ;)

[caption id="attachment_2699" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Music Photography by Simon Harvey on the Southbank with Tankus The Henge[/caption]

Simon Harvey Photography ~ Pic of the Day ~ 28th Sept 2011

Here's a cheeky chappy we all know and love ... Mr Lenny Henry Comedian. As you can see, he was happy to play for the camera!! Thanks Lenny! :-) [caption id="attachment_771" align="alignnone" width="566" caption="Lenny Henry enjoying a drink at Felix Denis's Summer Party"][/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]

Screen on the Green - Comic Strip LIVE

Last week i had to whizz down to Screen on the Green ~ one of the everyman Theatres, based in Islington, London. This super funky Cinema have decided to break the mould and start presenting late night comedy on a Friday night for 2 months ... so you can go have a few bev's along Upper Street, get in a jovial frame of mind then park your bum on their quirky sofa's for some hearty giggles.

Mr Drew Barr ~ Comedian is your resident host and compare. There will also be a burlesque show and music provided by the most fantastic band in the world, 'Tankus the Henge'

A few of my shots here that are being used to promote the events .... So if you fancy a chuckle ... see you Friday!!