I find that no matter how hard I try to not over shoot an event, I still end up trashing about half of what was shot. It usually isn’t because the shots aren’t good, but because there is something very similar and slightly better in the edit. If you shoot three frames each of every group you photograph at an event(which is pretty typical) and have hundreds files, there’s no reason you can’t cut at least one of the frames for each group, if not two. Your client only needs the cream of the crop since there is only be a limited amount of use for event photos. If there are any VIP’s you might want to leave an extra frame or two in if they are also good, but for the general attendees the top frame of three works best every time. The same rule applies to shots of speakers or the panel at a discussion, edit hard and give the client the cream of the crop.

Once you get your edit down to the best images, bring your files into your editing software (I am still a diehard Photoshop guy) and crank out the images. The best thing about corporate events is that for the most part everything should be consistent and can be batch processed out in no time. From here, deliver your files, unless a disc is requested, we deliver everything via our PhotoShelter page online.

Special Event Photography may not be the most fulfilling form of photography in the world, but when it comes time to pay the bills, you will be glad that you learned how to execute the photography aspect of them. There are always events going on and opportunities to find work, just remember to dress the part, get photos before the event as well as during it, not over shoot, be in and out of groups and to edit hard with a quick turnaround to keep clients happy.