A memory not your own - why do you need event photography?
A guest blog by events photographer Charles Jones.
We get asked why they need specialist event photographers by event organisers a lot in our line of work. Everyone at the event has a camera, don’t they? Why do you need one more photograph when the audience already took hundreds? Well, while all this is true, our team are bringing something unavailable to the attendees and the organisers. To explain I need to take you behind the scenes and give you a little insight into how we work.
All our photographers are experts in their particular areas and they use the camera as a sort of tool to extract the details of the day from the blur and white noise of the event. From the moment they arrive, they are immersed in the ebb and flow of the crowd. They orient themselves and co-ordinate to cover the arena, stage or wherever the action is taking place. From then, until the last action takes place, they are working to create a montage of the event. They are an invisible team working to capture the day.
What they are looking for is ‘the moment’
This is the fleeting point in time where the image is perfect. It is impossible to arrange and can only be captured for one fleeting instance. It’s the spray of soil raised by the hoof of a competing horse. The concentration on the face of a cheerleader as they spin through the air. The pointing of a dancer’s foot. It is the swirl of a baton catching the spotlight. It happens in the twinkling of an eye and once the moment is passed it is gone forever.
Elusive and unique the moment has vanished in time like a drop of rain into a lake and is forgotten
Only it doesn’t vanish because my team captures it. It isn’t forgotten because they snatch that moment of memory, record it perfectly and send it back for printing and making ready to take home the same day. They also preserve it so that it can be used to help market the next event by the organisers.
As I am staffing our print collection point, I often hear the chatter of the crowds as they leave. There is real drama here. Parents congratulating their children, winners or not, on their performance. Coaches already discussing the next event with their team. Excited groups of performers and athletes who are all exhausted but exhilarated and still bursting with the adrenaline of the day. There is life and emotion here.
In front of me, ready to take home, are ‘the moments’. The ones the team were working all day to get. The perfect shot that was unavailable to anyone but them and required the eye, the skill and the technique to capture that single instance that will be a memory of the day. A memory that was unavailable to the person who takes home the image. It is a memory not their own and it is perfect. Later, when it sits on window sill or hangs framed on the wall, it becomes all their pride and love distilled into that one photograph. It becomes the memory of the event.
That is why you need event photography.
Are you looking for a specialist photography service? A service from an experienced, skilled and creative photographer? One who understands the unique circumstances and requirements of every single shoot? Then Charles is your man and he is there to help. He offers you a bespoke photography service with a focus on premium quality photography supported by world-class service. He is based in the heart of England, so he can provide bespoke event photography services across the UK.
Get in touch with Charles to see how he can enhance your event - jpadcheer.co.uk
