Event Photography Tips: Putting It All Together to Maximize Your Coverage!

I hope you find these event photography tips helpful. They are based on over 10 years of professional experience as a leading event photographer in Los Angeles. These event photography tips and tricks have mostly been developed through practice and developing habits, but I also spend a great deal of time working on my craft. I am always trying to improve my event photography and I hope these help you do the same!

My Conclusions on how to Maximize Your Event Photography Coverage.

Connecting the dots, you can see how all of these tips are used in unison: By staying present, reading the room, and following the energy, I am able to gravitate toward areas of an event in which lots of action is going to happen. By reading people’s eyes, I am able to predict who is about to smile and pre visualize my shot as I move into position, all while pre selecting my autofocus point before the camera hits my eye. By shooting with two eyes open, I am able to time my shot and already know where my next shot is going to be… then I repeat. I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can improve my event photography. It is important to me to always stay engaged with my craft and never settle. This has allowed me to constantly improve at event photography and I hope my tips help you on your own journey.

Event Photography Tip #1 Pre Select Your Focal Point.

When capturing a moment as an event photographer, rather than waiting for the viewfinder to reach your eye, consider where the point of focus will be in your composition and use your controller to set it. With practice this becomes intuitive. Keep in mind, that with evolving technology, this tip may become less or even irrelevant. Sony's eye AF, is a good example of technology that may replace the skill of pre-selecting your autofocus point. Also, as I am currently experimenting with new cameras, I want to mention that the delay in which the viewfinder activates in mirrorless cameras has been a challenge for me, in some cases preventing me from pre-selecting my focus point before looking through the viewfinder.

Event Photography Tip #2 Photograph With Both Eyes.

While one eye frames the shot, use your other eye to monitor the action. This technique improves your timing and you’re able to monitor the space while still framing a potential image. When covering an event, the goal should be to both get as much coverage as possible, but also to make sure each image is a quality one.

Event Photography Tip #3 Read the Room. Follow the Energy.

This is not hocus-pocus. Do not overthink it. Whether at an event or anywhere for that matter, there is always energy. There are plenty of auditory cues that give away where the energy is but there may be things that give it away that you are not even conscious of.

Event Photography Tip #4. Predict Smiles.

Have you learned to follow the energy? Good. Now it's time to predict a smile. watch the eyes and anticipate the pause- that is when you should be making your photograph. Of all my tips, I think your ability to implement this one may largely come down to personality traits. Not everyone will have as easy of a time predicting a smile. I do think that with practice, anyone can improve, but this is a skill highly determined by one's empathy.

Event Photography Tip #5. Time Your Shot Ahead of the Peak of Action.

You have a delay. Your motor skills have a delay. Your camera has a delay. Because of this, it is essential that you time your shot right before the peak of action. This is a tricky one. Of course shooting a burst of shots with a camera with a high FPS would help, but if your goal is to improve on your skills as an event photographer, it’s well worth it to practice this.

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Do These Things Before, During, and After an Event (Event Photography Checklist)

I made this checklist to clearly define everything you should do as an event photographer, before, during, and after an event. If you’re a new event photographer, this will clearly define your objectives as an event photographer and clearly define what needs to be done. I also hope it will ease any anxiety you may have over shooting your first event. If you’re a more advanced event photographer, having a checklist can ensure you simply don’t miss anything- we all make mistakes or forget things time to time.

View a printable checklist by clicking here or view it below.

The Day Before

Research

• Check out company website

• Get a copy of the program

Prep Gear 

• Select Camera Body(s)

• Select Lenses

  • Wide

  • Medium

  • Telephoto

• Primary flash

• Backup flash

• Inspect and clean gear

• Charge or replace batteries

  • Camera(s)

  • Flash(s)

  • Other

• Select memory Cards

  • Insert and format 

• Something fun

Other

• Check commute and double the time necessary to arrive on time

Day of Event

Venue

• Identify safe location to stow gear 

• Scout 

• Ask about site specific rules

• Identify escape routes

Client

• Get agenda / schedule of events

• Get specific requests 

  • VIPs

  • Necessary Shots

Shot Types

• Establishing Shots

• Candid interactions

• Close Candids (emotional moments)

• Group Shots and formals

• Posed and creative portraits

• Detail Shots

Post Event

Lightroom

• Add metadata

  • Job type i.e. corporate event, private event

  • Location / venue

  • Client name

  • VIP names

• Select favorites

  • Blog

  • Portfolio

  • Social media

• Export files to full resolution folder

• Export files sized for social media

• Export favorites to separate folder (google drive recommended) 

• Deliver images

Marketing

• Add client to mailchimp list

• Follow up with client 1 week after delivery of images

Event photography with a 50mm Lens

In this video, I answer the commonly googled phrase: “Event Photography with a 50mm Lens.

Can you use a 50mm lens to shoot events?

The short answer is yes, of course. It is important to remember that there are no “correct” lenses to use when shooting an event. On my Youtube channel and this blog, I have repeatedly said that you only need two lenses to get the job done as an event photographer: that would be a 24-70mm lens and a 70-200mm lens. Sure, you will probably want something wider than 24mm to round off your kit, bu you would most likely be able to make do. So why bother with a 50mm lens? Read on…

Why would you use a 50mm at events?

Using a 50mm lens at an event does have advantages.

First lets talk about the purely technical and most obvious:

While a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm lens would cover your bases in regards to focal length, or field of view, they are not going to be as effective in low light as a prime lens would be. In general, those lenses tend to max out at an aperture of f2.8, with few exceptions. Meanwhile, prime lenses (even of the most affordable varieties) tend to max out at at-least f1.8. This improvement in low light gathering ability can make a significant difference when shooting in especially low light.

Why else might you choose to shoot an event with a 50mm lens?

First, in most cases, using a 50mm lens is going to result in a much lighter kit. There are several advantages to this, not just that you won’t get fatigued. Personally, I enjoy the lighter (and smaller) kit when I’m working through tight crowds. I find that I am personally able to maneuver better and when I poke my lens through tight crowds, like when I shoot over someone’s shoulder, I am significantly less intrusive.

Second, I enjoy using a fixed focal length because I know exactly what my field of view is before I raise my camera to my eye. Through repetition, I have learned to see in focal lengths, which means I know exactly how many feet forward or backward I need to take to get the shot I am pre visualizing.

Third, a 50mm focal length is considered “normal.” What this means is that it approximately represents the field of view of the human. There is some debate on how accurate this statement is, but what is not debatable is that a 50mm lens does not have distortion- either barrel or pin cushion.

Can you photograph an event with just a 50mm lens?

Of course you can shoot an event with just a 50mm lens, but I would not necessarily recommend it. It will all depend on the demands of the job. If, for example, you need to photograph a speaker on stage, you simply just might not have the reach with a 50mm lens to do so. However, if you are photographing a party as a roaming photographer, with plenty of space to work in, it might be sufficient. Personally, I plan on experimenting with this in the future and sharing my results. Stay tuned!

Do I use a 50mm lens when shooting events?

Currently, I use a 50mm lens to shoot my events, but in a limited way. As I shared in the above video, I have a Canon RF 1.2 lens, but do not have a body to shoot it on. I do however from time to time adapt vintage lenses to my Canon 5diii. I mostly use a Pentax 50mm SMC 1.2, which I absolutely love. It’s full of character, has a wide maximum aperture, and has a special way of rendering color (warm and earth toned). However, being a manually focussed lens, it’s quite difficult to use. I love the challenge, but I look forward to being able to use a more functional 50mm lens for my event work.

A few personal thoughts on using a 50mm lens at events.

Early in my career, I learned to love the look of tightly framed shots of people, with a telephoto lens, at a maximum aperture. It is a look long associated with professional photography. But while I like it, I do think it can easily be over done.

The TV show Lost comes to mind: I used to find its use of long lenses and tightly framed shots to be an indication of a higher production value than what was normal for the time. But now, I actually find it quite disorienting. Shots like these lend themselves to what is a very human story, but at times this is done at the expense of offering any real sense of space when not balanced with a wider field of view. But even when Lost does widen its field of view, it is usually done by backing up further with a long lens, still resulting in a compressed look. By the way, I also think this is done to hide the fact that locations are often being reused.

These days I favor a more “natural” look with my photography. I find that a 50mm lens with its well balanced field of view and lack of distortion does the trick.

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Event Photography Tips on Buying Gear from a Los Angeles Event Photographer

Aspiring event photographers,

Making a full time living as an event photographer is not easy. When I started out as an event photographer in Los Angeles, there wasn’t really a template to follow. That’s why I share as much knowledge as possible via my blog and Youtube channel. My hope is that this sort of content will ease your anxiety and make your journey easier.

I hope you enjoy this video on buying gear for event photography.

Buying Camera Bodies for Event Photography

When you decide to go pro at event photography you are starting a business. You have to remember that camera bodies are depreciating assets and the cost of constantly upgrading them means you are making less money. Additionally, If you are still early in the learning phase, by the time you know the ins and outs of your very expensive camera, it will have depreciated significantly in value and there will be better options out there with more modern technology.

My advice to event photographers just starting out would be to buy last generation’s model of whatever camera you’re interested in, whether new or used. Cameras experience most of their depreciation right away followed by a very large reduction in price once a new version comes out. After that they somewhat level off again. You can save a significant amount of money by buying old models once the new ones come out. Once in a while new camera models significantly improve upon the last model’s tech, but these days a generation old camera is still a very capable camera. I follow an “every other” upgrade cycle which has suited me well. I personally still use a Canon 5d iii as my main camera and its nearly 8 years old! It’s almost hard to believe it has been that long.

Use the money you save to start building your lens collection. Remember lenses make images more so than cameras. Additionally, unlike cameras, lenses hardly depreciate in value.

Which Professional Lenses You Should Buy First for Event Photography

Your first goal should be to cover all necessary focal lengths. This can be done with two lenses. The first lens you should buy is a 24-70mm lens. This lens will give you a somewhat wide to somewhat zoomed in field of view. Most events could be shot entirely with this lens. It’s great for candids, portraits, group shots, detail shots, and even somewhat wide establishing shots.

The second lens I recommend buying is a 70-200mm. These focal lengths are essential for a lot of different types of event photography from varying sports, conferences and anytime you need more reach with your lens.

Please note that when shooting with those lenses on a cropped frame camera body, those focal lengths will have the field of view of a 36-105 and 105-300 and may not be as suitable if you need a very wide field of view.

Once you have your main focal lengths covered with a 24-70mm and 70-200mm lens, the next lens I recommend getting would be on the wide end. I personally use a 17-40mm f4 lens when I need to get wider than 24mm. Canon also makes a superior 16-35mm lens, but for how I use a wide lens, its just not necessary. I am typically photographing larger groups or wide “establishing shots” which require a deeper depth of filed than f2.8 would offer to properly get everyone or most things in focus. When making lens choices, remember that you're building a photography business and therefore it is helpful to think of purchases as business expenses in which cost vs benefit should be weighed. I estimate that my 17-40mm lens is on my camera less than 5% of the time at most. It is still a necessary lens for what I do, but not worth upgrading. I used to have a fisheye lens. Take a guess how often I used that and why I sold it.

Buying Memory Cards

You can save money by not buying memory cards with larger storage capacities. Two 32 gig cards for example typically cost far less than one 64 gig card. But be sure to buy quality memory cards with fast read / write speeds. Do the research and make sure to buy the fastest memory cards recommended for your camera by it’s manufacturer. This will make a difference. Buying higher specced cards than what’s recommended may not make a difference. It would be like putting premium gas in a car not designed for it. I also recommend buying fast cards for their upload speeds. This will shorten your editing process.

Buying a Flash

When I started as a photographer there was no viable alternative to a Canon branded flash. It was essentially a two horse race then, with Nikon as Canon’s only competition. But since then, off brand manufacturers have closed the gap in the quality of their flashes for a fraction of the cost. Canon’s latest flagship flash the 600EX II-RT goes for $579 at full price. Meanwhile the Yongnuo YN600 RT-II comes in at $121. It’s essentially a Canon clone (It’s even named similarly. Don’t ask me how that’s legal), and costs less than a fourth the price.

Personally, I own two Canon flashes, but would not have a problem with purchasing a third party flash as another backup at some point.

How a Los Angeles Event Photographer Uses Composition to Enhance His Candids

Tips on Composition to Enhance Your Candids

Into

Composition can amplify what you feel about the subject matter or invoke a reaction all on its own. Today I’m going to share with you 5 tips on composition to enhance your candids. These are all tips I use as a candid event photographer in Los Angeles as well as in my street photography.

#1 Use a Dutch Angle.

The dutch angle, also known as a dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle is when the horizontal or vertical lines of an image are tilted. In cinema, it is often used to convey anxiety, tension, or things gone awry, but incorporating a dutch angle into your candid photography you can give the viewer a sense that it was captured in the spur of the moment.

The Dutch angle is an effective tool for enhancing the candid feel of a moment, but should be used sparingly. Especially in a collection of images in which its strength lies in it being an outlier, not a norm

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Fun Fact:

The Dutch angle coinage does not refer to holland. It is fact a reference to early German, or rather “Deutch” expressionist filmmakers.

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#2 Shoot Through things to Frame Your Subject 

When it comes to photographic composition, framing is most often used to draw your eye in toward your subject. But when shooting through things it has the added effect of conveying a shot was made in the spur of the moment or that the photographer was somewhat removed from the moment like a fly on the wall. From my point of view, this has become an increasingly popular technique used by event photographers. I have also begun to see this more commonly used by photojournalists: Think of photographs of campaign rallies in which the photographer shoots through a crowd of people and political signs to get a photograph of a politician on stage.

#3 Use a Tilt Shot to Shoot from Extreme High and Low Angles.

Shooting from high or low angles not only offer varied perspectives but also convey different meaning. 

Images made from below convey importance, prominence, power. Try shooting from below when photographing a powerful politician, a local hero, or anyone you want to portray as strong, etc. Personally, I often choose to photograph the downtrodden and disenfranchised this way as a way of dignifying them.

Images made from above tend to evoke opposite feelings about a subject than shooting from below. Shooting from above can convey a sense of powerlessness, weakness, etc. You can use this technique to highlight the downtrodden or perhaps even as a way to visually dis-empower someone whom has plenty of it. The choice is yours. As my lab instructor in college used to tell me, “you’re the artist.”

Carefully consider how you use these angles. Yes, they can be used to just offer something different, but when used effectively they can amplify the feelings already conveyed in the subject matter.

Sometimes I’ll sit on my skateboard in busy places and go unnoticed. I especially enjoy photographing candid moments that look like they could have been posed. 

#4 Don’t Be so Clinical with Your Composition.   

Rules of composition are excellent tools for creating visual interest and drawing viewers draw your subject matter. But sometimes when several rules of composition are utilized at once, your composition can feel a bit too on the nose. This feels clinical and has the potential to feel contrived or lifeless- not candid.

I recommend experimenting with shooting a bit looser. Try adhering to fewer rules, or make sure the rules you do follow are less obvious.

You can argue that well balanced visual elements underpin the foundation of a strong composition. For example, in a composition using the rule of thirds, the subject matter occupying one third of the frame is balanced out by the two thirds of less important real estate.

Balanced elements should not be confused with symmetry: if, for example,  you have an object of a specific size on one side of the frame you mustn’t have one on the other.  We are not looking for equally sized objects or like colors to achieve balance. Rather, we are looking at the overall visual weight of things. Certain colors and shades will draw your eye in different ways. Something small but of more importance such as a person can be balanced out by something much larger but less important.

I admit the idea of visual weight can sound a bit murky. 

But Try this:

One way to see how things are visually weighed is to defocus your eyes. See where your eye is drawn without the distraction of textures and subject matter.

#5 Be Unconventional. Break the Rules.

There are traditional ways to frame formal portraits whether candid or not. These traditions are in part formed by adhering to specific rules of composition such as the rule of thirds. But beyond rules of composition, we are used to a visual language developed by over a century of image making.  

Experiment with breaking these norms. Try unusual cropping or usage of rules. Instead of having leading lines lead toward your subject, have them lead away. Subjects tend to look inward in a frame. Try having them look outside the frame and see how it makes you feel. 

If you are looking for an example of how to effectively break rules, one of my favorite examples is Mr Robot. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

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Thank you all for your support, I truly hope this helps you on your photographic journey. And as always I look forward to your comments below! 

Event Photography Tips and Tricks (6 Shot Types)

Below is a List of your Main Shot Types when Shooting an Event

As an event Photographer in Los Angeles, I use all of these shot types in my work.

Establishing shots:

You do not need many of these. A few wide shots are essential to give a sense of place and establish scale at an event. I will typically shoot these at 17mm with my 17-40mm lens. I try to get a shot from several different perspectives. Shots like these can be each corner of a banquet hall, a wide shot of a crowd from

Close Candids:

These are the shots that really capture the emotional high points of an event. They can be shot in a variety of ways, but usually with a telephoto lens and a shallow depth of field in order to focus the viewers reaction on the emotion of the shot.

Candid Interactions:

Similar to close candids, candid interactions but provide context to the moment you are highlighting. In other words you can see the person or persons the subject is interacting with. You will typically want to stop down your aperture a bit for these to allow each of your subjects to be in focus.

Posed Photos:

Sometimes you will shoot posed portraits of an individual, but most of the time posed portraits are of groups of two or more. These are simple to do. Anytime you see a small group conversing, approach them with a smile and simply ask, “hey can I get a shot of you guys?” These should be shot at narrow enough apertures to capture everyone in focus. F2.8 or lower can work depending on distance, focal length, and how similarly distanced they are to you, but a rule of thumb I use is to shoot at f4 or higher to capture groups of three or more. I usually do not feel the need to go any higher unless the group is somewhat staggered in distance from me.

Portraits:

These can be a professional headshot or something more artistic. Once in a while, you may be asked to shoot one of a notable speaker or such. But usually, I’m shooting these for myself. It gives me an opportunity to work more intimately with someone, get creative in a different way than I spend most of my time shooting, and a fun way to build a portfolio.

Detail Shots:

There are many ways to shoot detail shots. I have shot these with a 24-70mm lens, 70-200mm lens, 50mm vintage lenses, 135mm lens and more. These shots will compliment your wider establishing shots to tell a story. Details matter at an event; Organizers put in a lot of work to produce an event of any size with many details to show for it. When photographing an event put on to showcase a product, the product should be your focus. That said, be sure to get shots of attendees interacting with the product. You should always discuss what your client is looking for, but this will most likely be it. Although a photographer’s job is in part to capture details, their focus should typically be on capturing defining moments. These moments tell a story and evoke a feeling regardless of the type of event. Every photograph delivered should be about something. It can be about an emotion, someone’s reaction, or an interaction between people, but there should be meaning behind each image. These highlights offer a window into what it was like to be there. Always shoot with intention and never raise your camera to your eye just to snap a shot. Event organizers and marketers do not need thousands of lousy images, they need photographs they can actually use. At private events people want emotion filled images that bring them back to a moment. Capturing the height of an expression can be a ringing reminder of exactly how they felt in that moment.

I have been a professional event photographer and photography instructor in Los Angeles for over 10 years. Click on the button below to see my event photography work.

Why I Bring a Film Camera to Every Event Photography Job I Shoot in Los Angeles

Having been an event photographer for over a decade, I am constantly looking for new ways to stay engaged with my craft. I mean this in a good way, but making images at an event with my digital cameras has become routine. My cameras are like extension of my body and once you put one in my hand, I completely zone into a meditative, creative space: I begin to move and think in certain ways with a fluid precision that can only be developed by thousands of hours spent developing habits. So what’s wrong with that? Well, nothing actually. This is ultimately where you want to be as a professional photographer. You want to be at a point in which you are no longer thinking about photography at a conscious level so that you are able to seamlessly document moment to moment without any hiccups over technical issues or the equipment you are using.

Familiarity with my craft is a great thing. But I know routine can prevent me from finding new ways to push my creativity, enhance my skill level, and find new ways of doing things. It is important for me to always consider new ways of make images. Sometimes this is for the benefit of my craft or skill. Other times it is simply to stay engaged with my work by infusing some extra fun into it.

For me, shooting film achieves all of this. Theres something extremely satisfying about manually operating a camera to do things modern cameras automate. This manual process forces me to consciously think about making images again. Because I use so many vintage cameras, my relative lack of familiarity with them in comparison to my usual work tools, forces me to stop and think. The limited number of shots I get on a roll forces me to more seriously consider if its worth pressing the shutter. When shooting digital, I always shoot with intention. But there is something about knowing you have a finite number of shots on a roll of film that enhances that. The stakes are raised and its thrilling.

With digital files, the tedious part of the job begins once the shooting ends. Culling and editing digital files is a lot of work. Because I strive to make meaningful images at an event, most of my images are keepers. But that said, I want to deliver the best to my clients which means painstakingly editing down the images I deliver.

But with film, it is almost as if the fun begins once I get home. A skilled photographer does not need to have a digital screen to know their images came out. The more you understand photography, which includes understanding how the camera sees in comparison to your human eyes, the less mystery there is in how your images are going to turn out. But with film you never really know until you see them with your own eyes. Every step of the hands on development process I do at home is filled with anticipation and focus. Like the first time I developed a roll of film, there is something magical about the first time I see my images. I have found this delayed gratification incredibly rewarding. What I once bemoaned about the process of photography, I now enjoy. And for me this very process has reinvigorated my passion for professional photography.

you can hear more of my thoughts in the video below!

Photographing Jamie Lee Curtis and Bernie Sanders with My Rolleiflex (Event Photography)

When not photographing events in Los Angeles, I can be found photographing the streets of Los Angeles. Click on the button below to see some of that work.

Los Angeles Event Photography: Shooting Detail Shots with a 400mm Lens

If you’ve been reading my event photography blog or following my Youtube channel on event photography, you probably know how important I believe it is to stay engaged with your craft, and to try new things in order to keep things interesting and avoid burnout. At a recent event in Malibu California, I did just that.

Using my Canon m50, a vintage 400 millimeter lens as well as a Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens and a Canon FD 50mmm macro lens, I decided to challenge myself to not only use vintage, manual focus lenses to make interesting detail shots, but to also to also use a Canon m50, a non professional grade camera.

As always, I showed up to my job early- very early. This allowed me to get all of my “safe” detail shots, with plenty of time to experiment after.

I use a variety of lenses when shooting detail shots, but usually I use the Canon 24-70mm f2.8, Canon 135mm f2, and the Canon 85mm 1.8. Like I said, I shoot “safe” first and only use available light or a single strobe. In this case, there was plenty of beautiful diffused light to work with.

After getting all the safe shots, first I switched over to the Canon FD 50mm Macro. This has been an incredibly fun lens for me to use. I don’t actually own a modern macro lens. Honestly, as an event photographer, I don’t really need to. But I have found that it has allowed me to really open up my mind to new possibilities when it comes to shooting detail shots: the ability to get really close allowed me to shoot details of the details, which I quite enjoyed. A quick note: you do not need to shoot close up with a macro lens. They can of course be used as a regular old lens if you choose.

Next I decided to try using my Minolta mount 400mm telephoto lens. Adjusting for the Canon M50’s crop, this is a 600mm lens… without image stabilization. Because of this, and my desire to shoot wide open, I found it an incredibly difficult lens to pull focus with. But when I was able to pull it off, it definitely created a unique look due to its compression.

Lastly, I shot with an old school Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens. I love this lens. In all honesty it’s not super sharp wide open, but I honestly don’t mind it. I love making images that have a unique look. I’m not one for arbitrarily stylizing my images just to make them look different, but using vintage lenses to get a different look works for me.

Interested in seeing some vintage glass compared?

Comparing Vintage Lenses on the Canon M50

I have been a professional Los Angeles event photographer and photography instructor for over 10 years. Follow the links below to see my work and be sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube for more videos

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Advanced Event Photography Tips You've Never Heard

Below are 5 of my most advanced event photography tips. I have developed these tips and methods for over 10 years, shooting events in Los Angeles. I hope they help you on your own journey as an event photographer.

#1 Pre-select your focal point for a faster shooting experience at events.

Use your focus point controller to pre-select where your point of focus will be prior to the viewfinder reaching your eye. Keep in mind that this will require you to first develop the ability to first pre-visualize your composition prior to looking through your viewfinder. With practice this becomes intuitive. I learned this tips through repetition, after shooting hundreds of events in Los Angeles. With time, you will find yourself automatically adjusting your focus point while lifting the camera to your eye.

Although Prime lenses can be seen as less versatile for event photography, their set field of view actually makes pre-visualizing your composition easier. In time, prime lenses can be used nearly as effectively as zoom lenses. With practice you will intuitively know how many steps forward or backward you need to take in order to match the pre-visualized image in your head, all while having their own unique benefits such as reduced weight, faster apertures, and of course that guaranteed field of view already discussed.

Update:

New technology seen in mirrorless cameras may outdate this method of shooting. As face and eye detect technology improve, setting your focus point may in part become a thing of the past.

#2 Shoot with both eyes for maximum event photography coverage.

While one eye frames your shot, use your other eye to monitor the action.
Doing so improves your timing as you’re no longer viewing what’s in front of you through the tunnel of your viewfinder. Additionally you are able to monitor the space for other potential images. This will help maximize your coverage of an event. Remember, when it comes to event photography, your goal should always be to provide more coverage, not more images for the sake of more images.

Update:

Again, this is another way of shooting that may be upended by mirrorless cameras: at this time my experience with shooting on a mirrorless camera at events is not thorough enough to make a conclusion, but I am personally concerned with how seeing reality with one eye and a digital screen with the other may make for a disjointed shooting experience.

#3 Read the room to capture more moments.

Follow the energy. This is not hocus-pocus, woo woo stuff. Do not overthink it. Follow the energy for more interesting candids.

You will find that when you are truly present: when all your senses are in tune with the chorus of noise, movement, and things we are never even conscious of, that you will find yourself moving toward where the action at an event really is… sometimes seemingly before it even happens.

A note:

When photographing an event, following the energy, and focussing on the moments, you will find that you may naturally end up with more photographs of some people than others. This is normal; some people are just the life of the party. However, it is a good idea to balance this out by trying to “even out” your coverage by doing a once over of a location here and there and just try to get a shot of every individual you may have missed.

#4 Predict smiles

Have you learned to follow the energy? Good. Now it's time to predict a smile. Following the energy will get you where you need to go, but as an event photographer, you need to be able to capture the emotional highs and defining moments of an event. One way I do this is by predicting smiles.

When someone is about to smile, you can first see it in their eyes. At events, people are usually too busy talking to smile, but in between sentences they will smile to connect with the person they are talking to. This is the moment I am waiting for and I know it’s coming by watching my subjects eyes.

#5 Time Your shot ahead of the peak of action.

Your motor skills has a delay. Your camera has a delay from the moment you press the shutter button and the moment it makes an image, albeit small. Experiment with timing your image just before the peak of action to counteract that delay. I have found that with practice that I only need one shot to do this. Shooting in continuous can in theory guarantee you capture a moment, but I have found it has made me less in tune with moment at hand and when I stay focussed and time my shot perfectly, I am able to guarantee I capture the moment better than holding onto my shutter and hoping for the best. Also, I really don’t like the process of editing down my event photography coverage when I have overshot. It is more time consuming and delivering files quickly has become increasingly important when it comes to event photography.

My event photography tips conclusion

Connecting the dots, you can see how all of these tips are used in unison:

By staying present, reading the room, and following the energy, I am able to gravitate toward areas of an event in which lots of action is going to happen. By reading people’s eyes, I am able to predict who is about to smile and pre visualize my shot as I move into position, all while pre selecting my autofocus point before the camera hits my eye. By shooting with two eyes open, I am able to time my shot and already know where my next shot is going to be… then I repeat.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can improve my event photography. It is important to me to always stay engaged with my craft and never settle. This has allowed me to constantly improve at event photography and I hope my tips help you on your own journey.

UPDATE:

Since writing this blog post, I made a new video talking about how I use my tips together, in concert as an event photographer. Check the video out below.

How to Improve Your Photography with Five Tips.

The following photography tips are based on experience I have accumulated from over 10 years of teaching photography and shooting as a professional event photographer in Los Angeles.

1. Always be Working on SOMETHING Whether You’re a Professional Photographer or an Amateur.

This can be a technique, a style, it can be shooting in low light. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT IT IS; Just always be working on something. Don't get complacent. If you’re going into a job or personal project or just doing some travel photography, go into it asking yourself: “WHAT DO I WANT TO WORK ON TODAY?” I do this in both my professional work photographing events and in my personal work as well. Recently, I have been challenging myself to shooting more film portraits while professionally photographing events. Living in Los Angeles has afforded me the opportunity to photograph both celebrities and politicians with my film cameras. Asking politicians and celebrities I work with to shoot their formal portraits has pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to work calm and quickly. Can you imagine what it was like to ask Nancy Pelosi, the person third in line to become president, to sit for me to photograph her with a vintage Rolleiflex? Not only have I grown as a photographer through this endeavor, and those like it, but the challenge has been thrilling.

2. Keep a Photography Journal.

This one layers onto the idea of always working on something. My advice: go into a job, a shoot, or project with an idea of what you want to achieve. Afterward, journal your experience- and this is important: YOU MUST DO THIS WITH KINDNESS. What does this mean? Remove your ego and do not limit yourself to what did not work. Be kind to yourself and ask, what went well and WHY? As for what went wrong, do your best to address it with in a dispassionate way.

3. Take a Class and Find a Mentor.

Everyone learns in a different way. Some people can go it alone but most cannot. It doesn't mean that they're not talented, just that that is not how they learn. A class (hopefully with hands on experience) will give structure to your learning process. Additionally it will provide you with some community.

If you’re interested in taking affordable photography classes in Los Angeles by an experienced event photographer, be sure to check out Barnsdall Art Center.

If you are learning to be a professional photographer, then the best way to learn is from a seasoned professional. Personally, I have trained several event photographers that have gone on to be excellent event photographers in their own right.

4. LOSE YOUR EGO and Get Some Feedback on Your Photography.

Try to get honest feedback from your peers and DO NOT rely on social media feedback. I swear to you, my least interesting photos are the ones that get the most likes. The images that perform the best are not necessarily your best. In the case of Instagram the images that are successful are the equivalent of junk food that gives you that blunt sugar, salt and fat fix. Good photograph is often layered and complex- not something to be observed long enough if takes to swipe.

5. GO OUT and Make Images!

How do you get good at guitar? You play guitar. How do you get good at photography? You take photos, lots of photos. Like anything, you need to practice if you expect to improve at photography. Hands on experience, in my opinion, goes so much further than anything else you do to improve your work. Yes, theory, art history, instructional videos, and such will all help you improve; But the hands on experience of making photographs is the glue that binds them together. I say this both out of common sense, but also from my experience as a photography instructor. Time and time again, it is my hands on workshops that my students say they benefit from the most.