14 Tested Launch Events Photography tips
How to Get the right Photos of your Launch event to promote your business
Events photography is quite a specialised field, and covering a launch event requires some experience and knowledge about the right images . After all, whether you are launching a new product, new look or new everything, you want the world to know about it right? The key is having the right imagery that communicates the right look and feel of your launch so that you can use this on your platforms such as social media and your website. Images are priceless in this regard, and the saying a picture is worth 1000 words definitely rings true here.
I will be using the example below with Out and About, who relaunched their restaurant. This is how we managed to do this successfully, along with great guidance from Samantha at SC Marketing Partners. Out and About chose to relaunch their restaurant. It includes a massive play area for children and serves great pub-style food accompanied by any kind of beverage.
They chose Mandela Day to relaunch as this is a significant day in South Africa, and they cleverly incorporated a drop-off point for their Mandela Day 67 minutes, collecting food for an animal shelter. This way people could come and drop off their donation and then head into the venue for a drink or just to check it out, or meet there with friends and family and let the kids play a little. Check out the blog post below for our events photography tips from this event!
- Preplanning for launch events photography
- capturing the launch event
- conclusion
Pre-Planning for events photography
To have a successful launch event, pre-planning and communication with your photographer are key. Here are some of the things you need to do before your launch event to make sure you get the best images from the events photography.
pre planning for Launch events photography
- Define the purpose of your launch event – what do you want to achieve? What exactly are you promoting? Be sure that this is clearly communicated with your event photographer.
- Create a shot list that is in line with the above goal – use key moments you want to be captured, detail shots, and any extras. Try not to be too literal or exact with this, as it can also be counter productive for an event photographer. Use this more as a guideline to let them know what you want photographed.
- Meet with the photographer, preferably at the venue – they may have insight on lighting, where certain things can happen with the best backgrounds etc.
- Try to be flexible and remember the event photographer has (hopefully) photographed many events before so they will definitely have some insight into what may work best. But at the end of the day they should follow your lead and instructions.
- Have back up plans in place in case things go wrong, such as unexpected rainy weather for an outdoor event
- Include other significant moments in your shot list like the one above – as this event was planned on Mandela Day there were donations brought in for a local animal shelter – this is a newsworthy image and can also be used on social media later to boost engagement.
Capturing the Launch event
After all the planning, the event is finally here. Now its time to really capture the key event photography moments. Heres what you need to focus on and keep checking with your photographer
Capturing the Launch event
- On the day of the event ask them to be there a little early so you can regroup , communicate any last minute changes , and give a rundown of the timeline for the day. It also gives the event photographer an opportunity to capture an overview of the event area before it starts, such as decor, the venue etc.
- Ensure key moments are captured, such as speeches, awards, or engagement with the audience.
- Focus on fun energetic moments that bring the events photography to life. In this case it was children playing , cheers moments with drinks etc.
- Also, ensure the event photographer is aware of key people that need to be photographed, such as owners, managers, staff members or sponsors.
- Focus on Branding – get the photographer to include branding in the photos as much as possible – after all this is all about promoting your brand, product or business, so the more imagery you can have around this the better.
- Don’t forget the details – the product you are selling! In this case, the food and drinks are the main product of the restaurant, so of course you naturally need to try and get a few photos of this, but bear in mind these are more in-the-moment photos and not professional food photo shots – this requires a separate session. We did this as well for out and about – you can see their food photography here
- Last but not least Be clear with people entering your event that this is a public event and a photographer will be present, capturing events photography for your social media, website etc. It would be a shame to capture amazing moments like this and not be able to use them.
- Ideally there should be forms signed from parents where children are involved, so have a staff member approach some parents and ask them if this is ok. If a parent does not want their child or themselves photographed then respect their decision. But generally having a clear sign at the doorway is enough to prepare people that this will be happening and they will be more receptive to it.
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Final Thoughts
In conclusion, to get the most out of your launch events photography, pre-planning and good communication with your photographer are really key. Have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the events photography. If there are bonus pictures you can use data later date for social media or marketing that’s great, but having a clear goal from the beginning will send a stronger message about your launch.
I hope you have found these events photography tips helpful. Be sure to contact us for your next event photoshoot in Utrecht, the Netherlands, or in South Africa! We really look forward to planning an amazing launch event with you and we are excited to help you bring your brand, product or business to life!