Combining Photography & Video for a Successful Corporate Event

I recently had the opportunity to work on an exciting corporate event project involving corporate event photography and video production. The project was unique for me since I typically work with a team of media producers or an assistant. The event was held in New Jersey and lasted for three hours. The focus of the event was primarily focused on good photography, but the marketing firm also requested video segments of the event. The video footage was intended to be used as b-roll, which is video footage without sound. However, I also recorded the ambient sound, which would be helpful for a website or presentation with or without sound.

The event was structured so that each speaker was allotted ten minutes to speak. However, as is often the case with such events, some speakers took more or less time than expected. I divided each speaker's segment into smaller segments to ensure that I captured everything. Since it was not possible to capture both photography and video simultaneously, I took photographs of the speakers as they addressed the audience. I captured various shots, including wide, medium, and tighter shots. I chose this approach since my primary focus was on photography. After a few minutes, I switched to event video capture and followed the same course of action. I captured footage from different angles, including tight and wide shots. If I felt I had captured enough visuals, I went back to event photography or video, depending on which one needed more visuals.

This approach worked exceptionally well since one speaker only took a portion of their full ten-minute segment, but I had captured enough footage to cover all our needs. Through this project, I learned that this technique can be done, allowing the client to get photography and b-roll videos at a lower cost. I managed the entire event in the same room, and although a dedicated photographer and videographer would produce more visuals, I felt comfortable with how the event ran and my ability to handle it solo, capturing both the corporate event photography and video. While some expectations and events need more than one multimedia producer, this project was perfect for me to handle solo.