What Does Outstanding Event Photography look like?

Photographing the FeRFA Awards 2025

This case study explores how a trusted and skilled event photographer approaches capturing two standout entertainers and the event host. By focusing on one element of an awards evening, it highlights what thoughtful, high quality event photography looks like in practice.

What is Good Event Photography?

For me as an event photographer, the challenge and purpose is shooting atmosphere, movement, fleeting interactions and shaping them into a cohesive visual narrative that feels vibrant and elevates the event beyond simple documentation.

It’s essential to weave the FeRFA brand and the evening’s sponsors into the story. A successful event is the product of months of planning, coordination and design. Everything from stage lighting and AV to menu choices and table styling contributes to the overall experience, and great photography should honour that investment.

This journal entry reflects on how I approached capturing entertainers and the visual cues I look for when photographing this element of an awards evening

Performance, Personality and Presence

This year’s entertainment featured two standout performers:

• Lee – a vocalist who channels the timeless charisma of the 1950s Rat Pack era. Classy, nostalgic and upbeat, he set a wonderful tone for the evening.
• Shaun Williamson – better known to many as Barry from EastEnders, who brought sharp wit, high energy and crowd-winning humour, along with some rip-roaring songs that had guests singing and dancing along.

It's not enough just to photograph the performances on stage, it's the reactions and interactions, the electricity in the room, the human moments that make an event like this memorable.

The emotion a performer evokes, not just the moment they deliver.

Working With Light, Movement, and Emotion

Awards evenings, however, are notoriously challenging environments: low light, fast movement, mixed colour temperatures, deep shadows… the works.

This is where technical competence, visual literacy and intention combine:

• Subject-led composition
• Precise control of light, even when the lighting setup isn’t mine
• Clean, coherent visual storytelling
• Timing that captures expression, connection and presence

Great event images don’t happen by accident they’re built through deliberate choices.
It’s about balancing every element in the room performers, stage lighting, audience reactions, brand presence and weaving them into a polished, cohesive visual story.

An event that has taken months to plan deserves photography that reflects that value. Great imagery:

• Reminds attendees what a fantastic night they had
• Shows those who weren’t able to attend what they missed
• Demonstrates to sponsors the exposure and engagement their support generated
• Validates the organisers’ hard work and reinforces their success

Swipe to view a selection of highlights that capture the spirit of the event.

Why This Matters for Brands

High-production, narrative driven event imagery helps brands relive and repurpose their event long after the night is over.

Strong event photography does more than show who was in the room.

It communicates:

• Professionalism
• Brand values
• Atmosphere and culture
• Community and engagement
• Pride in the experience delivered

When executed well, it elevates the perception of the event — and by extension, the organisation behind it.

This is the standard I aim for in all my event work:

Images that are not just good, but purposeful, expressive and crafted with intent.

Explore More

If you’d like to see how I approach event storytelling across different industries and event styles, you can explore more here:

👉 View my Event Photography Portfolio
👉 Event Photography Services