How to… write a conference photography brief
On stage discussions
Audience participation
Planning a conference and want to ensure you get amazing photos that truly capture the event? You're in the right place! A well-written photography brief is your secret weapon for getting exactly the images you need – and often some delightful surprises too.
Think of your brief as a roadmap for your photographer. The clearer and more detailed you are upfront, the smoother everything will run on the day, and the better your final images will be. Don't worry if you've never written one before – I've broken it down into simple, manageable steps that will have you creating a professional brief in no time.
Let's dive in and get your conference photography sorted!
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Start with a simplified running order and clearly outline the essential details. This is a great start for the photographer to get a feel of the whole occasion. You can include the adverts for the conference and then set out plainly the four ‘W’s.
Example Format:
Who: The International Association of Widgets…
What: …is hosting the 10th Global Widget Manufacturers Innovations and Trends Symposium
Where: at the Grand Ritzy Hotel, Singapore
When: Monday 6 June - Thursday 9 June 2028
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Write a list of the pictures you expect to receive in chronological order. Or more easily, this could just be a few lines added onto the simplified running order. The photographer will know to capture everything that happens on stage but also to shoot around the brief (eg. audience engagement - unexpected humorous offstage event) so you don’t need to detail everything. Your chosen professional photographer will fulfil the brief and should also surprise you with all the other details that happen during the conference.
Key Points:
List pictures you expect to receive in chronological order
Your photographer will capture stage events plus additional candid moments
Include audience engagement and unexpected moments
Professional photographers will fulfill the brief and surprise you with additional detail shots
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Highlight specific times when the photographer needs to take control of the situation.
Example:
13:30 - Speaker A finishes
13:35 - Portrait of all speakers in main hotel lobby
13:40 - Lunch networking break begins
Already in that line there is what, where and when it starts and finishes. This can then be discussed in your pre-conference meeting to work out the logistics ahead of time, so everything runs smoothly on the day.
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Share your organisations brand guidelines (if you have one) and list your main uses of the images you expect to receive. Here are some examples:
Common Requirements:
we are looking to showcase our members/ customers and the celebratory atmosphere of the networking breaks.
we need good stock imagery to use across all our marketing channels and also want to use this conference to create a library of quality generic images.
we need a portrait of each of the speakers/ our new CEO looking to camera on our branded step and repeat board.
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On the day the conference starts, your professional photographer will know exactly what they are doing and will quietly, expertly get on with it. They should pass from your lengthy ‘to do’ list to the ‘done’ pile!