Awards Event Photography

On occasion, I step out of the portrait and corporate headshot space to take photos at upscale events. Awards event photography is always an exciting experience. It’s professional and the decor is amazing! I get the opportunity to meet and photograph people who are at the height of their careers and making waves in their industries. 

It’s also more of a challenge than shooting headshots. The environment is far less controlled. The lighting is often much less bright, and there’s a good mix of people posing for photos and those that are taken on the fly. 

Three of my favourite events this year were the Emerging Payments Awards, the Pearson National Teaching Awards, and the Design & Architecture Awards. 

Emerging Payments Awards 

I had the privilege of photographing the Emerging Payments Awards. It was extremely well attended, with more than 700 of the attendees being highly qualified senior executives in the industry. 

This is a prestigious event, in which the cream of the crop in the UK payments industry are commended for their work. Not only are awards presented, but there’s a vibrant after party that affords attendees the opportunity to network with other big names in their industry. 

I was lucky enough to spy on the awards ceremony and be able to witness the top business people in the industry be praised for their contributions. Every moment of the 8-hour event was interesting and made for wonderful photos! 

The auditorium in which the speeches and awards were presented was decked out in black and gold – a challenge to get photographs exposed properly, but at the same time, making for excellent professional-looking photographs. 

Every attendee looked spectacular, with the men dressed in smart suits and the ladies in lovely evening dresses. Their smart attire didn’t stop them from enjoying their evening, though. Once the formalities were out of the way and the awards had been presented to the winners, it was time for the let-your-hair-down after party. 

Music, cocktails, dancing, and networking were the themes of the night. While photographing awards ceremonies is always an opportunity for professional, business-promoting photos, once the after party hits, the human side of hard-working business people comes out! 

It was a fun and interesting opportunity to view both the professional sides and the fun-loving sides of the most high-profile business people in the payments industry. 

Pearson National Teaching Awards 

I was fortunate enough to take photographs at the 2020 Pearson National Teaching Awards Celebratory Dinner, which happened in 2021. Due to the pandemic, the celebrations for the 2020 winners were somewhat delayed. 

It was a vastly different type of event to the above payments ceremony, but was just as much of a joy to photograph. For one thing, the lighting was much more camera-friendly! 

Those in the industry know this event as the “Oscars of the teaching industry”. Its purpose is to showcase, reward, and encourage teaching excellence, and to celebrate all that our teachers do for our youth, both in school and as they go into the world. 

Interestingly, Pearson announces most of the winners before the actual event, on The One Show. But the event is a chance to celebrate with them and thank them for their service. 

Proud to do my part in celebrating these amazing educators and innovators who serve our country and our youth! I won’t soon forget this awards ceremony. 

International Design & Architecture Awards 

The International Design & Architecture Awards are unique in that close to 90,000 industry professionals get to vote for the winners. The average design and architecture professional spends almost an hour considering the various nominees! So you know that the best of the best were the well-deserved recipients of these awards. 

Many of the highest-flying professionals in the industry attended the awards ceremony, dressed to the nines. Nominees covet the awards at this prestigious event, because their very own peers choose them. 

After the awards ceremony, an upmarket after party allowed the attendees to relax and have some fun. All in all, I loved photographing this event as it really showed the best of both worlds! The professional, smart side of these highly-qualified professionals. And the casual, fun side that makes for much more fun photos. This is one of the exciting things about awards event photography! 

Conclusion 

Awards event photography isn’t just something that can be done with a smartphone and a selfie stick! It requires an eye for events such as these. It also needs a professional who understands how to make the best of the lighting, the atmosphere, and the bustle. 

Looking for a photographer for your upcoming awards event? Feel free to get in touch. I’d love to help you capture all the important moments. It’s also important to catch those great memories that happen when everyone relaxes and has fun together! Your business will benefit from this type of photography too.