The Quirky World Corporate Events
Corporate Events: the Quirky World of In-Person Meetings
Corporate events can mean many things, but if it lasts for 4 days there is a good chance most options will be covered.
Well, actually I did not have to do 80 odd portraits with full lighting and backdrop this time…
So, I was contacted by a Madrid based ( Nanook Agency )agency regarding this job.
The event took place at Sofitel Clipper Hotel in Poble Nou.
The Client was JTI (Japan Tobacco International) . I had to look that up and realised I could have asked for more when I saw how big they were! The meat of the job was photographing various speakers explaining the ins and outs of production at various sites around the world.
It soon became apparent that this event was one of a subset of quite a few; big companies are made up of entities with the workforce and budgets of many mid-sized companies.
But why the insistence on assembling the entire division under the same roof? Is it the magical aura of fluorescent lighting? Or the enchanting aroma of decent coffee and pastries wafting through the air?
Well, maybe… The stated purpose of the event was to get everyone up to speed on various production issues but also to allow people who have never met or at least not since pre-Covid to finally connect again and hopefully make everything more efficient and cooperative, the hope that proximity will somehow infuse everyone with a burst of creativity, like osmosis for jaded souls…
It is still true people like to meet people, and stay in touch beyond the zoom screen; humans are creatures of habit, and the trust of the handshake and the face-to-face meeting still matter.
Technical matters.
My preferred lighting set-up for events like these is to use at least 2 flashlights off-axis. never rely on the house lighting!
I like one light to be almost parallel to whatever the screen is and the other around 45 degrees. this gives flexibility and some drama. the parallel light can mimic light from the screens and so get gelled accordingly, the other is meant to be more natural.
Any ambient light can be added to the mix if needed.
After all this is sorted out one can range freely with a good quality fast telephoto zoom.
The thing I like about this set-up is the ability to position yourself concerning the lights to get some interesting effects. If you can get the subject between you and the light there are some quite fun and rather theatrical shoots to be had, especially if the person has the right kind of hair, these shoots should be obvious in the selection below.
