Through the Lens: Capturing the Essence of a Multi-Day Educational Conference and Awards Evening

Published on Wed Jan 29, 2025 by

Always great to be re-booked on an annual conference and at the end of last year I covered the Times Higher Education Awards and Conference 2024 with two days of event photography at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

The Times Higher Education (THE) Awards - widely referred to as the 'Oscars of Higher Education' - are the biggest celebration in the Higher Education calendar, attracting hundreds of fantastic entries from individuals, teams and institutions, and from all corners of the UK and Ireland. Nearly a thousand people gathered to celebrate UK higher education success stories in Birmingham, celebrating its 20th year anniversary and just the second THE Awards to be held outside London. In 2023 it was held in the ACC Conference Centre in Liverpool, and I got such great feedback about my conference photography that they booked me again. So, I was super excited to join the THE team and document such a dynamic event.

In this post I will explain the key moments of this multi-day commission and hopefully share a few insights and tips as to what it is like working as a recommended conference photographer in the UK.

Preparing for the Event

In some ways preparing for this event was smooth, having covered the same event the year before. But of course, I carefully researched the schedule and identified the must-capture moments. Working with a professional events team like the THE crew, means their brief is spot on. If you are an event planner and doing some research - check my Top 6 Tips On Writing a Killer Brief For Photographers and get the best ROI from your creatives.

Their brief was detailed and covered delivery expectations, an extensive list of key shots, and a few special requests. Of course it included industry standards such as registration desks, exhibition stands, and shots of delegates interacting at various stages throughout the event. The coffee and lunch breaks are great for those useful networking and chatting images. Also highlighted was the need for images from the presenter sessions - delegates asking questions, laughing, and working with colleagues in the seminar style meetings. All good scenarios for making interesting and creative photographs.

As the event was in Birmingham and with two 8am starts, I travelled down by train and was booked in to a hotel for three nights. This was fine, as it was quick and stress free and meant I could get most of the image edits done in the evenings. Also, it meant I could visit my favourite restaurant in the city the wonderful Indian Café Racer - indiancaferacer.com - the Rajasthani lamb is amazing!

Immersed in the Action

The conference began with an opening ceremony and keynote speakers and of course I was there at the front getting some quality images of the panel discussions and audience reactions. Like a lot of venues, a challenge is low lighting conditions but with advances in technology and new cameras, this isn't really as difficult as it used to be, say 10 years ago. But I had to be on my toes to cover everything, especially in crowded areas, ensuring I didn't miss any critical moments. This included documenting breakout sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities. I like to balance the candid more journalistic style shots with posed group images when appropriate. Capturing the essence of learning and collaboration activities covered by the Times Higher Education events is key. Close-ups of engaged participants, speakers in action, and interactive discussions are all on my mental list of themes to include.

One thing I don't see many conference photographers talking about is overcoming mid-event fatigue. It is important to stay hydrated and eat regular healthy meals. It can be too easy to skip a lunch as there is so much happening but a big mistake. I've worked at lots of long events before - dozens of sports events, in particular marathons, where teams of photographers are on location for 12 plus hours - and it is the people with the wrong clothes, the wrong camera kit and those that miss meals that struggle. It is vital to look after yourself and take breaks, in order to stay creative and focused over multiple days and on long shoots.

The Awards Evening: A Night to Remember

The day of the awards are one such challenge - an 8am conference start, combined with a 2am end after the awards ceremony finishes - makes for a very long day!

For the awards evening the brief included setting the scene - images of the venue, décor, and atmosphere as attendees arrive, right through to the the celebration of the awards presentation at the conclusion of the evening. To me, it was key to capture the emotions, for example award winners' reactions, the heartfelt speeches, and the joy of recognition amongst their peers.

The organisers needed extended coverage during the Awards session. In addition to photos of the award being handed over on stage from the VIP, they also required posed images against a media wall straight after presentation. With 20 awards planned in just one hour, this wasn't something I could feasibly do on my own. Fortunately, I have a network of reliable, trusted colleagues across the UK that I have worked with before and had the wonderful Alex Bradbury help me out this time alexbradbury.co.uk. The winners also were interviewed by the amazing video team at jamshakeshaft.video post presentation and they provided a runner to lead them over quickly. So, with a bit of planning the team worked well together and we got the images and content the marketing team required.

My challenges on the evening were briefing Alex, co-ordinating with the video team, as well as working a low-light venue, with fast-paced action, and ensuring every award moment is documented. Finally, we provided rush images straight after the awards, of both the stage hand over of awards and the posed media wall images before midnight, so the organisers could post to social media channels, distribute images to winning institutions, as well as hit press deadlines. So, as I said before it was a late one and we were on site from 8am until 2am! Plus some edits when I got back to the hotel.

Hopefully, I've given an insight to behind-the-scenes work of event photographers at a high-profile conference and awards evening. My personal takeaways include the importance of planning and studying a brief. Pacing myself and keeping watered and fed. And ensuing good communications on site with the organisers, and other creatives working the event. My favourite moments were the award presentations - superb atmosphere and a high value stage production. The Times Higher Education awards really showcase the power and quality of the higher education sector in the UK.

If you are planning an event, conference or awards ceremony, please message me for more practical insights into event photography - I have 20 years' experience. I am happy to chat, even if you have someone already sorted for the photography. Of course, I can recommend some excellent colleagues both for the photos and the video work. Thank you for reading this far and on to the images.

Check my conference and event photography portfolio or read another post for 3 reasons why you should hire me as your professional conference photographer for your next high profile event.

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Liverpool conference photographer - THE Awards Birmingham 2024

Tags: conference, conferences, business, corporate, education, awards, evening, Birmingham

Author: David J Colbran

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