Part of my job is training people on how to improve the digital and social media content they create. This includes teaching folks how to take better work-related photos. Based on what I’ve learned over many years of doing this, here are my top three tips.
1. Figure out what story you want to tell, then take photos that tell this story
Many people take photos that just document what’s going on. Don’t do that.
For example, here’s a photo from a speaking event.
Photo of a large conference room. There are dozens of people seated in chairs facing the stage. On the stage is the speaker who is standing behind a podium and is talking to the audience. On the wall in front of the audience is a large projector screen showing a slide with the title ‘The Second Curve - planning for an uncertain future’. [Source: Karen Shuster]
This photo isn’t worth sharing on social media.
Sure, it successfully documents that a speaking event took place – but who or what is the subject of the photo? Usually the subject is the most prominent element in the composition. In this case it’s not the speaker: they’re too small. It might be the slide they’re talking about, but that’s mostly unreadable. The main element of this photo is the backs of people and the chairs they’re sitting on, which is incredibly boring and certainly not worth sharing.
Don’t just document, tell a story instead
What you want do with your photo is tell a story. For example, try to share specific details of the event, along with your feelings and opinions. And then, based on this story that you want to tell, take your photo accordingly.
Here are some examples.
Let’s say I wanted to talk about how huge a conference was. To tell that story I might take this photo.
Photo of a massive conference room. There are hundreds of people seated in chairs facing the stage, all focused on what the speaker is saying. The speaker is a small figure walking across the stage in the left corner of the photo. [Source: Samuel Periera]
This is similar to the previous photo: the audience and ceiling take up most of the frame and you can barely make out the speaker. But in this case the subject is that massive audience, in this massive conference room, with everyone focused on the speaker.
And it’s not just their backs that you’re seeing any more. You’re seeing their faces and can tell what they’re looking at. It’s fun how just changing the perspective of your photo can make such a big difference.
Speaking of different perspectives, what if you were a panelist and wanted to tell that story? Well then you might take this photo.
Close-up photo of a microphone on top on a table, taken from the side of the person who will be speaking into that microphone. In the background, which is out of focus, you can see several dozen audience members facing the speaker, who is evidently a panelist who is seated at the table on the stage. [Source: Ben Rogers]
Here you’re sharing something specific and you’re showing people things from an angle they don’t normally get to see. All of which is cool.
But if you were in the audience maybe you’d want to tell a story about how you had a great time. Then try taking this type of photo.
Photo of several people seated in the front row of an audience at a talk. They are all dressed professionally and the three closest to the camera are smiling. [Source: Priscilla Du Preez]
Not only does the photo focus on something specific, it shows you what people were feeling and not just what they were doing.
What if you thought the speaker was fantastic and you wanted to talk about that? Consider this photo.
Photo of a what appears to be a café in which several people are seated on long tables. All the people are focused on the speaker, who is standing on the opposite side of the room. We can only see the back of the speaker. They are holding a microphone and are gesturing as they speak to the audience. [Source: Cydor]
Yes, the perspective is odd: you’re seeing the back of the speaker. But you can tell that they are energized and animated, and that brings a lot of dynamism to the photo. You can also tell the audience is clearly focused on what the speaker is saying, which further enhances the story you’re trying to tell.
Finally, what if you were the speaker and your talk went really well? Maybe you could take a selfie with your audience.
Photo of a speaker standing with their back to the audience while they take a selfie of themselves with the audience in the background of their photo. [Source: Howard Lake]
Okay so this particular photo is a bit meta: it tells the story of someone else telling a story (which is what their selfie with the audience in the background is). But you get my point :)
So, to sum up: don’t just document, tell a story instead. Do that and your event photos will be much better.