[lithedreamer]

The organisers haven't given me much to go on beyond a 'photojournalism style', and the coordinating photographer won't be there much. There are two keynote addresses tomorrow, then some simultaneous talks given in adjacent rooms. Has anyone shot a conference like this before?

The talks will probably be in well-lit rooms. The keynotes will not.

Here's my gear to choose from:

K-30
DA Limited 35 Macro
FA Limited 31, 43, 77
360FGZII, Cactus transceivers, light stand and umbrella, tripod/monopod
DA* 16-50
DA* 50-135
Eneloops
SD cards
Camera backpack

I also would appreciate any advice on how to be respectful while still showing how representative the conference-goers and speakers are (Deaf, African-American, Middle-Eastern, LGBTQ+). Should I rush from session to session and try to get shots of all of the aforementioned? There are seven sessions in each 90 minute period, leaving me with about 12 minutes for each, so that seems doable, but I don't want to come across as insensitive. Am I worrying too much about this, because everyone will be focused on the speakers?

Thanks!

[darylk]

The 50-135 will be your workhorse, along with camera mounted flash. I know this having shot numerous conferences having concurrent sessions. Don't be shy about entering and taking the several shots you need to get your job done. If you approach your task in a direct and efficient/business like manner, people will understand you're just doing your job/duty and think nothing more than that. If you go to my website (https://darylkottwitzphoto.smugmug.com/Events) and look under "events", you'll see what type of shots I typically get. I used to not use a flash, but have grown to use it for most shots, because of better quality light provided compared to ambient which can provide challenges and consume substantial time in post processing to make images look decent.

[lithedreamer]

That was exactly what I needed to hear, thanks! I'm sure the organisers would be happy if I got shots half as good as yours.

I'll bring the 50-135 of course, but also the 16-50. Some of the classrooms the conference is using might be a bit tight at 50mm. Along with spare batteries, a lens pen and some spare SD cards. I feel ready (this is my second event shoot ever), now I just need to get some sleep!

[smf]

Perhaps you photographers coukd ask if the organizers would announce that photographers will be working on behalf of the conference.
Best wishes.

[ismaelg]

I photograph a medicine symposium every year with usually around 150-200 people. At the opening I have the organizers say that there will be official photographs and video taken by me and if there is anybody that fells uncomfortable with been photographed to let me know so I won't take individual shots of them.
(However, in our culture people just love to be photographed... go figure )

I try to be as unobtrusive as possible by quietly moving constantly so I won't block anybody for more than a few seconds and always walking thru the back of the room.
Quite a workout sometimes.
I also try to dress in dark colors trying not to stand out.

After the key speakers in the morning, there are simultaneous practice sessions in the afternoon so I rotate between them as quickly as possible. A zoom is helpful in this case.

My workhorses are the DA35f2.4, Tamron 17-50f2.8 and the F50f1.7 makes a round or two. I have learned over the years that at these type of events the available light is not enough.

Here is a link to a video summary I prepared for the organizers. We will then sit down and create a 1 minute commercial for next year's.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

Thanks,

[pathdoc]

I assume you've been commissioned to take photos by the conference organisers. In that case, just take the best shots you can of as much as you can, and don't sweat about the identity of the participants.They're all human, after all.

If people are being given name tags or lanyards, ask if you can get one issued to you that confirms your credentials (e.g. "Official Photographer"). If anyone makes strenuous objections to your presence despite this, stand your ground and politely refer them to the people who asked you to take the shots in the first place. If they become actively hostile and the organisers don't back you up, cut your losses and walk away.

[frogoutofwater]

I note that the organizers mentioned "photojournalism" style, which suggests that they're not specifically looking for posed photos. However, if it turns out that there is some demand for posed, group photos, I have a couple of recommendations. (I took a portraiture course with one of the masters of group photography - Neil Slavin - and he had some useful tips.)
NEAL SLAVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

1) Find something stable to elevate yourself a bit. This may be relevant even for your regular photos during the day. A folding stepstool could work, or even a chair. Elevating yourself a bit and then shooting down at group helps you manage the issue of depth of field - when you're slightly above everyone, then it's easier to get a group that's 2-4 deep all in focus.
2) If you are asked to shoot a group, it can be helpful to have an assistant/spotter with you - this person doesn't have to a photographer. One of the organizers can help. You're asking them to be a second set of eyes looking over everyone in the group to make sure all faces are visible, no one's turned the wrong way, and there are no awkward wardrobe issues (e.g., the keynote speaker's blouse has slipped left and is showing a bra strap). It's really hard to focus on composing the photo and scan all faces constantly, so it's good to have someone help you if the group has more than 4-5 people.

[lithedreamer]

Day 1 of 2 went great, with only a few hangups. I did get a badge, but not a press one. No one was concerned about me taking photos (except for two people who objected to having their picture taken and told me, which I respected of course). There was a student photographer with a full-frame camera and wide-lens frequently standing in front of my shots and my lead photographer didn't show up but encouraged me to 'spend as much time as you want shooting'. I'm not confident that means I'll be fully compensated for the 11 hours I worked; we'll see. The organisers were far too busy to talk with me, not passive-aggressive, genuinely busy.

Then, I came home and imported the photos into my Lr catalog, which promptly crashed. My Mac stopped recognising it, and Windows told me it couldn't be fixed. Has anyone tried using Spinrite to repair their drives?

The upside is I got lots of great shots, made some new friends, explored some newly discovered aspects of my identity, learned lots of facts and a new perspective on things, and I have a warranty on that drive and backups of my data.

P.S. 11 hours holding a camera, even one as light as a K-30, starts to hurt. ^_^" Fortunately, tomorrow is only 7:30-12.

[Floggin Rodger]

The 16-50 & 50- 135 will cover anything you may run into and are both fast enough for a no flash shoot.Put a press pass in a lanyard around your neck (if not available just stick a pic of yourself in the lanyard) , be polite about moving in the crowd and smile alot.

[lithedreamer]

I just wanted to follow-up here. Everything went great, more or less. I spent more time cleaning up noise at ISO 1600 than I would've liked, and hesitant AF caused me to miss a couple dozen shots (out of ~1200 captures, delivered about ~340 to the client). I was wishing for an AE-L button and a slightly lighter camera after that 11 hour day. Still, I think my gear is working for me as good as anything else out there.

[pathdoc]

I. I was wishing for an AE-L button.

Your initial post states use of a K-30

K-30 - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

Perhaps that button labelled AF / AE-L located to the top right of the rear screen?

[lithedreamer]

Your initial post states use of a K-30

K-30 - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

Perhaps that button labelled AF / AE-L located to the top right of the rear screen?

I'm aware of that, thanks. I was back-button AF, so that button is busy.

[Floggin Rodger]

Wow 1,200 shots to go through and edit. I think the last festival I shot wound up with around half that and took me days.

[lithedreamer]

Wow 1,200 shots to go through and edit. I think the last festival I shot wound up with around half that and took me days.

Looks like it took me a solid three and a half hours.

[comprock]

I just wanted to follow-up here. Everything went great, more or less. I spent more time cleaning up noise at ISO 1600 than I would've liked, and hesitant AF caused me to miss a couple dozen shots (out of ~1200 captures, delivered about ~340 to the client). I was wishing for an AE-L button and a slightly lighter camera after that 11 hour day. Still, I think my gear is working for me as good as anything else out there.

@lithedreamer Long, short: You did great, but I feel you overworked yourself.

For comparison, my week long shoot of Open Camps at the United Nations over nine days this month saw me capturing 2,786 event images. Out of those, there were…

* 848 keepers, 30.4%
* 1 star 370, 13.3%
* 2 star 249, 8.9%
* 3 star 228, 8.2%
* 4 star 1, 0.04%

The ≥3 stars go to the event organizers group photo pool like https://www.flickr.com/groups/open-camps-2016/. These pictures are post produced to include white balance, exposure, levels, HDR, curves, composition, etc. as needed. Not even 9% of my photos were post-produced and delivered to the client.

Then those ≥3 star images plus the two stars go into my personal album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/comprock/albums/72157669758144820. The two starred images are auto-leveled and watermarked. Beyond that, no post-production effort. Sometimes, while doing a ≥3 star image review before client delivery will see some of those knocked down to 2 stars because of repeats or better image choice elsewhere.

@lithedreamer you seemed to have given the event host or organizer about 28% of your shots. As the events I shoot get larger or more involved, I've learned that getting myself and my teammates to cull better, the greater acceptance and welcome to photograph events I receive.

I've found that by not making the event organizer choose which photo of 6 similar shots to work with from their pool; you know your best quality is what's going out in social media or used elsewhere.

The secondary photo album allows for repeated or like images and lets the attendees have more chances of finding themselves in for personal social media and other efforts. Hence, the watermarks.

I've found that for every three hours of photography I do, I'd estimate an hour of post production, plus one to handle it. As such, for a 6-hour shoot, I'd figure on 2-3 hours post. A 9-hour shoot, would be 3-4 hours post and an hour-long shoot, would be an hour or two tops.

Background: Open Camps was 25 technology camps, ranging from 12 to 1,000 participants each, totaling about 6,000 attendees overall. Each day or evening ranged from 100 to 1,500 people. My larger events are of 1,000 to 3,000 attendees and running photo teams of 2-10 shooters.