Composition Digital Field Guide

Chapter 7. Event Photography

Event photography covers a wide range of different situations, from concerts to birthday parties and just about everything in between. It is very difficult to be ready for all the different situations that can arise at an event, but this chapter deals with some things that hold true for all events. For example, you will learn how to make the subject stand out from the rest of the scene, and what to look for in the surroundings and the background. You will also read about the gear involved in shooting events, as taking the right lenses can really increase your chances of getting the best shot in every situation. Researching the event you are shooting will also really improve your odds of successfully photographing it.

Shooting at an air show yields a great set of images; look for the aircraft on the ground, not just in the air. I used the rule of thirds here by placing the aircraft one-third of the way up from the bottom of the frame. Taken at ISO 200, f/5.6, and 1/1000 second.

Composition Considerations

There are many different ways to compose images, but here I discuss some of the ones that you will find particularly useful when shooting events.

Fill the frame

Many times events are crowded places where there are performers, spectators, vendors, and just a lot of people. The real question becomes how to make sure your images make the main subject of your photograph ...