Events

Please note this advice is for events where the images will be used online only. If you plan on professionally printing your images, you might want to borrow our photography equipment.

Golden rules

• Clean your lens.
• Make sure there are no visible images or logos on clothing.

Consent

• Be aware of consent guidelines and read our University consent policy.
• Check with the event organisers whether those attending know that photos will be taken during the event and agree on how this will be signposted.
• If there are any participants who do not consent to having photos taken, agree with the organisers on how you will identify them to are avoid including them in photos.

Location

• Familiarise yourself with the event itinerary as well as the space itself so you have an idea of when and where you can take the best shots.

Framing and composition

• Follow the rule of thirds.
• This is a simple composition technique where you divide the shot into a grid of nine squares.
• Position the key details of your shot along the gridlines, as this is where the eye is drawn to.
• Your camera app should have a grid feature, or you can finesse this when you edit your images.
• If taking photos of people, take the photo at your subject’s eye level (remember that camera height impacts how an audience connects with your image).
• The orientation (portrait vs landscape) will depend on where the photos will be used. If you are using them on the website, you will likely want to take landscape photos. If they will be used in Instagram stories, you will want to take portrait photos.

Lighting

• Make the most of windows as a lighting source if the event is indoors.
• Have the sun or main source of light behind you. 
• Mixed lighting sources at an indoor event may result in bad skin tone.
• If you’re shooting an outside event, early morning and late afternoon are best.
• Check that the subjects’ faces are brighter than the background.