An Eventful Month

This last month has been rather eventful to say the least. Here is some of what’s been going on as I try to build up a portfolio with an emphasis on event photography. You may ask yourself what exactly is event photography. You may also have some cake, but that is beside the point. Event photography is somewhat a commercial extension of photojournalism. As an event photographer, you are often set to the task of documenting things like fundraisers or conventions or the like. The goal is to represent all that goes on while at the same time meeting the client’s needs. For example, if you are photographing a major corporate function, you will likely have a list of executives that you have to have a picture of by the time the event is over. Of course, there are clients who are just as likely to put little requirements on what you photograph, so long as it shows the event. Tricky isn’t it?

The first event I worked on was the Relay for Life event in Lakewood, CO. This is fourth Relay that I’ve been involved with so I had a general idea where and when all of the images would come from. Of course every event is different, so this was by no means a walk in the park, if you’ll excuse the pun.

This next event was actually for two different organizations. I spent part of the day with the Kiwanis Club of Golden photographing their adventures through the Buffalo Bill Days Parade. The rest of the day I spent at the Clear Creek History Park photographing Pioneer Days. Pioneer days was especially fun because they had special root beer provided by Golden City Brewer to make root beer floats with as well as some cannon firing demonstrations.

The last event was the Dragon Boat Festival. This was my first time at the festival and I have to say that I had an amazing time. Between the races and the cultural demonstrations, this was just a great amount of fun.

Now for a little background; Buffalo Bill Days, Pioneer Days, and the Dragon Boat Festival all happened in the same weekend. Yep, it was the longest, shortest weekend ever and I had a blast. The only thing is I have a tendency to not go prepared. Certainly I attend with all of the camera equipment I may need, but I usually forget to bring things like sun block, hats, water. So after such a long weekend, I pretty much began to suffer the effects of heat exhaustion and fatigue. It’s not really pleasant and a very strong reminder that whenever you spend a lot of time out and about, drink plenty of water.