Bring extra batteries, memory cards, your cables, and chargers
Get out of auto mode.
Be unobtrusive. Casual shots are better.
Pay attention to the background
Try not to use the flash
Pay attention to the lighting
Set the white balance
More is better
Zoom less, walk more
Have fun
(Bonus) It isn’t the camera or the lens, it’s the photographer that counts.
I thought about my experience at this past IL2008 conference and I found that I followed many of these tips. Most of my best photos were less zoom and more "get closer" as with the three in this post.
As for the suggestions to use more manual settings I guess I’ve just got to finally learn what all those other settings on my camera do.
Michael Sauers is currently the Director of Technology for Do Space in Omaha, NE. Michael has been training librarians in technology for the past twenty years and has also been a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, serials cataloger, technology consultant, and bookseller since earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany’s School of Information Science and Policy. Michael has also written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and his fourteenth book, Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians (w/ Jennifer Koerber) was published in May 2015 and more books are on the way. In his spare time he blogs at travelinlibrarian.info, runs The Collector’s Guide to Dean Koontz Web site, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
View all posts by Michael Sauers
3 Replies to “10 Tips for Photographing a Conference”
I’ll add an additional point: “Be comfortable photographing people.”
This is what I struggle with the most when photographing in conference settings. I’m not comfortable photographing people – I feel like I’m intruding. I know this is partially a projection of my own feelings, since I’m not always comfortable about people photographing me. I haven’t reached the complete comfort level yet, but I’m working on it.
How about this Beth, you have my permission to basically follow me around and take photos of me throughout CIL2009. Will that help? 😉
Heh. If I make it out to CIL next year, I may take you up on that.
I’ll add an additional point: “Be comfortable photographing people.”
This is what I struggle with the most when photographing in conference settings. I’m not comfortable photographing people – I feel like I’m intruding. I know this is partially a projection of my own feelings, since I’m not always comfortable about people photographing me. I haven’t reached the complete comfort level yet, but I’m working on it.
How about this Beth, you have my permission to basically follow me around and take photos of me throughout CIL2009. Will that help? 😉
Heh. If I make it out to CIL next year, I may take you up on that.