What is it like to be an event photographer? By events, I am talking about learning environment events that can be couple hours to multi-day conference type events.
#1: You meet lots of people! People travel all over for these types of learning events so you meet and hear from people from all over the US and all over the world.
#2: There is so much going on! During breaks, there is other things going on. People are collaborating/networking, preparing for next speaker or practicing new concepts.
#3: Stay well hydrated! I am from Oregon where it was in the 50s and traveled to Texas where it was in the 80s. Talk about body shock! Always have water and snacks available to keep energy up.
#4: Wear comfortable footwear! You are on your feet almost the entire time while capturing it all. The second day was harder, even though I was wearing tennis shoes. Refer back to #3,
#5: You do forgo sleep! I took the early flights there and back so I had maybe 4-5 hours of sleep on those nights. Then there was additional learning time on the first night of the event. So there was maybe 5 hours of sleep that night as the after event learning time went til 8 pm before starting day 2 early the next day.
#6: You learn so much! Even while I am shooting, I am listening. I'm getting educated while I am capturing the speakers and the audience. Bonus: you hear what questions the audience asks and how the speakers answer those questions. Invaluable!
These are just a few of my takeaways about being an event photographer. Overall, I very much enjoyed the experience and would relish the chance to do so again!