How to Document Any Event

The big moments in our lives scream out for a camera. Weddings, retirements, graduations – these are the moments that frame our existence and bring us together to take a breather from our often-hectic lives and just enjoy the company of loved ones for a while. It makes perfect sense to take advantage of these moments to capture images that will allow us to remember and relive those moments and milestones for years to come.

As natural an instinct as this is, many people struggle when it comes time to document any event. They go in with the best intentions and emerge on the other side of it with just a handful of disappointing photos. Contrary to this experience, however, it’s not actually that difficult to combine enjoying the moment with documenting the event – you just have to take the right approach.

Be Prepared

There are two steps to being prepared to document any event:

1. Mental. Tell yourself that you’re going to document the moment and not get lost in simply experiencing it. It’s easy to get caught up in the energy and the emotion, not to mention a glass of wine or two, and simply enjoy yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if your goal is to document, you need to start off by psyching yourself up for it.
2. Physical. Have your tools ready. Even if it’s just a smartphone, have it in hand and ready to go. Know how to use it. Know the settings and practice getting steady, well-composed shots or switching to video if that’s what you want to do.

Once you’ve got these two aspects locked down, you can actually attend the event and begin creating a record of it.

Don’t Fear the Pose

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when endeavoring to capture an event in pictures or on film is the belief that every moment has to be captured naturally – that is, as it happens. This can be limiting, as even the most attentive and careful photographer can never have the camera set up at every right spot and right time when something interesting is about to spontaneously happen.

Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. The key is to be unafraid of the instant re-creation; if a moment occurs and you’re just a few seconds too late to capture it, ask everyone involved to get back into position and pretend to do it all again so you can snap a few photos.

No one will remember that you staged a few things in the ensuing years, and instead of a lot of missed opportunities you’ll have a lot of amazing photos. The important part is that the original event happened organically, and that’s what people will remember when they look at your photos – not the fact that you restaged it moments later.

The events that mark off the course of lives are powerful and incredible moments. The urge to document them is a positive one, but it takes more than desire – there’s a certain amount of discipline involved that can make or break your attempts. The line between a collection of photos and a documentary is easily crossed, usually in the wrong direction – so take care to prepare properly. And when you have some smashing photos from your event, click here and we’d be delighted to turn them into great examples of wall art.