THE COMPOSITION
I was approached by Lisa from Careline way back in 2019 about the possibility of shooting a large conference that they were hosting for the Young Movers. Sadly, as with so many planned events, things came to a shuddering halt with the arrival of Covid. All plans were put on the backburner, but, thankfully they finally got the go-ahead to host the conference in Dublin this year.
The Young Movers hold this event every year in different countries all across Europe so it was a big deal that Dublin was hosting this time. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary conference as it was spread over three days and much of the events would be taking place away from the confines of the hotel. The first day was focused on the arrival of the guests and then the evening festivities which were to take place in the infamous Guinness Storehouse. The next day would see a half day of talks before a team building exercise like no other. The evening was spent in the Arlington Hotel complete with Ceòl & Craic. The last day, the delegates were allowed a free reign to take part in a number of different activities taking place in Wicklow, Dublin and Meath. It was obvious that a lot of meticulous planning had to be put in to ensure everything was captured.
Lisa had emphasised that they needed a highlight slideshow for the Gala on the final evening of the conference so we needed a quick turnaround on the edit and she also stressed that we needed a group shot of all the delegates at some point as well.
THE PHOTOSHOOT
DAY ONE
The shoot began in modest circumstances with images of the guests arriving in the hotel and picking up their welcome packs from reception. There were plenty of emotional scenes as delegates renewed acquaintances and friendships from conferences past.
Slowly but surely, the number of welcome packs disappeared as each delegate arrived and the guests settled in to the Clayton.
I was informed that there would be a drummer band to welcome the delegates to the Storehouse that evening and it was important to catch the reactions as they got off the bus. The guys from 'Dynamic Events' were sorting out the decór for the Gravity Bar so I followed them up, got my pass, and did a quick reconnaissance of what lay in store. It was a cold, windy, April evening and I felt for the lads in their kilts but they looked in good form.
We wanted to get images of the delegates making their way through the Storehouse but it seemed they had their minds on one thing only and that was reaching the Gravity Bar as soon as possible!
There was an evening of fun and festivities in the Storehouse, including a flash mob dance troupe which caught everyone off guard. We had been forewarned about them but it was some task to try and be in the right spot when they started and not arouse suspicion.
The day concluded for us at around 9pm although my work was not done. I spent the next three hours selecting and editing the shots of the day and sent them over to Lisa for her to choose which she thought appropriate for the slideshow.
DAY TWO
The second day began with the delegates attending a morning talk and debate session in the main ballroom. The most important thing for me here was to capture the speakers, including those dialling in on Zoom, and the reactions of the guests. Whenever there is a session like this, timing is everything. Whilst shots of the delegates listening intently are important it's also key to try and get reactions to humorous situations too.
There was a quick Tea/Refreshment break before the session continued. Again, Lisa wanted candid shots, of the relaxed and informal chats during the break.
I don't disagree with getting posed images of people but I much prefer to capture people at their most relaxed when they don't realise the camera is on them. Those images are always more authentic, genuine and appealing to viewers than the set-up shots.
After the serious discussions had concluded in the morning, the delegates were informed that a team building event would take place in the afternoon. No-one was quite sure what they had in mind although I had seen Dynamic in action before so I knew what lay in store.
Martin Cullinan from All Event Productions, who were looking after the sound and lighting, was the compere and he organised the group into teams and their task was to find the different Capital Cities that had been strategically placed around the hotel and complete pre-ordained tasks that came up on their tablets. It's a genius idea and one that immediately gets people up and about, throwing shapes and generally acting the fool. It proved to be the easiest part of the event to photograph as everyone played their part and embraced the tests.
The day concluded with dinner and entertainment at the Arlington Hotel. The guests were welcomed off the bus by two leprechauns and shown to their tables. They were wined and dined and entertained for the evening with a band and some Irish dancing.
DAY THREE
Lisa had informed me during our pre event briefing that the delegates would be give a number of different options to attend on the final morning. There was paint-balling in Kilruddery in Bray, Tayto Park in Meath and different options in Dublin including a Bus Tour to Kilmainham Jail and The Jameson Distillery. It was going to be difficult logistically to cover all the places so I drafted in two other photographers to help.
The Jameson Distillery was challenging because the light is almost non existent in the different suites. Flash wasn't an option as it would be too distracting so I had to hike up the ISO to compensate. Whilst images do end up a bit 'noisy' at times its compensated by the fact you get much more authentic and warm lighting.
Lunch was provided by the 'Old Storehouse' Pub in Temple Bar and again the delegates were entertained by a cracking Trad band on their stage.
I always stress to people when they ask for advice on composition that angles of shooting can make a huge difference to shots. Getting down low on the ground for this shot, for example, gives quite a pleasing result. Never be afraid to challenge yourself with how and where you stand, it may or may not come off but better to have a go than stick to the rigid 'shoot at eye-level'
After lunch the delegates were given the afternoon off to relax and prepare for the Gala dinner in the evening. This was the opportunity for me to gather the images from the other photographers, head home and edit the last few images for the evenings slideshow.
The big shot for me in the evening was the group shot. It's always difficult, logistically, getting decent images of large groups but this was on a different level....there were around 200 delegates so we needed space and a lot of it. I suggested the area outside the hotel, I could get up on the balcony and shoot looking down but the Hotel couldn't give us permission for that because of the traffic that needed to pick up and drop off outside the main entrance. The next idea was the lobby but I couldn't get any elevation in there. With any group photo of more than say, 20 or 30 people you need to be able to gain a height advantage over the group in order that you can see everyone. The next suggestion was get everyone on stage and I would climb a step-ladder but that wouldn't work either as Health and Safety prevented us having so many on a temporary stage. It was left for us to improvise and have all the delegates stand in between the tables on the floor and I would use the stage to get the elevation I needed. Somewhere, there's a video of me trying to negotiate a step ladder whilst holding my camera gear and trying to coerce 250 people into smiling simultaneously.....with Martin's help we did ok I think.
