As an extremely experienced London conference photographer, who is trusted by so many different organisations to be their conference photographer of choice (you can see my conference photography work here), I was incredibly honoured to be contacted by Chatham House – the world-leading policy institute, headquartered in London – to be their conference photographer at their flagship event: The London Conference 2023. An event that brings together an internationally diverse and multigenerational gathering of policymakers and representatives from Prime Minister to Global leaders.
When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed. The purpose of the rule is to encourage open discussion since anything said is “off the record”.
Chatham House Rule
Meetings do not have to take place at Chatham House, or be organized by Chatham House, to be held under the Rule.
Any group of individuals in any sector can use the Rule as a pre-agreed guide for running an event, particularly when issues of a sensitive nature are to be discussed.
The London Conference 2023 – St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London
The London Conference 2023 took place at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which forms the frontispiece of St Pancras rail station. It is incredibly well connected, not just within London, it also has the Eurostar terminal, making it the perfect venue to host an International Conference. This venue has an incredible main plenary room, flooded with natural light.
The conference was attended by global dignitaries from the Prime Minister of Yemen Maeen Abdulmalik
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom James Cleverly.
and even virtually by The President of the Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy who received the Chatham House Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to International relations.
The pressure was high, having really high-profile guests attending the conference. There was a need for an experience photographer like myself to make sure that everything got captured, there wasn’t room for error. I have over twenty years of experience working as a professional photographer. Over those years I have photographed high-profile individuals as you can see in my event photography gallery here and in my portrait photography gallery here. Having this experience makes me the right photographer for a conference like The London Conference 2023, where there were so many dignitaries.
After such a thought provoking day, a drinks reception offered a great opportunity to the attendees to have engaging discussions over a refreshing sophisticated balloon glass of gin and tonic. Here is where I really make the most of the Networking photographic opportunities and capture the excitement and vibrancy of the day.
The Drinks reception was followed by a Dinner, where speakers, panelists and other dignitaries had the opportunity to carry on with conversations into the evening. Sir Nigel Sheinweld Council Chair at Chatham House did the Welcome Remarks before dinner was served.
London Conference Photographer: What to expect?
When you hire my services as your Conference Photographer you can anticipate the following from me:
- Consultation and planning: I will start by understanding your specific requirements, we could have a call or a video conference. During the consultation and planning I will gather information about the schedule, key sessions, important moments and any specific shots you desire. Often I will do a bit of research myself, searching on Google for photographs of the key speakers so I can recognise them on the day. This ground work is key because if I come across your company CEO before she/he is on stage, I will be able to recognise them.
- On the day I will start capturing from the moment that the registration opens so I can capture all the buzz of people arriving, the business, networking and all the details and branding.
- Coverage of every session from keynote speakers to full panels and individual shots of each panelist as they intervene. When photographing speakers or panelists I always aim to photograph them as animated as possible to create a dynamic image. As well as the activities on stage I will cover all the other key moments – workshops, networking sessions and other significant activities ie. exhibition hall, interactive displays, podcast recording. I will anticipate and capture engaging and powerful images that showcase the energy, enthusiasm and expertise of the participants.
- Candid and Natural shots: In addition to documenting the main events I will capture candid and natural shots of attendees interacting. I find these candid moments provide an authentic representation of the conference atmosphere and create a more immersive experience when using this images in your future marketing content.
- Technical expertise: Conference venues can present challenging lighting conditions, such as dimly lit rooms or strong backlighting. My 20 years of experience working as a professional photographer makes me a very safe pair of hands, as I come ready with all the experience and equipment necessary to handle these challenges effectively and capture high-quality images in any situation.
- Quick turn around: During the day I will be supplying images to you so they can be use in your social media channels as the event is happening. As a very experienced photographer my images are in general good to use directly from my camera for social media purposes. After the event I will edit a final album so the images are technically perfect for being use in multi-platforms in your future content.
Do you like the sound of this? Get in touch with me here if you would like to hire me as your conference photographer
