Corporate Event at the Ham Yard Hotel, London

I had the opportunity yesterday to shoot a fantastic event at the Ham Yard Hotel in London (part of the Firmdale Hotel Group), for Palo Alto Networks. The hotel made for an amazing location to photograph, which combined with the people and event focus made for some really interesting images to capture. 

I was able to focus on a variety of shots, from documenting the set up of the event and the style of the hotel, to more candid images of the attendees and staff interacting with each other and enjoying the event. I also captured a series of awards for key partners, which was a nice challenge to shoot, without resorting to flash. I talked to the venue staff before the ceremony and asked them to give me a little extra light to work with just for the posed award pictures, which worked out beautifully and more naturally. I'm conscious as a photographer to not go blasting everywhere and everyone with flash, it means the photographer becomes the focus of attention and not the people leading and running the event, which I've seen happen at prior events and disliked.

In such a large location, it was also important to be mobile and explore different angles and shooting locations, I think it adds a depth and extra dimension to the images I captured, showing a portfolio which really tells the story and experience of the event, without it feeling staged or unnatural.

I'm excited to shoot some upcoming events at other Firmdale hotels, more to come on this.