A closed expert seminar differs from an open conference in one respect: there are no chance guests. The room holds executives, experts, military officers and public figures, and the list of attendees is shorter than the list of questions they want to discuss. The photo coverage of such a day has to be complete, but it cannot come at the expense of the proceedings.
In early March I photographed an expert seminar on security and the lessons of the war in Ukraine for Polish industry. The organiser was Polimex Mostostal, and the venue was Dwór Konstancin near Warsaw: intimate rooms, large windows, plenty of daylight.
What happened
The day had several layers, and each required a different approach.
The panel discussions were reportage work. Several rounds, a different line-up at the table each time. Among the speakers were public figures, so I worked mainly at a distance: wide shots with the screen, the room and the branding instead of close-ups.
In parallel, interviews for trade media were taking place at the backdrop wall. These are moments where the shot has to work the first time, because the interviewee is back in the room after three minutes.
On top of that, there were the preparations before the guests arrived, corridor conversations and the details from which the organiser would build the report: badges, branding, the room before the start.
Shots that can be shown without risk
At a closed event with public figures, selection is part of the service. Selection, meaning choosing the best shots from among hundreds, also takes into account who is in the frame and in what role. A speaker on stage is a different matter to a guest photographed close up during a break. This means the client gets material they can use without nervously checking every photo.
I worked discreetly, without stepping between the panellists and the room. One of the frames also shows the video crews’ positions – at such events several teams work at the same time, and you have to move around them quietly.
Outcome
The client received 484 high-resolution photos. The material was produced for Polimex Mostostal’s communications around the seminar, and the gallery was widely downloaded by the organiser’s team in the two weeks after the event.
