Zuiko and Low Light Corporate Event

Hmmm...

E-3 with Zuiko Digital ED14-35mm f2.0 SWD

35mm, f/2.0, 1/80s, ISO800, -0.7ev

Yes, I have heard it many times. Olympus can't shoot low light. It's too noisy, it lacks dynamic range. Bla, bla, bla... the debates go on, and on.

It is funny, though. When it comes to clients, they don't know all this technical mumbo jumbo. What they want to see are great pictures showing the important moments of the event, and please don't make the CEO look stupid on stage.

In the end, what matters most to the client is the results. Please keep that in mind, and don't really worry about your "bad" Olympus camera!!!

Covering a corporate event is a mixed situation. There are occassions where it requires quick and rapid shooting, and there are situations when it is very laid back. It is similar to wedding photography, but in my opinion it is less stressful. Partly because the client is not very particular of the nitty gritty details.

It is important to keep in mind that to shoot corporate events, make sure there are enough batteries to keep things running. And please bring the fastest lens you have!!

In this particular event, the photographers were hit with a bombshell!!

Due to videography requirements (thanks to the live screen on stage), flash photography was prohibited!! Why was that? Simply because the screen will instantly show the flash in full feedback effect, similar to a Viper fighter scrambling out of the Battlestar Galactica's flight deck! That was very annoying.

One Nikon shooter was put out of commission because he was only using the 18-200 variant with a big SB-800 flash, not knowing about the no-flash ruling. At that moment, I had my Zuiko Digital 14-35mm f2.0 and 50mm f2.0 lenses. No problem at all. I later saw him shooting with the 50mm f1.8 lens. Not much for him to shoot, though.

In this shot, the CEO was making a strong point to the staff on key milestones and goals. The expression said it all. To be honest, I took multiple shots to ensure I got the right gesture to convey the story.

Corporate people are not very boring, actually. Most of the time they are very serious at what they do. This is no fault of them. However, they can be very funny with sharp, rapid quips. And, it is very important to capture the moment. All I can say that it is rare; so, it is better to be on your toes so as not to miss any of it!!

This shot made the whole auditorium broke into laughter. The picture was actually one of the senior executives, and this snap was a shot of him gasping for breath at a recent Iron Man event!

At the end of the day, everybody was happy. The staff was happy. The client was happy. I was happy!

And isn't this what photography is all about?!