Photography is one of those things that we sometimes forget about when it comes to events. My most recent encounter with this was a few weeks ago. I wish that I had a professional photographer to document Gardner's 1st birthday. Because there is so much involved in the details of your event, taking photos can often slip your mind. Having a great photographer can truly make a difference. Which leads me to the Spartan (again).
The Spartan Races continue to do a fantastic job with photography during their events. Not only do they hire great professionals to take the photos, but within a week they get them posted to their website where you can scour the pages looking for yourself.
They even attempt to tag you by bib number to make searching easier. Although this is not an exact science, there are ways to search that are helpful. Every photo they put on their website is categorized by obstacle and time. Even if they didn't do a great job in tagging your bib number you can put in the time you think you were at the obstacle and review a few pages surrounding that time.
With a little guesswork, I effectively found not only my photos, but photos of a faculty member I work with at the School of Government, Jeff Welty who also ran the Spartan last weekend. Below are a few of my favorites!
Me tackling the barbed wire.
Jerry (far), me (middle), and Chris (near) jumping the fire just before the finish.
Jeff (above) in orange with his 50 lb. sandbag.
Awesome photos aside, why is it so important to have a great photographer for your event?
Memorialize the Event
(Because You Will Probably Forget)
The hard work that you put into the event is something that you should be proud of. Being able to capture the attendees, decor, and other festivities is something that is priceless in my opinion. Trying to remember to take photos when you are worried about catering, check-in, and any other unexpected item that may come up during your event is virtually impossible.
High Quality
If you have a friend to take photos of your big event I'm sure they will be lovely. Still, there is something to be said about the professional quality of the photos you receive when hiring someone that does this for a living. My aunt has a business doing just this, and her product is incredible. She did our engagement photos and documented our wedding, and I couldn't be happier! You can view her photos at www.ssimagery.com. Let's face it, your iPhone just doesn't do the same thing as a professional photographer even with the Instagram filter.
Marketing Material
If the event you're organizing turns into a yearly event, you now have amazing photos to use for future marketing. Being able to take the best photos and make them the feature on your website next year, or include in your newsletter can create buzz about your event.
Interact with Your Attendees
There is something about seeing your photo displayed in a company newsletter, magazine, or on a webpage that gets people excited these days. Perhaps it's the hit of dopamine people get when they post their photos on Facebook and get "likes". The fact that the photos are downloadable from the site to do just that makes me like the Spartan Race even more.
Free Marketing
Allowing people to take the photos that you captured from your event and use them as they see fit is essentially free marketing for your organization. When thousands of people make the Spartan photo their profile pic the Spartan logo is all over it. What an easy way to get more and more people to attend your future events. I mean seriously, who doesn't want to pay money to run 5.5 miles or more with 25 obstacles, and exhausting themselves at the end, all for a medal, t-shirt some photos, and a banana?!?! Am I right?
Photos Can Bring Back Fond Memories
(Or Make Great Wall Art)
With all the days in life there are moments that we sometimes forget. It's nice to be able to have a record of what happened during the event and bring up a memory that was buried deep in your subconscious. Having the crystal clear, professional photos can certainly make a difference. These often make great wall art and photo albums.
Of course there are times when a camera phone will just fine, but if the event is important, the photos and memories should be too!