Events and Awards Night Photographer Leicester & East Midlands

Events and Awards Night Photographer Leicester & East Midlands

The best event photography for awards nights

September should be know as event and awards night month!

I’ve been ran of my feet with events this month, and i’m going to tell you about two of them.

First being the East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women’s Awards night. This was a very last minute booking for me, literally the day before. Despite having two photoshoots in the day, I said yes to the awards night. I thought it would be fun (it was!) and I might see a few people I know (i did!).

Secondly, It was off to the Hilton Park Lane in Mayfair for the Signature Awards. These are always amazing nights. I share photography duties with Damian, a London photographer. With 450+ guests it’s just too much to capture for one photographer. I arrived early with Dave the video guy, then went for a walk into Central London. Shooting the awards was fairly straight forward for me as i’ve done it for a few years now.

As with most of these events, both required a next day turn around for the edited images. EMC was done when I got home straight after the event, and the Signature Awards was done on the M1 as I was a passenger.

Same day edits!

Here are a few images from both events

When planning an awards night, the focus is on celebrating achievements and creating lasting memories. Hiring an event photographer can significantly enhance the experience and provide benefits that extend well beyond the night itself.

Capture Professional Moments
An event photographer brings expertise in capturing key moments with precision. From award presentations to candid interactions, a professional ensures that every significant event is documented beautifully. This means you won’t miss those spontaneous smiles and heartfelt congratulations.

High-Quality Images
Professional photographers use advanced equipment and techniques to produce high-quality images. These photographs will reflect the atmosphere and emotions of the evening, providing images that are sharply detailed and vibrantly colored. Such quality makes a lasting impression whether for internal reporting, social media sharing, or marketing materials.

Stress Reduction
Planning an event can be overwhelming, and the last thing you want is to worry about photography. By hiring an event photographer, you can focus on enjoying the evening with your guests while knowing that every moment is being captured professionally. This allows you to be fully present during the celebration.

Memorable Marketing Material
The images taken during your awards night can be valuable for future promotions. High-quality photographs can be used in brochures, newsletters, and social media posts, helping to enhance your brand’s image and engage your audience. They serve as a compelling visual record of your company culture and achievements.

Create Lasting Memories
Lastly, a professional photographer not only captures the event for immediate enjoyment but also provides a visual archive of your organization’s milestones. These images can be cherished for years to come, allowing everyone to relive the excitement and honor the accomplishments celebrated during the awards night.

Basically, hiring an event photographer for your awards night is an investment in quality, lasting memories, and stress relief that enhances the overall experience. It’s a decision worth considering for any event that celebrates success.

Leicester, Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham Event Photography

Leicester, Coventry, Nottingham, Birmingham Event Photographer

Furnley House Foundation & Kazzoo IT Event Photography Leicester

If there is one type of Photography job I could only do for the rest of too my life it would be Event Photography. 

I love the variation of each event, and each one is totally unique, even if it’s the same company!

Chris Cain is a good friend of mine, and he owns and runs Kazzoo IT. Chris is also an amazing fundraiser for many local charities. I’ve personally climbed Scarfell Pike and Ben Nevis with Chris over the last two years for some amazing charities. 

Kazzoo IT was turning 21 years old, so it was only right there was a party.. or summer ball more like!

The event took place at Winstanley House… there was a mirror lady, champagne reception, Kazzoo brand coloured ballon wall,  an amazing auction… and Sam Bailey serenading us at the end. 

Take a look at a few of the shots, 

Next up was the Furnley House Foundation’s summer ball. Furnley House is a truly brilliant company, B-Corp status in fact. The foundation was set up to help local charities and communities, and boy have they helped!

At their summer ball, over £30,000 was raised for the specially selected three charities. Steps, Focus & Heartwise. 

A few mentions, Charlotte Miles from Cross Productions was organising the whole event, as usual it ran faultlessly.. Absolutely contact Cross Productions for your event requirements. 

Hybrid AV did the entire sound and light system, and the place looked amazing. Check out their video wall!

Get in touch for your next event if you want great event photography

HERE ARE 5 EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

1. Capturing Memorable Moments: We professional event photographers are highly skilled at capturing candid and precious moments, ensuring you have a collection of high-quality images to relive the event.

2. Professional Quality: We have the expertise, equipment, and editing skills to deliver professional-grade photos with optimal lighting, composition, and clarity.

3. Focus on Guests: Hiring a professional photographer allows you and your guests to fully enjoy the event without worrying about taking pictures, ensuring everyone is part of the experience.

4. Marketing and Promotion: High-quality event photos can be used for marketing and promotional materials, helping to create buzz for future events or showcase the success of your current one.

5. Comprehensive Coverage: Professional event photographers know how to cover all aspects of your event, from the venue and decor to attendees and key moments, providing a comprehensive visual record.

Furnley House Foundation Summer Ball 2024

Leicester Event Photographer Summer Ball

Leicestershire Charity Photographer

A few weeks ago it was the Furnley House Foundations summer ball 2024

Furnley House Foundation

Having done numerous work for FH now, they asked if i’d be interested in photographing ther summer ball. It was a YES from me. Furnley House is an amazing company, and some of my great friends work there.. Their foundation is a registered chairty, they raise money to give to other charities in need.

The ball took place at Winstanley House, with many familiar faces in attendance.

Photo kit wise I pretty much stayed on one camera with a 28-75mm zoom lens and on camera flash. I did occasionally use my 135mm lens for some of the shots of the presenter on stage.

Here are a few shots from the evening. If you are holding a similar event and would like it capturing so you can look back in years to come, please get in touch. There photos are an excellent reminder and keepsake of your event. They can also be used in future marketing in print and social media. Guests can have access to the photo gallery and download digital files as well. Optional print products are also available from the online gallery.

Howden Insurance Open Event Loughborough

Howden Insurance Open Day Event Photography Leicestershire

Quality professional event photography by Pete Martin

It was nice to be asked once again to photography an event for the lovely people at Howden Insurance over in Loughborough, Leicestershire.

Following the devastating floods that pretty much destroyed their office, they wanted to re-open after the refurbishment with a bang!

They hired an amazing barrister who served every type of coffee, and brilliant ladies who were cooking up delicious sweet or savoury crepes.

The local Lady Mayor even turned up at the end!

There was lots of nice merchandise available to take away, with my current favourite colour being Orange, that Mug was coming home with me!

If your company is holding an event, consider hiring a photographer to capture those wonderful candid moments. Those photos are not only a great reminder of the event but can be repurposed into social media posts and campaigns throughout the year.

Signature & Nachurel Awards

Signature & Nachurel Awards Event Photographer

Event Photographer Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Coventry, Northampton, Coventry & London

Following on from my charity work with LAMP, I photographed their ‘Time to Talk’ event in 2023. At this event there were many guests in attendance to listen to the chosen speakers. 

One of these guests was Mr Ninder Johal, a man who eases many hats. He’s on the board of trustees at Wolverhampton University, he’s also a Deputy Lieutenant of the city too. But, he also founded the Signature and Nachurel Awards. On seeing me work the room, and some of my work was being shown on the screens at the Time to Talk event, Ninder asked if I would photograph the Signature Awards at Wolverhampton Racecourse.

Of course I said yes!

On arrivial I could see the attention to detail everywhere, the venue looked stunning. The AV crew, also from the East Midlands had a superb set up, with multiple camera’s of the presenter and the people receiving the awards. 

The night from my side was a real success, everyone looked great, and so did the photos. I had them edited the next day, and sent off to Ninder. A few hours later and they started to appear on social media.

Shortly after the Wolverhampton event, I had the call from Ninder…. Can you photograph the next awards night, in Mayfair London?!

Le me think about that…… Yep, put me down for it!

This event was much much bigger, so there was also a London photographer there. We shared out the work, he took the stage shots, I took care of the media wall shots of people with their awards. I also did some of the drinks reception too. 

Take a look at a few of the images from both nights below, And yes… I have been booked for the next one!

Event Photography Leicestershire

Event Photographer Leicester & East Midlands

Professional event photography

There are lots of events happening at the moment, and if you put one of thsee events on… what better way to showcase it that with amazing photos.

These photos are not only a great record of the event, they can also be used to highlight the team members who win awards. They are also brilliant to post of social media after the event. I pride myself on being able to get the images ready the very next day, sometimes even on the same tight if required! This is especially important as guests often post their smartphone photos during the night, so the professional ones need to come out asap!

Here are a couple of events i’ve shot this week, an opening of a balcony in a care home, and an awards night for a medial company.

Don’t leave your next event to chance, get a professional in Pete Martin Event Photography

Below is 5 reasons why a professional event photographer is a brilliant idea

5 Reasons Why Events Need a Professional Photographer

1. Expertise: Professional photographers bring their expertise and artistic vision to capture the essence of an event. They have the technical knowledge to adjust camera settings, lighting, and composition to produce high-quality images that showcase the event in the best possible way.
2. Unobtrusive Documentation: While amateurs may disrupt the flow of an event by constantly taking photos, professional photographers have the skill to blend into the background and capture candid moments without interrupting the proceedings. This allows attendees to fully enjoy the event without feeling self-conscious or distracted.
3. Quality Results: Professional photographers use high-end equipment and post-processing techniques to ensure that the images are of the highest quality. This includes retouching, color correction, and editing to produce polished, professional-grade photographs that can be utilized for promotional materials, social media, and future marketing efforts.
4. Complete Coverage: An experienced photographer knows how to cover all aspects of an event, from candid attendee interactions and keynote speakers to venue decorations and special performances, ensuring that nothing is overlooked. This comprehensive coverage provides event organizers with a valuable visual record of the occasion.
5. Brand Representation: For corporate events, having a professional photographer can enhance the brand's image by capturing the event in a way that aligns with the company's style and values. These images can be used for press releases, website content, and promotional materials, presenting a cohesive and professional image to clients, partners, and the public.
Ultimately, hiring a professional photographer for events ensures that the memories and key moments are preserved in a visually stunning and impactful manner, adding long-lasting value to the occasion.

Miele Brent Cross Expereince Centre Opening

Miele Brent Cross Expereince Centre Opening - Event Photography

Another client I’ve been working a lot for in the last 12 months is Miele, the German appliance brand. Their products have always fascinated me, as the price is high, but I’ve not had the chance to see them up close. Summer 2022 I was asked to video the Experience Centre’s at Touchwood Solihull, Abingdon in Oxford, Bluewater in Kent, Edinburgh and Central London. 

Video wise it was pretty straight forward, a tour of the store, and some close up shots of each appliance in action. 

Fast forward to March 2023 and a new store was being planned for the Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London. The site next to the Apple Store had become available, and Miele was the perfect fit. 

Fast forward to September and the shop fit out was complete and the store was opened to the public. 

I was booked this time as an event photographer to capture the opening of the store, the chefs in action using the appliances, the cutting of the ribbon etc. I was also asked to take wide shots of the store empty, and a few creative shots showing a busy store use motion blur of the pubic.

I arrived at Brent Cross on the Wednesday, Grand Opening. I pretty much got to work straight away and finished at 12. From there I had a look around the shopping centre, got some lunch and edited 10 photos… Did I not mention that Miele wanted edits on the day to publish on their social media??!

There I was removing fire exit signs in photoshop and editing in general like a mad man!

Edits were Air Dropped to the marketing team before I left, and they were on LinkedIn before I got to my Air B&B in Edgware!!

Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

Day 2, I arrived at 7:30am to photograph the empty store and capture headshots of the new staff members. 

10:30am I was all done and on my way back home.

All in all a brilliant few days working for this amazing company. https://www.miele.co.uk/c/miele-experience-centre-brent-cross-8213.htm

Here are the edits used on Miele social media announcing the new store.

Awards Ceremony for Charity Work

Leicestershire Community Championships Awards 2023

We didn't win Fundraiser of the Year, but 'Team Lamp' made it to the final of Furnley House's Leicestershire Community Champions Awards last Thursday.

Just being nominated is a huge achievement for us.

All finalists were brilliant, and Rachel (the winner) truly deserved that win. The awards ceremony was a lovely opportunity to celebrate our achievements with peers and supporters. While winning the award is undeniably a great honour, just reaching the final stage is a testament to our dedication to the greater cause - Lamp Charity

Well done everyone!

Team Lamp- Charity Fundraiser Finalists

Many LAMP supporters

Miele Brent Cross

Miele Brent Cross opening event photography

London Event Photographer

Another client I’ve been working a lot for in the last 12 months is Miele, the German appliance brand. Their products have always fascinated me, as the price is high, but I’ve not had the chance to see them up close. Summer 2022 I was asked to video the Experience Centre’s at Touchwood Solihull, Abingdon in Oxford, Bluewater in Kent, Edinburgh and Central London.

Video wise it was pretty straight forward, a tour of the store, and some close up shots of each appliance in action.

Fast forward to March 2023 and a new store was being planned for the Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London. The site next to the Apple Store had become available, and Miele was the perfect fit.

Fast forward to September and the shop fit out was complete and the store was opened to the public.

I was booked this time as an event photographer to capture the opening of the store, the chefs in action using the appliances, the cutting of the ribbon etc. I was also asked to take wide shots of the store empty, and a few creative shots showing a busy store use motion blur of the pubic.

I arrived at Brent Cross on the Wednesday, Grand Opening. I pretty much got to work straight away and finished at 12. From there I had a look around the shopping centre, got some lunch and edited 10 photos… Did I not mention that Miele wanted edits on the day to publish on their social media??!

There I was removing fire exit signs in photoshop and editing in general like a mad man!

Edits were Air Dropped to the marketing team before I left, and they were on LinkedIn before I got to my Air B&B in Edgware!!

Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

Day 2, I arrived at 7:30am to photograph the empty store and capture headshots of the new staff members.

10:30am I was all done and on my way back home.

All in all a brilliant few days working for this amazing company.

Here are the edits used on Miele social media announcing the new store.