08/31/2026
How to be an event photographer at Empire Media Solutions:
30% Professional People-Watcher
Watching everything. The stage, the crowd, the side conversations, the reactions, the entrances, the exits, the person about to laugh, hug, cry or do something worth remembering. Constantly reading the room so I can be in position before the moment happens.
25% Ninja
Moving constantly, quietly and almost invisibly. Across the room, around tables, behind the scenes, into the perfect angle and back out again without becoming part of the action.
20% Resident Clown
Not necessarily red-nose clown. More like professional human-being-who-makes-other-human-beings-relax. Talking, joking, directing when necessary and making people comfortable enough to stop thinking about the camera so I can actually capture them.
15% Pseudo Host
Because apparently holding a camera also makes you event staff. What time does the program start? Where are the bathrooms? Where should I go? Who am I looking for? I may not technically be hosting, but I’m in the room, paying attention and helping keep things moving.
15% Emotional Support Photographer
For my client and the event hosts when they need it. A reassuring face, an extra set of eyes, someone who knows what’s happening, someone who can quietly say, “We got it,” when the day is moving at approximately 900 miles per hour.
TOTAL: 105%
The math is questionable.
The formula is exact.
Photos are from Mount St. Mary's University's Annual Crab Feast this past weekend!
