In December Raccoon London events photographer Theo was commissioned to document a Christmas party for Channel Telecom, a telecommunications wholesaler. Channel Telecom had their Christmas party at 89 Pall Mall St. James's, this location is extremely photogenic. Theo's images from the event are truly beautiful and a classic example of reportage style documentary photography.
Many of our clients love Theo's approach to documenting events, his unobtrusive nature combined with his observant documentary style means he is able to capture some lovely candid moments. More and more we are experiencing clients ask for reportage photographers such as Theo. Reportage events photography requires real skill and understanding, attentiveness and also a quick-trigger finger, candid moments are over and done within a matter of seconds.
We asked Theo to comment on his documentary style.
"Shooting a Black Tie event isn’t my usual day to day assignment working as a photojournalist, but they offer a unique opportunity to shoot differently by incorporating a photojournalistic/documentary approach to creating the images. Working as a photojournalist has helped shape my style, searching for those moments, different from others, that stand out - in terms of framing, style or just waiting for that right split second to arise. I approach a shoot like this one as I would any other, searching for those moments. In this way I try to offer something different from your run of the mill event photography, approaching it as a fly on the wall, standing back and observing moments unfold between individuals. I also look for the things that usually go unnoticed - objects, unusual pockets of light, strange or colourful juxtapositions. Entering events such as this one I always check the space/light and think “how can i get the most artistic and creative images out of the space I’m in”. With an event such as this one the building was incredible which helps in creating the right frames. Other events might offer less in terms of the location, but there is still always scope to create attractive work wherever you are through your own eye and style. Framing is key, but how can you approach it differently? Rather than a straight portrait, I think about features, if the colour and emotion is displayed in an individual part of someone's face then i’ll turn my lens to that - an opulent bowtie, a grinning smile - whatever catches my eye the most. I hope that with my day-to-day photojournalism work I can reflect and emulate my style onto event photography, offering something visually different to the event photos that you may expect to see."
Please see Theo's portfolio here.
