A little while back I was contacted by Dror Poleg, to take photos of the keynote presentation he was giving at a real estate conference at the Palais des Congres in Montreal.

Dror is an economist, author and speaker whose work focuses on the forces reshaping the economy, business and the way we work. His book, Rethinking Real Estate, examines how technology and changing patterns of work are transforming the property industry, and he regularly speaks to business and professional audiences about technology, economics and the future.

His keynote in Montreal was a fascinating, wide-ranging talk on AI, how it’s reshaping our world, and the importance of adaptability and risk-taking. It was the kind of presentation that moved between big-picture ideas and practical questions about how businesses and individuals can respond to a rapidly changing environment. 

Photographing a keynote speaker

Photographing a keynote is quite different from simply documenting someone standing on a stage. The challenge is to capture the speaker’s personality and energy while also telling the story of the presentation.

For this assignment, I was looking for moments that showed Dror engaged with his audience: gestures, expressions, changes in posture and those brief moments of concentration or emphasis that communicate something about the speaker and the ideas being presented.

At the same time, the photographs need to establish the context. The stage, screens, branding and audience all help tell the story of the event, so I look for a mixture of wider photographs that place the speaker within the conference environment and tighter images that capture the personality of the presentation.

Good keynote photography should give the organiser and speaker a useful collection of images rather than simply a series of near-identical shots from the front of the room.

Keynote photography for conferences and corporate events

Keynote speakers are often one of the most important parts of a conference or corporate event, and photographs from the presentation can have a life beyond the event itself.

Images can be used by the speaker for their own website and social media, by the event organiser for future marketing, and by companies and associations for newsletters, publications, press coverage and internal communications. Strong photographs can also help communicate the scale and atmosphere of an event to people who weren’t there.

That is one reason I approach conference and keynote photography with a photojournalistic mindset. Rather than simply recording what happened, I want the photographs to communicate something about the person, the audience and the atmosphere in the room.

This assignment was a good example of this. His presentation was intellectually ambitious and covered subjects that are changing rapidly, and I wanted the photographs to convey some of that energy while producing a set of polished, professional images that he could actually use. I think I succeeded. Although you don’t have to just take my word for it, here’s what Dror had to say:

“Dominic is a wonderful photographer, who turned my event keynote into a beautiful memory — and a great business asset that I use regularly. He was a joy to work with and his perspective and choices resulted in excellent photographs. A rare combination of an artist and professional!”