San Diego Conference Photographer, Nationwide Reach: Azione Unlimited

Sep 8

3 min read

Having photographed the Azione Unlimited annual conference in San Diego, I was honored when Azione Unlimited reached out to me again to photograph their conference in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Arizona Grand. Photographing the many impactful keynote speakers, the vibrant celebrations, and in-depth breakout groups was a blast.

Building a Conference Photography Plan for Azione Unlimited

Since this was a 3-day conference shoot, I worked with Azione Unlimited to create the best possible conference photography plan. The first day centered around an outdoor welcome reception. The second day was the busiest, with a welcome presentation and keynote speakers, followed by many different breakout groups, and ended with a massive charity giveaway. The third and final day started with breakout groups, followed by a cocktail hour ending with everyone taking a bus to go to the Penske Racing Museum.

Day One - Welcome Reception Photography

For the first day of the Azione Unlimited conference, it started with a welcome reception out on the golf course. This took place from an hour before sunset to an hour after sunset. This resulted in me having to make constant adjustments to the lighting and having high-level usage of my flash. It started out by taking candid photos of guests entering and having a good time. I then moved to capture scenic shots of the venue. Finally, it ended with awards being presented to guests.

Day Two - Breakouts and Charity

Day two started with multiple presentations and speakers about how the smart home technology industry was changing and growing. For this, I made sure to get high-impact photos of the speakers and of the audience being engaged. Then everyone broke out into many different breakout groups. I had to adjust my camera settings and flash level to match each individual room that I was photographing. I made sure to capture people responding to questions, being engaged with the presentations, and the different speakers and products being showcased. Later in the day, everyone met up to do a jersey day charity giveaway. This was full of celebration and excitement that I had to make sure to capture at a fast pace. From people raising their hands in the auction, to writing names down for the silent auction, and with hugs and celebrations for what Azione is accomplishing. This day was full of excitement and many fun challenges as an event photographer.

Day Three - More Breakouts into a Final Celebration at Penske Racing Museum

Day three started with more breakout sessions. I continued to grab nice candids and powerful photos of presenters. During this time, I also made sure to capture all the branding and signage of the sponsors of the event. Since sponsors are a large part of any event, I always make sure to provide images to let them know they have been represented. Once the breakouts were done, everyone split off into a nice cocktail hour. This cocktail hour had a nice view of the Phoenix mountains. Everyone was having a good time, and I made sure to capture that with my images. Lastly, everyone loaded onto buses, and we made our way to the Penske Racing Museum. This venue featured a black ceiling, which made my flash less effective. To overcome this, I redirected my flash to bounce off of nearby walls that did not absorb light. This was a great celebration with many great moments.