Three Reasons Why Your Photographer is an Event Ninja

Have you ever wondered about the specific approach you have for your job? What I mean is, is the way that you approach it comparable to some other type of work? For instance, do you feel like you might as well be a fireman, because you spend so much time putting out fires all day?

I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems like there are some parallels between event photographers in Dallas and ninjas. It’s almost too obvious isn’t it? Dressing in black, moving silently in the shadows, you saw that coming even before you read the sentence most likely.

In all seriousness though, watch a ninja, then watch an event photographer in action, and you will see a few things in common.

Here are some of the attributes that make event photographers close cousins to the ninja:

Head on a swivel

Have you ever watched ninjas? They seem to have their head on a swivel, and can react almost instantly to anything that comes their way. It’s like they have a sixth sense about them and can feel the action that is about to come their way. Dallas event photographers are basically the same way, but I’m sure you already realized that.

Their camera is basically an extension of their hand, so as they see or hear something happen, a group laughing or see something start to happen, the camera can come up and start taking pictures in the matter of a few seconds. It’s done without even having to think about it, they’ve trained themselves to be ready at a moment’s notice for anything.

Speaking of training, the next attribute contributes greatly to this as well, so let’s talk about the power of observation.

Trained observer

The successful event photographer is a trained observer. Take note of the key word there, ‘trained.’ Like so many skills, the ability to read people and situations is one that takes a lot of practice and experience. A photographer who seeks out moments has either trained under a photographer who has taught him or her the intricacies of this particular skill, or they have learned through shooting for years how to interpret the signals that people give off, and understand the direction that an event is headed.

With this knowledge in mind, the photographer can put himself or herself in a position to make great photographs.They may not have trained for years on a mountain top in rural China or under a waterfall since infancy, but like ninjas, event photographers must undergo thorough training to be ready for the tasks ahead.

Stealth

The next time you are at an event, watch the photographer who is documenting all of the happenings. If they are truly an event ninja, you will watch them move fluidly throughout the scene, and sometimes disappear entirely from sight, only to suddenly appear hanging upside down from the rafters. Wait, my apologies, I mixed up job titles there.

You will see that they do seem to disappear from time to time though, and may be hard to track. A good event photographer is everywhere and nowhere. Sounds like something out of a movie right? They are moving swiftly to follow and capture decisive moments, which requires quickness, so try to keep pace and watch them work!

I don’t know that I would ever use the term ‘event ninja’ on my LinkedIn profile, but nevertheless the thought does run through my mind. Covering events effectively takes speed and training to make sure that you don’t have to think when a moment starts to come together.

That part of the process is so embedded within the photographer that they just react, and their training makes sure they are ready whenever the moment happens.

Oh, and I did happen to think of one distinct difference between photographers in the event business and ninjas: photographers never carry throwing stars.