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1. You would create beautiful memories for people as an event photographer
What is more enjoyable than giving people memories that last for a lifetime. Often when I’m in at a festival or photographing other types of events I see people enjoying themselves to the fullest. They have no clue that they are being photographed and when I confront them with a unique spontaneous picture of them, the smile and the gratitude they give back is priceless. But there is not always enough time or space to confront people during the event. Sometimes I get hart warming messages from people afterwards, thanking me for the picture I took. Like the time I shot Ultra Music Festival in Croatia.
2. You will have access to different places as an event photographer
Usually people pay money to be able to get acces to a lot of places, whether it’s a festival, a congress or a sports event. As an event photographer, I get paid to be at that location. Of course, the reason of your presence is different, but you are still able to experience the event sinds you are there. Having covered all types of events has made me a beter person. I've seen all kind of different segments of society close by. Wether it's a local event for architects or a high-class business event. To be able to experience these different types of people interacting within their environment has brought me a brought perspective on life. And getting free knowledge of some high profile keynote speakers has also been an enriching my life. Some of the most valuable business lessons I've learned was when I was shooting a business event.
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3. You will make new friends through your event photography
Being able to walk around at events means that you’re able to see a lot of people in a short amount of time. Personally, I like to have interaction with guests of particular events and sometimes that ends up in making new friends, which is a cool advantage of my job. A lot of times there are other creative people working for the event too (photographers, videographers etc.), and it’s really easy to connect with them and learn new things. You learn the most through interaction with other people who are a few steps ahead of you. So making friends with other photographers, watching how they work and interacting with them has also brought me a lot.
4. You will be able to see friends while you "work" as an event photographer
I have a lot of clients who organize events near my hometown. The good thing about it is the fact that a lot of friends attend such events. This way, I can see my friends while I am working for the event organization. Win-win! Ok, it is not the same experience as normal, but I always try to make some time for my friends. Because that puts me in a good mood, and gives me more energy to focus on creating memories for the other visitors of the festival.
5. You will have the freedom to schedule your own life
As a freelance event photographer, you have the freedom to schedule your own time. Events take place at a certain time, yes, but if you want to go on a vacation no one has to give you permission. Is a certain job not something you feel like doing, don’t worry, you have the freedom to say no to the job.
6. You will love the balance between photographing on location and being able to work from a desk
One day I’m doing my best to create the most beautiful pictures at a certain event, the other day I’m sitting at a friends office, flex working to edit the photos and relive the day. I really like having some balance between the physical photography job during the event itself, and the more relaxed environment where I can concentrate myself to select and edit the photos I made.
7. You might be able to travel for work, and photograph awesome events abroad
Over het last year, my photography has brought me to a lot of places I only dreamt of visiting. For example, I visited a yacht at the Formula 1 in Monaco, went on a corporate business trip to Japan to capture a group that was traveling through the country, went to Turkey to capture the unique festival concept of Magic Break and visited the MWC conference in Barcelona for Vestel, a Turkish electronics brand.
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🙋♂️ About Michiel Ton
Hi, I'm Michiel Ton. Great to meet you!
I am an international festival and event photographer, with a lot of experience in corporate events and festivals. In addition to being a full-time photographer, I also graduated as a teacher of social studies. I have a passion for creating unforgettable memories through my photography!
Let’s familiar👋 What's your story?
Are you interested in International Festival Photography? Nice - let’s connect! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Feel free to send me a DM message or leave a comment. Hope to see you later!
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