For a more in-depth look at the image portfolio delivered, see it here.

Who is the client?  

Phil M Jones is a best-selling author, speaker, and trainer known for his Exactly What to Say book. He specializes in teaching practical communication techniques that help people stop counting conversations and start making conversations count. 

I’ve worked with Phil since 2019, capturing branding, live events, product, and book photography for his marketing team. For this shoot, I covered his Exactly What To Say Certification Mastermind, an exclusive event where participants receive personal certification in Exactly What to Say, furthering their mastery of his communication strategies.

Why did they need photos?  

Phil’s team is constantly creating content for online platforms and marketing materials, and the photos from this event were essential to filling that content pipeline. 

The images are used on his website, particularly on the landing pages that promote the Exactly What To Say Certification program. Additionally, the photos serve a dual purpose by providing valuable assets to the participants, who can use them for their own marketing and visual storytelling.

How did we prepare for the session?

Since I’ve photographed this mastermind event over 15 times, there was no need for a lengthy preparation call. I was already familiar with the event structure and key moments that needed to be captured. However, there were a few new elements this time around. 

Phil was meeting with the latest cohort and some existing certified guides the day before the mastermind, so I captured the new Guide headshots along with the usual coverage of their meeting. 

Additionally, an off-site dinner was scheduled for the evening of DAY 1, which required more candid and social photography. I also knew going in that Phil was going to use a new product - roleplay cards - during the facilitation, so I was prepared to jump in and photograph candid moments as participants played along.

What camera gear did you use?

I used the Nikon Z9, rotating between the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses for most of the shots. 

The Profoto A10 flash was my go-to for the 2-day event, providing consistent lighting throughout the sessions as it blended with a considerable amount of window light and overhead bulbs. 

For the headshots of the new guides, I used the 85mm lens paired with my Profoto B1X light, equipped with a 2-foot Octa and 40-degree grid for controlled lighting.

What challenges were faced?
How did you overcome them?

The primary challenge for this event is the repetition of the same room and participants, making it essential to find ways to keep the photos unique and dynamic throughout. I focused on capturing different angles, expressions, and participants’ micro-movements - from leaning back to forward on the chair, from looking down to leaning on their arm, listening to someone speak - which creates unique vantage points when looking at the spaces between each participant. After all, the slightest changes in body posture can affect the entire composition of a photo - in both good and bad ways. 

Additionally, another challenge to tackle was the lighting at the off-site dinner, which was quite dim, requiring me to overshoot with the flash to ensure that the photos were in focus and participants were captured with genuine expressions on their faces. 

Finally, since I’m charged with capturing a variety of photos of each of the participants for the duration of the event, the challenge was to make sure that everyone was represented in the final portfolio, requiring an observant eye during both the session and the culling process. While it’s never a completely balanced portfolio, the goal is to get enough of everyone to provide them with opportunities to share these photos beyond the event itself.

how was visual variety achieved?

The variety in this portfolio is created through a combination of different types of shots: wide, medium, and close-ups of participants listening, engaging with others, and taking notes; Phil presenting from the head of the table and when engaging the whiteboard; and candid moments of interaction during the dinner celebration. 

In addition to the participant photos engaged in various activities, I also captured branded materials like books, workbooks, mugs, and pens, along with the slide deck, to offer alternative visual assets that can be used beyond the marketing of this event.

Describe the post-production process.

Since I was editing same-day during the event, I broke the process into rounds, spending 30-90 minutes at a time shooting, then pulling the card to jump into culling, cropping, and coloring the images while sitting at my home base station. 

Lunchtime provided a lengthy opportunity to catch up with the editing, as there were no new moments to capture. The previous day’s photos were delivered before the next day’s activities started, with the dinner photos from DAY 1 being edited early the next morning. And the final day’s photos were delivered before participants left the space and headed to the airport.

In total, the portfolio contains 1,186 photos, completed with 3 post-production passes.

At the end of the day…

As usual, Phil was pleased with the work, thanking me for both the quality of the photos and the effort I put into shooting and turning around the photos in the way I did. 

Several participants also expressed their appreciation, with a few even showing interest in hiring me for their own branding and event work. 

At the end of the day, good work leads to more work!