The brief
Egg Events, the agency producing the DePuy Synthes Leaders Meeting in Dallas, found my site through Google and wrote through the contact form. They needed professional headshots for roughly 220 attendees across three days, with a station that could run alongside a full conference program, plus photography of the evening events.
Two things shaped everything else. The headshots had to be consistent from the first person to the last, because Egg planned to use them in their own materials. And attendance was voluntary, so the station had to be easy enough that people would walk up on their own.
What I built
A white-background station, the same all three days. Egg wanted a clean white backdrop so the images are easy to place in their own layouts. I kept the background and lighting identical for every person so the set looks like one shoot, whether it was taken on Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon.
Walk-up check-in with no appointment slots. Attendees scanned a QR code on a check-in card at the station, entered their details on their phone, and stepped in. Fixed time slots and walk-ups get in each other's way at a conference, so I skipped slots entirely. That is how Headshot Station works, the software I built for this kind of event.
Two lanes. A professional makeup artist worked alongside me all three days, so people who wanted a touch-up got one while the camera kept moving.
Windows that fit the agenda. Everyone was in the main sessions, so headshots ran before the program started, at the breaks and over lunch. The conference schedule decided when the line formed.
The headshots
I photographed 107 people over the three days. Each person received one retouched, high-resolution headshot on the white background.
Every headshot was shot, edited and delivered through Headshot Station, the software I developed for live headshot events. People checked in on their phone, I shot and edited in the same workflow, and each person's finished headshot reached them instantly through their own gallery link.
Three of the 107 headshots, straight from the station.
Beyond the station
I also photographed the conference itself: the welcome dinner at Dallas Union Station, the program on the main stage, and the gala at AT&T Stadium. Egg needed images quickly for their recap video, so I edited and sent a first set of 24 right away. The rest of the edited event images are coming to them as a full gallery.
What I'd tell the next event planner
- Plan for demand, not just capacity. The people who walk up are the people who know it is there. A mention from the stage, signage in the foyer and a line in the agenda do more than a longer shift.
- Check the schedule before the staffing. The program decides when people are free, so the run of show decides how many headshots you get.
- Decide the background up front. If your team will place the images in other layouts, say so. It changes how I light the day.
If you are planning a conference, offsite or leadership meeting in Dallas–Fort Worth, see conference and event photography, or send me your dates and I'll tell you what's open.