We were hired by the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing (VCCMHW) to shoot its 2026 Workforce Development Forum: 'The Learning Workforce: Inspiring Practice Development in Mental Health' - a one day forum bringing together mental health educators from across Victoria. The event featured keynote sessions, workshops and panel discussions; as well as plenty of networking.
Case study - at a glance
Project overview:
Client: Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing (VCCMHW).
Event/type: "The Learning Workforce: Inspiring Practice Development in Mental Health". Conference / forum, corporate event.
Location: Pullman in the Park, East Melbourne.
Objective: Capture authentic images the event that can be used to promote the work of the VCCMHW online, in newsletters, presentations, in annual reports and other communications material.
The Brief
Scope: Photograph the event, including event set up and detail; registration and arrival of attendees; event attendees engaging and networking with one another; the exhibitor displays and attendees engaging with them (and conversations between attendees and exhibitors); keynote sessions and speakers (including VCCMHW co-CEO Sarah Wilson's address) and representative images of the break out and concurrent sessions and presentations (including participation by attendees and the presenters); and the panel discussions.
Style: Prioritising natural and candid imagery: attendees in the moment interacting with one another, diverse representation of attendees, with a mix of wide, medium and close up shots.
Must-have shots: Photos of Sarah Wilson speaking, photos of the audience during the keynote sessions, photos showing the VCCMHW branding and photos of event attendees positively interacting with each other.
Strategy and execution
Equipment used: We traveled light and with maneuverability in mind. We used 70-200 f2.8 for close ups and medium shots, paired with a 24-105 f4 as a back up and for wide angle shots, both paired with a Sony a7 IV. A dismountable camera flash was also used when necessary.
Lighting: Plenty of natural, ambient light was available in the main congregation area which allowed for unobtrusive shooting and allowed for the capture of images showing attendees engaging with one another. Soft stage lights highlighted the speakers during the keynote sessions while lighting was plentiful for audience photos. A flash was used in some of the break out sessions due to the absence of stage lights for the presenters.
Workflow: During the first half of the event, we focused on capturing the must have shots of each session, while spending the morning tea break capturing candid images of attendees. The middle of the day was focused on capturing back ups and ensuring we had everything covered and then some. During the keynote sessions, we spent the first half capturing the key speakers as well as audience engagement, while the second half was spent mostly observing and capturing anything of interest that might arise during the session. We moved between the concurrent break out sessions as they were happening in order to capture representative images of each.
Challenges: The lighting in some of the break out rooms was less than ideal; which was overcome with use of a flash and a quick 'get in, get the shots and get out' approach. A lens mount adapter was also dropped part way during the event, meaning we couldn't use the 70-200 f2.8 lens. Luckily, we still had the 24-105 f4 which proved to be adequate for the majority of the event.
Results and deliverables
What they got: The client asked for a handful of highlight images from the day, specifically images of Sarah Wilson, other keynote speakers and the audience; within 24 hours after the event, and a curated selection of images within a week. We took close to 1,500 images in total during the course of this eight-hour event and culled this number down to around 400, and provided these to the client within 24 hours of the event concluding.
Content use: The resulting series of images provided an extensive suite of assets for use on social media, websites, annual reporting, newsletters, presentations and other communications material promoting the work of the VCCMHW.
Impact: The resulting images allowed the VCCMHW to promote its stakeholder engagement work in the mental health and education space.
Fantastic photographer! Captured our event beautifully and was very responsive and proactive.
The VCCMHW is a statutatory entity established under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic) in response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The VCCMHW's role is to support reform by bringing together evidence, practice and Lived and Living Experience, and helping this translate into meaningful change
We were asked to shoot a mix of candid, professional and engaging images capturing participation, learning, connection and the overall atmosphere of the day; with images used across a range of formats and contexts; including VCCMHW's website, annual reporting, newsletters, social media, presentations and other communications materials.
This included images of attendees networking, speakers and participation in the priority/keynote sessions, people engaging with the various stall holders at the event and representative images of the various breakouts and workshops.
The event was hosted at Pullman on the Park in East Melbourne. The venue was a mixed bag in terms of shooting. While we had no trouble shooting in the main conference room, thanks to soft stage lighting, and in the foyer area that hosted the stalls and where attendees gathered for breaks in between sessions thanks to its ample natural lighting; the sessions in the smaller breakout rooms were a different story, and in these rooms the audience had better lighting on them than the stage areas, which were very gloomy and shadowy.
While as the photographer we can work around this by using a camera flash to illuminate subjects who are speaking on stage; for the audience's benefit, stage lighting on the speakers, presenters and panel discussions would've been most ideal.
For the record, we're not sure whether or not there's stage lighting at all in these smaller spaces or if it just wasn't used on the day (by the looks of photos online it seems to be the latter for at least one of the smaller rooms used as a break out space). Nevertheless, poor lighting is forgivable at a more budget-friendly venue. However, we expect better for an event space at a 5-star hotel; especially when the lighting was great in the main space used for the keynote sessions.
We provide professional event photography and videography services across Melbourne and throughout Victoria, including corporate events, conferences, networking days and more. Get in contact with your event details for a quote.
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