In September I photographed History in a Bottle at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, a whiskey night the museum put on with St. Petersburg Distillery. About 40 to 50 guests, a talk on the difference between bourbon and whiskey, tastings, and a raffle to close it out.
What the museum needed
The museum hosts events like this to get people through the doors, so the photos had two jobs. Show the next crowd what the night actually feels like, and give the marketing team images they can use to promote future events and the space itself.
Shooting a dark room
The talk happened with the lights down and the slides up on a big screen. Dark rooms are where a lot of event photos fall apart. The goal was to keep the mood of the room and still get faces clean and sharp.
Then I worked the room the way I always do. Guests at the step and repeat, the pours, the bottles lined up on the table, the raffle drum, people laughing between talks. Nothing staged. If you were there, the gallery looks like the night you remember.
What they got
A full gallery about two weeks later, split into People and Food & Drink so the marketing team could find what they needed fast. The museum's marketing team loved it.
Planning an event in St. Pete?
If you're running a tasting, fundraiser, or member night and want photos your marketing team can actually use, send me the date and the venue. I'll come back with availability and a flat price, usually the same day. You can also see more of my corporate and event work here.
