As companies and organizations grapple with the pandemic and economic downturn, virtual events are gaining popularity. Especially among performing arts organizations, moving events online is a safe way to keep presenting their work. Whether live-streaming or releasing pre-recorded content, imagery is as essential to marketing as it ever was, if not more so. Virtual event photography draws in new audiences and creates hype about online events, which leads to more viewers, ticket sales, and donations. Virtual event photography can be documentation of the actual event or marketing portraits done beforehand.
Promoting Virtual Events with Photography
I’ve been working with Opera Colorado since I first moved to Denver. Each year, I’ve photographed artist portraits, events, and productions. One of the ways the company is adapting this year, is to present their annual spring concert, Afternoon of American Song, as a series of virtual events on social media. Each Monday, they release a new video of the Opera Colorado Artists in Residence presenting a set from their show. They recorded the performance without an audience in their Opera Center in Engelwood. Last September, we did an ensemble portrait session with the Artists in Residence at Red Rocks. Opera Colorado was able to use the photos from that session to promote their new series! I am so glad that the portraits we created were able to be a part of this exciting event series. You can check out the series yourself on Opera Colorado’s Facebook Page.
These artists weren’t able to complete their residency the way they had planned but I am so happy they were able to present their work and show how far they’ve come this season, through video and social media. I’m also excited they were able to be a part of the student matinee last fall. The student matinee is usually in May, which would have been canceled. This season’s student matinee was Barber of Seville and it’s an opportunity for the Artists in Residence to perform in the lead roles of a mainstage opera. I am so glad I was able to be there to capture it. I’ll be sharing these photos on the blog in a few months!
