The Corporate Event Photography Brief for AGMs and Leadership Summits
By Koby Sirkovich, Head PhotographerA corporate event photography brief is your event schedule with names on it: who must be photographed, when and in which room, and who your contact is on the day. At an AGM or a leadership summit, every moment on the agenda happens once, so the photographer plans the coverage around those moments before the day starts. Ideally, send the final schedule one to two weeks before the event, so any open questions are settled in advance.
Your agenda, with one column added.
- 01ArrivalsFoyerThe room
- 02OpeningMainOn the list
- 03KeynoteMainOn the list
- 04PanelBreakoutOn the list
- 05VoteMainOff camera
- 06Board photoFoyerOwn slot
- 07CloseMainThe room
Running order, not clock times; your times go in the brief. The added column says what each session needs: named people (on the list), general coverage (the room), nothing (off camera), or a reserved group photo (own slot).
The brief usually comes from whoever runs the event: the events lead, the communications team, an executive assistant, or, for an AGM, the corporate secretary's office. It rarely needs a new document. A marked-up agenda with names, times, and rooms gives us most of what we need, and we follow up on the rest.
What goes into a corporate event photography brief
The brief covers five key elements, most of which are already in your event plan:
- The timed schedule. Every session, speech, award, and break, with its start time and room.
- The people on the must-have list. Where each one appears in the schedule, or who on site can point them out.
- What the images are for. The annual report, the internal recap, press, or posts during the event.
- What stays off camera. Areas we should stay out of, and moments you do not want photographed.
- Your contacts for the day. A main contact with a backup, and the AV lead.
Our corporate event photography page covers the rest, including where we work, how many photographers a large conference needs, and delivery timelines.
There are two other types of photography brief. If you are still collecting quotes from photographers, a request-for-quote brief does that job; our free photography brief template gives you one. For headshot sessions, see our guide to writing a headshot photography brief.
Book photography when you book the venue
An AGM's date is not entirely yours to choose. Under the Canada Business Corporations Act, a federally incorporated company holds its annual meeting "no later than six months after the end of the corporation's preceding financial year." Venues are booked early too: the typical planner was "sourcing venues 1.3 years before the event date," according to The State of the Meetings Industry 2024, a Future Partners survey of 479 US meeting planners.
Neither date moves easily once it is set, so book the photographer when you book the room. The earlier we hear from you, the more likely your date is still open with us.
To plan the hours, send a draft schedule when you book. We cover the event as one continuous block, from the first scheduled moment to the last, including the gaps between sessions, and the quote reflects the date, the location, the length of the event, and how you plan to use the images.
One step can add time at booking: if your organization asks new suppliers to sign a code of conduct before their first event, allow a few extra days for it.
The schedule is the shot list
Your schedule already says what happens and where. The brief adds who: the people who must be in the photos, and how we will recognize them on the day.
Who we need to photograph, and when
There are two ways to tell us, and either one works on its own. The difference is timing: a list built into the schedule lets us plan each person's moment before the day, while a contact on site who knows the guests by sight does the same work as the day unfolds.
Two ways to tell us who
Without a written list, we work from the schedule itself: arrivals, the opening, each speaker, the breaks, and the close. Between sessions we photograph the room, and your contact points out key people as needed.
An example from our event work
At one institutional town hall we photographed, the events lead sent a detailed shot list six days before the event. On the morning itself she shared the final details: which entrance to use, where to leave equipment, and where to go first. She also named herself as the main contact and a colleague as backup, so that if she was busy, someone else could point out the next person.
What the images are for
Tell us how you intend to use the images, since this decides which moments go on the list. An annual report needs the chair and the chief executive at the lectern, plus the board together. An internal recap needs the keynotes, the panels, and the audience. Social posts during the event need a small set of images the same day.
The use decides the list
| Moment | Annual report | Internal recap | Social, same day |
|---|---|---|---|
| The chair and the chief executive at the lectern | Yes | ||
| The board together | Yes | ||
| The keynotes | Yes | ||
| The panels | Yes | ||
| The audience | Yes | ||
| The day's highlights | Yes |
If you need images the same day, say so in the brief. For the town hall above, the events lead asked for a rush set of 10 images when she booked, four months before the event. We delivered them on the afternoon of the event.
Planning AGM photography: votes, the webcast, and telling attendees
Which AGM moments stay off camera is your decision: votes, closed sessions, or audience questions, for example. Name them in the brief. Where we stand during the meeting is a separate question. You can leave it to our judgement, or mark areas to keep clear so we do not block the guests' view.
Most large Canadian companies still hold their AGM with people in the room, and a hybrid meeting adds a webcast to work around. ISS STOXX's review of the 2026 Canadian proxy season found that 42 percent of S&P/TSX Composite Index companies held virtual-only meetings in 2026, so 58 percent held in-person or hybrid meetings.
- Held in-person or hybrid meetings
- 58%
- Held virtual-only meetings
- 42%
Source: ISS STOXX, review of the 2026 Canadian proxy season.
At a hybrid meeting, the webcast crew has cameras in the room too. Include their plan in the brief so we can agree camera positions and sightlines with them in advance.
How attendees learn that a photographer will be there is up to you and whoever advises you on privacy. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada puts the principle plainly in Captured on Camera: "you should know when your picture is being taken for commercial reasons, and what your image will be used for." One approach for large events, described in Queen's University's guidance on taking and using images with consent, is a notice on the event website beforehand and another in a prominent spot at the venue. Note your approach in the brief, and we will follow it.
Give the board or leadership photo its own slot
We usually take board and leadership group photos during the event, as long as the schedule leaves room for one. Give the photo its own time, location, and participant list in the agenda, so the time is protected and everyone on the list knows where to be.
When not everyone can be in the room at once, there is an alternative. A group composite is a single assembled image that places individually photographed team members onto a shared background. Our comparison of a group composite and a group photo covers when each one fits.
For the individual portraits a composite needs, we can photograph directors and executives on the event day at an on-site headshot station, or you can book separate executive portrait sessions. Headshots for every attendee need a larger setup, covered in our guide to conference headshot booth requirements.
Stage lighting and the AV team
Two things from the AV team make the biggest difference to stage photos. First, we need time to set our cameras to the stage lighting before the event begins, so colour stays consistent. Second, the light needs to stay steady during the moments on the list, because moving lights change how a speaker is lit between shots. Agree with the AV team on which moments need the lights held still.
- 01Before the event beginsTime to set our cameras to the stage lighting, so colour stays consistent.
- 02During the moments on the listThe light held steady, agreed with the AV team in advance.
Always in the brief · the AV lead's name and contact information
If you also book our event video coverage, our editors can work from the AV team's recording, so note in the brief that we will need access to it.
The final schedule, and the morning of the event
Send the final schedule one to two weeks before the event if you can. That leaves time to confirm session participants, room changes, and group photo timing. If your team is short on time, the day before still works.
From booking to the morning of · not to scale
- When you book the venueBook the photographer too.
- One to two weeks beforeSend the final schedule.
- The day beforeStill works, if your team is short on time.
- The morning ofWhich entrance, where to leave equipment, who meets us first.
The final schedule can arrive the day before if you are stretched. A week or two ahead is what lets us clear up every question before the day. Koby Sirkovich, Head Photographer
On the morning of the event, tell us which entrance to use, where we can leave equipment, and who meets us first. It saves time at the door.
Common questions about briefing an event photographer
What should a corporate event photography brief include?
A corporate event photography brief covers five things: the timed schedule with rooms, the people we must photograph and where they appear in the schedule, what the images are for, the areas and moments that stay off camera, and your contacts for the day (a main contact with a backup, and the AV lead). A marked-up agenda can carry all five.
How far ahead should we book a photographer for an AGM or leadership summit?
Book the photographer when you book the venue. Corporate law bounds an AGM's date and venues are booked early, so the date rarely moves once it is set. More notice gives you more date options.
When does the photographer need the final event schedule?
Ideally one to two weeks ahead, because that leaves time to settle names, rooms, and the group photo slot. If your team is short on time, sending it the day before still works. Send a draft schedule at booking, and we can plan the hours from it.
Can you take the board or leadership group photo at the event itself?
Yes. We usually take board and leadership group photos during the event, as long as the schedule leaves room for one. Give the photo a specific time, location, and participant list. If not everyone can be there at once, we can create a group composite from individual portraits.
Who decides which AGM moments stay off camera?
You decide which moments are not photographed, and the brief records your decision. Examples include votes, closed sessions, and audience questions. Where we stand is a separate matter: you can leave it to our judgement or mark areas for us to avoid, and we follow your instructions.
What if we do not have a detailed shot list?
Your schedule and an on-site contact are enough. We cover the event from arrivals to the close, with your contact identifying key individuals as needed. Adding names and times to the agenda lets us plan each person's moment in advance.
Who should be our contact on the day?
Choose someone who can identify guests by sight, with a backup for when the main contact is busy. Also include the AV lead, since we coordinate stage lighting and webcast positions with them.