Event & Exhibition Coverage Guides

Art events do not run like corporate ones, and these guides cover the specific moments that come with them: a developer's public art unveiling, a university gallery opening, an art advisor booking a shoot on a collector's behalf, a book or zine fair table that is not really a booth. Weather, lighting, and the room itself all change what coverage should look like.

Find the guide for your event type. Some walk through what a specific format needs, like an arts award ceremony or a benefit auction. Others cover a variable that can throw off any of them, like bad weather at an outdoor show.

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What a Building's Ongoing Tenant Art Program Needs From Coverage What a Developer's Public Art Unveiling Needs Documented What a University Gallery Opening Has to Prove When an Art Advisor Books the Shoot for a Corporate Unveiling An Art Book or Zine Fair Table Is Not a Booth Photographing an Art Collection Unveiling in a Corporate Lobby Arts Award Ceremony Photography: The Four Seconds That Count When a BID or Arts Council Commissions a Gallery Night What Bad Weather Changes About Outdoor Art Event Coverage Benefit Auctions for Arts Nonprofits: Covering the Ask What to Cover at a Book or Catalog Launch at a Gallery Closing Receptions: Why the End of a Show Deserves Coverage Covering a Collector Salon, Not a Public Opening Covering a Concert or DJ Set Inside a Gallery Covering a December Group Show Without Ranking the Artists Covering a Jury Site Visit Before an Art Prize Is Awarded Covering a Museum's Members-Only Preview, Not a Patrons' Night Covering a New Gallery's Opening Week and Ribbon-Cutting Covering a Panel Discussion vs a Solo Artist Talk Covering a Pop-Up Exhibition in a Non-Gallery Space What a Residency's Final Presentation Night Actually Needs What Changes When a Runway Show Happens Inside a Gallery Covering a Scheduled Talk Inside a Fair Booth Ticketed Artist Lecture Coverage: Prove the Room Was There Covering an Art Fair for the Fair, Not One Booth Covering an Art Opening at an Embassy or Cultural Institute Covering an Artist Residency Open House, Not a Gallery Opening Covering an MFA Thesis Show: One Set Per Graduating Artist Should a Gallery Book Photography for De-Install Day? What Makes Creative Event Coverage Different From Corporate Event Coverage? A Guide to Documenting Your Art Exhibition from Start to Finish Documenting Performance Art: One Take, No Reshoots Documenting a Workshop So It Sells the Next One Fair Week, Not Fair Day: Staffing a Full Week of Coverage Filming an Artist Talk Without Killing the Room's Energy What Changes When a Gallery Opening Has No Reception? Gallery Opening Photography: How to Capture the Energy of Your Opening Night What to Truly Expect When Hiring a Professional Event Photographer in NYC Covering a Creative Agency's Holiday Party, Not a Corporate One Photographing a Holiday Studio Sale Without the Flea-Market Feel How Fast Should Event Photos Be Delivered? When an Art Event Needs Livestreaming, Not Just Recording Documenting a Mural or Public Art Dedication Why the Route Is the Real Shot List for a Gallery Night One Photographer or Photo and Video for a Creative Event? Open Studios Weekend: Covering Many Artists in One Day A Patrons' or Members' Preview Night Is Not a Press Preview Photographing a Packed Gallery Opening: What Changes Photographing a Vendor Booth at a Holiday Market Press Preview vs Public Opening: Two Different Shot Lists Covering a Ribbon-Cutting for a City-Commissioned Artwork What a Museum Membership Program Needs From a Full Season of Coverage Why a September Opener Needs a Different Plan Than July Sizing Event Coverage to the Guest List, Not the Room Small Event Photography in NYC: What Still Needs Coverage Creating Scroll-Stopping Social Media Content for Your Gallery Opening Sponsor Visibility at a Funded Art Event: What's Owed What Changes When a Gallery Opening Moves Out East The Dinner After the Opening: Covering Assigned Seats Three Gallery Openings in One Week Without Losing Distinction A Traveling Exhibition's First Stop Sets the Template Two Gallery Openings, Same Night: How Do You Cover Both? VIP First Hour vs Public Hours at an Art Fair What a Design Fair Needs From Coverage, Not an Art Fair Booth What a Pre-Event Venue Walkthrough Should Actually Settle What an Art Fair Booth Needs From a Photographer What an Event Planner Needs From Art Event Coverage Event Audio Setup: What Video Coverage Actually Requires On Site What Exhibition Documentation Includes: Install, Opening, Deinstall What Grant-Funded Program Coverage Has to Prove for a Funder What Photos Should You Get From a Gallery Opening? What to Tell Your Event Photographer Before the Event When a Gallery Hosts Someone Else's Event in Its Space When Should a Nonprofit Hire a Photographer, Not Use Staff Phones?