The BCCK Monarch’s Birthday dinners are a long standing tradition and I’ve had the opportunity to photograph them several times over the years. This event, however, had two firsts involved. It was the first time having it be the King’s Birthday rather than the Queen’s, and the first time I’d be photographing the entire event solo! This is a huge one and we usually have a team, but it wasn’t to be this year!
So, over the course of 5 hours, I’d be covering the VIP welcome, the general welcome, four live performances, prize giveaways, the raffle, the photo wall, and all the regular trappings of an event of this size. Let’s just say, this was a busy one!
To ease into it, though, was the VIP welcome. This is a more casual cocktail hour with just a few short speeches and prizes. Having a moment to greet familiar faces and slowly photograph the goings on was the perfect way to warm up for what was to come!
The second section of the event was the BCCK’s Business Awards Presentations. The schedule was incredibly tight and we didn’t have even a moment to pause, pose, and get a clear shot of each awardee on stage. That would need to happen after the fact. So, as each awardee was walking off stage, the next was already on their way up. As soon as the stage section was done and the first course was being served, we quickly pulled everyone over to the photo wall and got our official award shots.
Then, it was back into the room for part three of the event: the birthday celebration. In true British fashion, there were songs, games, prizes, and one of the shortest ambassadorial speeches on record! This event was about celebration and fundraising.
In between all of this, I had been tasked with getting photos of every single raffle prize, sponsored item, sponsor, and any tables who wanted a record of their guests, as well as ducking out to the photo wall on request. So, myself and the BCCK staff were definitely getting our steps in!
There were several performances throughout the evening. But, once the raffle was done and sufficient liquid had been imbibed, the true entertainment began. With the crowd up on their feet and the evening’s entertainers getting them going, I was able to round out the event photos with a bit more of a party atmosphere.
And just like that, the night was over! A few final party snaps later and I was on the bus home to start sorting through the mayhem of the evening! If you’re holding an event in Seoul and need a team to cover it, please do get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.