Website and annual-report images need real people and activities, accurate captions and enough variety to fit different page layouts. Decide the placements first: banner, article image, report cover or inside page. Then brief subjects and framing for each, and settle approvals before the event. Print size and file questions follow from the placements and are covered in the delivery guides.
A company website changes often, but its images tend to stay for years. An annual report is fixed once printed and is kept as a record. Both ask the same of photographs: show real people and work, and be correct about who and when.
This guide sits within using event photographs for business and reporting. It explains the decisions that shape the commission. File sizes and print checks are covered in event photo delivery, editing and preservation.
Start with placements
Photographs are chosen for places on a page, not in the abstract. List the placements before the event.
| Placement | Shape | What the image needs |
|---|---|---|
| Website banner | Wide | Space for text, a clear main subject |
| Article image | Wide or square | A specific moment, correctly captioned |
| Report cover | Tall | Strong subject, room for the title |
| Inside page | Mixed | Context, people at work, variety |
| Team or leadership page | Portrait | Consistent look, named people |
The corporate photography deliverables planner lets you record each placement and its deadline. If you will need several shapes of the same moment, read portrait, landscape and alternative crops from an event.
What should the images show?
Be specific about subjects. "Our people at the event" is too loose. Better: the opening keynote, the awards moment, small groups in conversation, the exhibition floor, staff helping visitors.
Authenticity matters on a public page. Readers can tell when an image is staged. Candid moments of real activity work better than arranged smiles, although some formal images, such as a leadership group, are useful in their place. Our guide to candid and directed event photography explains the balance.
Who appears, and who agreed?
A public website reaches far more people than the event did. Before choosing images, check who is in them and whether your notices, forms or policies allow public use. Staff, speakers, sponsors and guests may each be treated differently.
Photographs of children, of people in a sensitive setting or of anyone who asked not to be shown need extra care. See permission to photograph and permission to publish.
Law, contract, venue rules and business policy
- Law. The Personal Data Protection Department explains that the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 applies to personal data processed in commercial transactions. Whether and how it applies to a particular image is for your legal adviser.
- Contract. Our quotation sets who may use the images. MyIPO states that copyright protection arises automatically when a work is created, so confirm the licence you need for the website and for print.
- Venue rules. A venue may limit publication of images of its premises.
- Business policy. Your own rules on identifying staff and customers online.
We do not give legal advice. Where a point is unclear, ask your adviser before publication.
Captions and context
A caption should say who, what, where and when, using names and titles checked against a source. In an annual report this becomes part of the record. An image of the wrong event or a wrong title is hard to correct once printed.
Agree a checker before the event. Our guide to accurate captions, credits and event context explains how, and the event photograph caption worksheet records the answers.
An example scenario
For example, a trade association holds a three-day annual conference. Its website team wants a wide banner, six article images and a team page refresh. The annual report needs a cover, eight inside images and a tall image for the chair's message.
The communications lead lists these placements and the shape of each. The brief names the opening session, two workshops, the exhibition and a short portrait session with the committee. The chair's office approves the cover. Captions are checked by the secretariat against the programme. The photographer plans positions that give clear space for text on the wide frames.
How many images and how many alternatives?
Count the placements, then add two or three alternatives for the important ones. A tight list is easier to review and reduces the chance of leaving a weak image in the report.
Our guide to how event photographs are selected for the delivered gallery explains how the delivered set is chosen, and how you can ask for particular subjects.
Print and screen differences
Photographs can look different on a screen and on paper. Brightness, colour and detail change. If the report is printed, plan a proof check with your printer. The guide on why photographs can look different on screens and in print lists what to check. The photograph print size calculator helps estimate the file size needed for a given print size.
What to tell the photographer
- The pages or sections the images are for.
- The shapes and crops you need.
- Subjects that must appear, and those that must not.
- The approver and the caption checker.
- The earliest deadline.
We confirm the date, venue, crew and deliverables in writing before the event.
Checklist
- List each page or section that will carry photographs.
- Note the placement: banner, cover, inside page or article.
- Name the people, teams and activities that must appear.
- State the crops needed: wide, tall, square.
- Mark people and areas that must not be shown.
- Name who approves images and who checks captions.
Send us the pages or sections the images are for, the people and activities that must appear, and your approval owner. We will plan coverage around those placements and confirm it in writing.
Plan images for our site and reportCommon questions
Should we ask for horizontal and vertical images?
Yes, if your layouts use both. Banners are wide, report pages and mobile feeds often use tall frames. Tell the photographer which crops matter, so subjects are framed with space around them. See the guide on alternative crops from an event.
Can any guest appear on the public website?
Not automatically. Attending an event is not the same as agreeing to appear on a public page. Check your notices and your own policy, and exclude people who asked not to be shown. Your legal adviser can confirm what applies.
How many images does an annual report need?
Fewer than most teams expect. Count the pages or sections that carry photographs, then add a few alternatives. A clear list prevents an oversized selection that takes time to review.
Do captions matter if the layout is mostly images?
Yes. Reports are read for years, and a caption may be the only record of who was present and when. Check names and titles against an agreed source before publication.
What about print quality?
Print needs larger files than a website. Tell us early if images will go to print, with the largest size. Technical details and checks are in the delivery guides, and we confirm formats in the quotation.
Plan images for our site and report
Send us the pages or sections the images are for, the people and activities that must appear, and your approval owner. We will plan coverage around those placements and confirm it in writing.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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