Photographs for vertical social formats from a live event

Social platforms now favour tall, phone-shaped images. A team that wants to post from an event often asks for them. Most cameras shoot wide by default, and a wide photograph does not always become a good tall one. The solution is a short conversation before the event, so that the photographer frames with the output in mind.

This guide is part of our look at choosing photography formats and optional event outputs. It covers how to brief vertical needs so they are planned, not hoped for.

Why cropping alone is not enough

A wide photograph is about 3:2. A tall story format is much narrower. Cropping from one to the other keeps only the middle strip of the frame.

That can lose:

• people at the sides of a group;
• logos at the edges;
• context that makes the moment make sense;
• space for text, which the social team may need.

The guide on portrait, landscape and alternative crops from an event explains how crops work and their limits. If you must crop, ask us what is possible, and do not assume a wide image can become any shape.

Plan at capture

When the photographer knows a tall image is needed, they can frame it that way. They may turn the camera, step back or choose an angle that suits a narrow frame. The result keeps the subject, and may leave room for text.

This planning does not mean every photograph is vertical. It means some are, in the moments that matter to you.

Give a clear brief

A short brief is usually enough. Include:

1. Placements. Stories, reel covers, tall feed posts, carousels.
2. Subjects. Speakers, products, the venue entrance, guests, sponsors.
3. Moments. Arrival, the keynote, a product reveal, the closing.
4. Text space. Where titles or stickers will sit.
5. Count. How many images per day or per activity.

Our portrait format and crop brief helps you note these formats. The corporate photography deliverables planner lists them as separate items.

Compare capture and crop

	Framed tall at capture	Cropped from wide
Subject	Fully included	May be cut
Text space	Can be planned	Depends on the original
Logos	Can be kept in frame	May be lost
Crew effort	Needs a brief and extra frames	None at capture
Best for	Key posts and covers	Occasional extras

Many events use both. Key images are framed tall, and spare images are cropped where possible.

The effect on the main coverage

Taking tall frames adds work. The photographer may take each important moment twice, once wide and once tall. That uses time. Tell us how many tall images you need and which moments, and we will say how they fit with the rest of the coverage. If both matter heavily, ask whether a second photographer would help.

Speed and approval

Social teams often want images within hours. Fast delivery needs quick selection and a named approver. Our live-event rolling photo production planner shows the steps, and the guide on live event galleries or approved post-event collections explains what quick sharing demands. Ask us whether fast vertical delivery can be offered on your date.

A simple example

Imagine a two-day expo for a software company. The social team wants story-format images of the keynote speaker, the demo area and the welcome desk, and a few tall feed images of attendees.

We would suggest that the team send a sample story layout showing a title at the top. The photographer takes tall frames at the three locations, leaving space at the top, and a few tall candids of attendees. A named social manager approves images each afternoon. The tall images are listed in the quotation as a separate output, with an agreed count per day.

Beyond tall

Some placements need wide shapes instead, such as banners. If those matter, read wide banner photographs from an event commission. For website use, the guide on photographs for company websites and annual reports shows what other formats are commonly needed.

What we confirm in writing

We confirm the date, venue, crew, coverage hours and deliverables. For vertical formats we also record the placements, the subjects, the count and the delivery timing. We do not promise that every photograph can be cropped into every shape.

Questions to prepare

• Which placements do you need, and what sizes?
• Which subjects and moments matter most?
• Where will text sit on the images?
• How many tall images per day?
• Who approves, and how quickly?