Event Photographer Stoke-on-Trent – Northern Soul All Nighter, King’s Hall
I’ve been working with Stoke-0n-Trent City Council on several event photography and commercial photography assignments. Stoke-on-Trent City Council wanted images of the King’s Hall in Stoke during several events to promote the venue through their website, social media and marketing material.The King’s Hall is a stunning grade II listed building, it’s one of the largest and most imposing municipal buildings in the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent. The building’s life began in 1834 when it was designed by Henry Ward, but the north wing was not built until c. 1842. The inside of the hall is stunning and would suit many occasions including weddings – as a wedding photographer too I would love to cover a wedding here.
The first event on the brief to cover was The Northern Soul – All Nighter, it took place on February 21, 2015. From reading the overall brief this sounded like a great event to cover and I wasn’t disappointed. I arrived at 11:30pm, making myself known to security and any event organisers before stepping inside the main room draped in all my camera equipment.
I’ve never experienced an event like it – the atmosphere, music and dancing was so unique. I had to remind myself that I was there to take images to promote the King’s Hall and not just the Northern Soul aspect. With most commercial and event jobs I want to capture a wide shot or scene setter and then work my way in closer. The King’s Hall had some great vantage points overlooking the ballroom floor where hundreds of dancers were in their groove. The King’s Hall has a stunning ceiling with classic lighting, anyone who visits this venue needs to look up and take it all in. After taking all my wide interior view images I prepared my gear to get in close with the dancers and capture the heart and soul of the event. All the people attending the all-nighter were really relaxed and very friendly, just out to have a great time. New to this type of dancing I stood back for a while to familiarise myself and spot the great photo opportunities. It wasn’t long before I spotted some incredible movers, getting in close was a little risky at times as they kicked their legs high into the air and jumped all over the place. When I had enough from the the dance floor I made my way to the DJ and took some pictures as he flipped through his 45s record collection, keeping the dancers on their feet and the atmosphere alive.
I left the King’s Hall venue with a beat in my step knowing I had a great set of images that showcased the building being used by a great bunch of people enjoying The Northern Soul All Nighter.
Here are a few of my favourites from the evening.