I'm finally posting this one. As a Nashville corporate event photographer, I've had sessions sitting in my archive longer than I'd like to admit — and this is one of them. I photographed the Music City Food and Wine Festival in September 2019, found out I was pregnant shortly before, had my baby at the start of 2020, and then the world shut down. So here we are. Better late than never, and honestly the food looks just as good almost seven years later. What I can tell you is that it was hot, I couldn't drink any of the fun cocktails, and no fewer than several people stopped to ask if it was okay that I was working. It was fine — I still had months to go! This was actually my second time photographing the festival — you can see my 2017 Music City Food and Wine coverage here if you want to see what it looked like before I was waddling around with a camera.
Day one of the festival took place at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in downtown Nashville. The main tent was set up with chef stations where attendees could sample food, watch chefs work, and move through the space at their own pace. The evening included a wine tasting event and ended with people dancing as the park lit up after dark — because when you've been eating and drinking all day, apparently that's where things go, and I'm not judging anyone.
My focus throughout the day was on capturing the energy of the event — people arriving, chefs plating and handing out samples, drinks being poured, and the atmosphere of the festival as it shifted from afternoon into nighttime. A big part of Nashville corporate event photography is working the client's branding into images naturally, without it feeling forced. At an event like this, the branding lives everywhere — on signage, on cups, on the tent itself — so the challenge is finding compositions that tell the story of the event while keeping those brand elements present in a way that feels organic.
The other reality of live event photography is managing everything working against you at once: mixed tent lighting, harsh afternoon sun transitioning into low-light evening coverage, constant movement from attendees and chefs, and backgrounds that are never clean. That's what makes it challenging. It's also what makes it interesting. Also there was all the Topo Chico I could drink, which helped.
Festivals and conferences have a lot in common from a photography standpoint. The goal is always the same — document what happened in a way that shows people having a great time, makes the event look like something worth attending, and gives the client images they can use for social media, press, and promotion for the following year.
Day one was heavy on food coverage, chef moments, and the arrival energy of the festival. Day two is coming soon.
If you're looking for a Nashville corporate event photographer for a festival, conference, or experiential event, I'd love to hear about it.