How We Shoot Press Show Images

Hero content from real moments

At Another World Media, we shoot press shows like storytellers first and content engines second. Every frame is designed to capture the feeling of the event and be instantly usable across social, press and internal channels.

Start with the story, not the shot

Before we even pick up the camera, we decide what the story of the event actually is. For the Dunelm press show, the story was “playful pattern and joyful colour in a homely space,” so every frame needed to feel warm, welcoming and lived‑in rather than like a clinical showroom.

We map out three simple pillars for every press show:

• The space – how the brand has dressed the room and the first impression they want guests to have.

• The product – hero items styled in context so they look aspirational but real.

• The people – press, influencers and guests interacting naturally with the space.

That narrative becomes our shot list and keeps us focused on meaningful moments instead of random pretty pictures.

Image placement:

Hero image of the overall Dunelm space with striped walls and signage (IMG_7457.jpg) at the top of this section.

Building a visual route through the space

At a press show, you rarely control the layout, but you can control how you move through it with the camera. We design a visual “route” that guides the viewer through the room as if they’re walking it themselves.

For the lamp vignette, we treated it as our opening “hero corner”: bold stripes, layered colour and a strong vertical composition from the floor lamp up to the pendant. We started wide to show how the lights, plants and plinths worked together, then moved in for details like texture in the lamp shades and the woven plant pots.

In the main Dunelm area, we used the striped walls as leading lines, framing the armchair and logo so your eye runs from the sign down into the furniture. That way, even a single frame immediately reads as “Dunelm” and “playful home”.

Working with the light that’s there

Press shows usually rely on mixed ambient light: overheads, practical lamps and daylight from windows. Instead of fighting that, we start by exposing for the natural mood and then make subtle tweaks to keep everything flattering and consistent.

Our approach:

• Use the brand’s own lighting as a feature, not an obstacle.

• Shoot slightly warm so skin tones, woods and textiles feel cosy, then refine the balance in post.

• Avoid harsh on‑camera flash; if we add light, it’s bounced and soft so the images still look like the room you were actually in.

The result is imagery that feels true to the event while still being polished enough for campaigns and PR decks.

Composing for every platform at once

Every angle has to work across multiple formats: editorial coverage, Instagram, LinkedIn, email headers and sometimes in‑store screens.

While we’re shooting, we deliberately collect:

• Clean, wide scene‑setters with space for headlines or logos.

• Tight details that crop well into vertical stories and Reels covers.

• Mid‑shots that hold together in 1:1, 4:5 portrait and 16:9 without losing the subject.

In the seating‑area image, for example, the armchair sits slightly off‑centre so we can crop it square for social, vertical for stories or landscape for web banners without sacrificing the composition.

Real reactions over posed smiles

Brand events live or die on how they make people feel, so we always prioritise genuine moments over stiff line‑ups. We look for laughter, curious glances, hands reaching for textures and products being explored.

With the bouquet shot, we weren’t just interested in “two people holding flowers”; we wanted the density and colour of the arrangements, the warmth between guests and a hint of the wider floral styling in the background. We usually let guests interact naturally, then step in for a quick “micro‑pose” that still feels candid, using fast shutter speeds and short bursts so reactions stay real.

Image placement:

Shooting for your brand, not our portfolio

Every brand has its own visual language, and at press shows we plug into that rather than imposing our own. For Dunelm, that meant leaning into saturated colour and pattern, keeping compositions approachable and ensuring logos and key campaign messages remained visible where they needed to be.

Before every event, we ask two key questions:

1. Where will these images live?

2. What does success look like for you?

Whether that’s a double‑page spread, a press kit, a TikTok thumbnail or a suite of internal comms, it shapes how we frame, how punchy we go with colour and how we prioritise our time on the day.

A simple, low‑stress workflow on the day

Press shows move fast, so our process is designed to give you maximum coverage with minimal disruption.

Our typical workflow:

• Quick walk‑through before doors open to lock in key angles and test exposures.

• Capture hero spaces first, before they get crowded.

• Weave through the event capturing guests, details and any scheduled moments like talks or reveals.

• Deliver an initial selection of hero images quickly for same‑day or next‑day coverage, followed by a full edited set.

We keep our kit lean and our presence low‑key so the event can breathe while we quietly collect everything you need.

Ready to talk about your next press show?

If you’re planning a launch, press day or brand experience and want imagery that feels as good as it looks, we’d love to hear about it. Tell us the story you want guests to walk away with, and we’ll make sure your images tell it long after the event is over.