Event coverage

There may be certain opportunities for contributing to Wikimedia content by covering cultural, political, or trade events and doing original photography or editing Wikipedia/Wikidata content. This page is to document some of the more notable efforts within the Wikimedia movement, as well as provide pointers to relevant tools and best practices.

Examples of these types of events:

• film, music, or literary festivals
• sporting competitions
• fashion events
• opening ceremonies
• awards celebrations, ceremonies, banquets
• cultural fairs or festivals
• air, boat, or car shows
• political or government gatherings

Issues to keep in mind:

• copyright and trademark of images being captured
• likeness and personality rights of individuals, and whether model release permissions are needed
• photography policy in the physical event spaces, and the use of flash/strobe equipment

Links to examples

• 2009 Press Corps
• 2014 Wiki Loves Parliaments c:Commons:Wikipedians in European Parliament
• 2016 Hay Festival of Books, UK - portraits of book authors, Report
• 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games - sports photography, PDF
• 2024 Sundance Film Festival - portraits of filmmakers, Wikipedia/Wikidata improvement.
  • January 18-24, 2024 - Commons photos
  • Related Wikipedia Day meetup and edit-a-thon, January 27, 2024
• 500 Notable People Project, Wikimedia Ghana User Group
  • In 2022, the group partnered with 3 Music Awards to take photos of Ghanaian musicians, actors, actresses, and celebrities who attended the award show for the 500 Notable People Project
• 2018 Pulitzer Prizes - portrait photos of prize winners at the awards ceremony at Columbia University, New York by Andrew Lih.
  • Selected photos
  • Commons category
• IAA 2017 photography project (supported by Wikimedia Deutschland)

Event types

A list of different event types and considerations for capturing content.

Photography

• Sports photography (specialized equipment needed, zoom lens, fast shutter)
• Red carpet photography (flash, zoom, run-and-gun compact setup)
• Film/music festival (press credentials more important for access, more social engineering needed, dedicated photo studio setup)
• Literary festival (more planning ahead of time, more advanced Wikidata reconciliation)
• Trade shows (press credentials optional but recommended, full frame camera and fast lens recommended for indoors, loong lens for air shows)

Hints

Darn that lanyard!

• A QR code or press info card may be useful to show subjects what to expect
• If at an event, ask them to remove their lanyard or credentials, as that makes for a better shot
• Beware of what is in the background of portrait shots, as they can be distracting or even problematic in terms of copyright or trademark.