Event photography at The Grand Brighton for the RHS
On Friday 31 October 2025, I photographed the RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals Awards at The Grand Brighton while working as an employee of the Royal Horticultural Society.
This was a full-day event photography assignment with two clear objectives: capture the atmosphere created by the venue, lighting, flowers and event styling, and produce official, press-ready photographs of every finalist group receiving its award.
Selected images were edited and supplied on the day for immediate press and media requirements. The complete collection was processed and delivered within 48 hours.
The assignment at a glance
Organisation: Royal Horticultural Society
Event: RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals Awards 2025
Venue: The Grand Brighton
Date: Friday 31 October 2025
Coverage: Full day
My role: RHS staff photographer
Main requirements: Event atmosphere, décor, speakers, audience reactions and official award presentations
Initial delivery: Selected press images on the day
Complete delivery: Within 48 hours
Intended uses: RHS communications, websites, social media, press, national media and promotional material
Additional audience: Britain in Bloom groups requiring official photographs for their own marketing and local press
The assignment brought together several aspects of professional event and conference photography: documenting a carefully designed venue, working through difficult stage lighting and producing consistent award photographs under considerable time pressure.
The photography brief
Britain in Bloom began in 1964 and has spent more than 60 years recognising the work of volunteers and communities improving their local environments.
The groups attending the UK Finals had already succeeded in their regional competitions before being nominated for the national awards. Many of the guests were volunteers who had spent years improving public spaces, supporting wildlife, involving local residents and bringing people together through gardening.
The room included representatives of Bloom groups from across the UK, regional and national organisers, local-authority representatives and members of the UK Finals judging team.
Some guests had attended previous finals, while others were experiencing their first national Britain in Bloom ceremony or their first RHS event. The brief correctly predicted plenty of excitement, elation and a few tears.
My photographs needed to communicate that emotion while also providing a reliable and complete record of the ceremony.
Capturing the atmosphere and event design
The photography was not limited to people collecting certificates on stage.
A significant part of the brief was to capture the look and feel created through the flowers, lighting, screens, props, table settings and wider event design. These details established the visual identity of the ceremony and helped the photographs feel unmistakably connected to Britain in Bloom.
Before the presentations began, I photographed:
- Floral arrangements and stage decorations
- The illuminated stage and presentation screens
- Tables, props and branded details
- Guests arriving and finding their places
- Conversations between finalists, judges and organisers
- Wide views showing the scale and atmosphere of the room
- Natural reactions as the anticipation built
Wide establishing photographs showed the complete environment, while tighter compositions captured details and individual interactions. Together, they gave the RHS a varied collection suitable for editorial features, social media, press releases and future promotion.
Photographing every award presentation consistently
Every finalist group needed an official photograph collecting its certificate or award with RHS ambassador Arit Anderson.
These photographs were important deliverables rather than incidental moments. The attending groups would use them for their websites, newsletters, social media and local press coverage, so each presentation needed to be clear, flattering and consistent.
Awards ceremonies move quickly. One group may consist of two people and the next of ten or more. People approach from different directions, certificates are held at different heights and the amount of time available for each photograph can be extremely short.
I had to anticipate each group’s arrival, establish the composition quickly and make sure that:
- Every face remained visible
- Certificates and awards could be seen clearly
- Nobody was obscured behind another guest
- The RHS and Britain in Bloom setting remained recognisable
- Expressions looked natural and celebratory
- The photographs were sharp and suitable for press reproduction
- Larger groups remained balanced within the frame
Consistency was especially important because these were the official photographs supplied to the groups. Each finalist deserved the same level of care, regardless of the size of the group or award being presented.
Working with difficult stage lighting
The biggest technical challenge was the stage lighting.
The room looked dramatic in person, with colourful illumination complementing the floral stage design, but the lighting was not consistent across the presentation area. Some positions created bright hot spots, while others were noticeably cooler or darker.
As speakers and award recipients moved across the stage, skin tones, exposure and colour could change within seconds. Bright screens and illuminated decorations also had to be balanced against comparatively darker faces.
I continuously monitored exposure and adjusted to where people were standing rather than relying on one setting throughout the ceremony. Protecting bright highlights was important, but so was keeping faces clean, sharp and correctly exposed.
Changing my position also helped. A small adjustment could reduce glare, avoid a distracting background or place an award recipient in a more consistent pool of light.
I have explained this wider process in more detail in my guide to low-light conference photography, including how I balance speaker movement, stage highlights, high ISO and mixed colour temperatures.
Capturing genuine reactions
The official presentation photographs were essential, but the unscripted reactions gave the finished collection its emotional depth.
The room was packed with people who had invested enormous amounts of time in their communities. Applause, laughter, embraces and tears often happened immediately before or after the formal presentation, so I remained alert when people were approaching and leaving the stage.
Southport in Bloom was named the 2025 Overall Winner after also achieving Gold and winning the Coastal category. Their reaction reflected what the award meant to the volunteers and their wider community.
Let’s Get Grangemouth Clean – The Glitter Team also produced one of the most energetic reactions of the day. The group achieved Gold in the Large Town category and was selected as a Judges’ Highlight for its community spirit.
The official RHS Britain in Bloom results provide the complete list of winners and explain the work recognised by the judges.
These spontaneous moments cannot be recreated. Photographing them successfully depends on understanding the running order, watching what is happening away from the lectern and remaining ready after the expected photograph has been taken.
Speakers and hosts
The ceremony was hosted by garden designer, broadcaster and RHS ambassador Arit Anderson and RHS judge James Alexander-Sinclair.
RHS Director General Clare Matterson also spoke during the event.
Speaker photography required a slightly different approach from the group presentations. I looked for natural gestures, expressions and moments of connection with the audience while keeping the floral arrangements, screens and event branding in the composition where appropriate.
The aim was to produce more than a series of static lectern photographs. The finished images needed to show the speakers’ personalities and the relationship between the stage and the audience.
Same-day press images and 48-hour delivery
The value of event photography often depends on how quickly the images become available.
A selected group of photographs was edited and supplied on the day for immediate communications and possible national-media use. Images were also prepared for potential use in connection with BBC’s The One Show, although I cannot confirm that they appeared in the broadcast.
The complete collection was delivered within 48 hours.
Official award photographs were uploaded to the RHS’s IRIS system and shared with the attending groups through a dedicated collection. This allowed each group to access its photographs for local newspapers, websites, newsletters, social media and other promotional activity.
The wider RHS collection could be used across:
- Press and media communications
- RHS websites and social channels
- Britain in Bloom promotion
- Community-gardening content
- Internal communications
- Future marketing material
- National and regional media enquiries
Fast delivery did not mean sending everything directly from the camera. The images still needed to be selected, colour-corrected, consistently edited, captioned where required and organised so that different audiences could find the right photographs.
For events where rapid communications are important, turnaround and image distribution should be agreed as part of the brief rather than treated as an afterthought.
What should awards ceremony photography include?
A complete awards ceremony collection should cover more than winners standing on a stage.
Organisers will normally benefit from including:
- Venue and décor photographs before guests arrive
- Branding, signage and sponsor details
- Guest arrivals and networking
- Hosts, keynote speakers and presenters
- Wide photographs establishing the scale of the event
- Every official award presentation
- Winners holding certificates or trophies clearly
- Audience reactions, applause and celebrations
- Candid moments between presentations
- Same-day images for press and social media
- A broader edited gallery for future marketing
The correct balance depends on how the photographs will be used. An image intended for immediate press distribution may require a different composition from one being created for next year’s campaign.
My guide to choosing a corporate event photographer explains the practical questions organisers should ask when comparing photographers, including experience, backup equipment, turnaround and image usage.
Frequently asked questions
What does an awards ceremony photographer capture?
An awards ceremony photographer should document the venue, décor, branding, speakers, guests, official presentations, winners and audience reactions. The finished collection should include both formal award photographs and natural images that communicate the atmosphere of the event.
How quickly can event photographs be delivered?
Selected event photographs can often be supplied on the day when required for press or social media. A complete edited gallery will normally take longer. For the RHS Britain in Bloom Awards, I delivered selected images on the day and the remaining collection within 48 hours.
Can photographs be supplied directly to award recipients?
Yes. Delivery should be planned before the event, particularly when several groups or organisations need access. For Britain in Bloom, official photographs were organised into a dedicated collection so the participating groups could use them for local press, websites and marketing.
How do you photograph an awards stage with uneven lighting?
I monitor exposure as people move, protect bright highlights and adjust my position to make the best use of the available light. Mixed or uneven stage lighting normally requires continuous attention rather than one fixed setting for the entire ceremony.
Do you photograph awards ceremonies in Brighton?
Yes. I am based in Hertfordshire but photograph awards ceremonies, conferences and corporate events in Brighton, London and throughout the UK. Travel can be included within a tailored quote.
How much does awards or conference photography cost?
Pricing depends on the duration, location, number of deliverables, image usage and required turnaround. My guide to conference photography costs in the UK explains the main factors and provides current starting prices.
Awards ceremony and event photography across the UK
I provide professional photography for awards ceremonies, conferences, exhibitions, corporate events and public events.
I am based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, and regularly work across London, Brighton and the rest of the UK. My approach is calm and documentary-led, with an emphasis on natural reactions, consistent coverage and images that remain useful after the event has finished.
If you are organising an awards ceremony or corporate event, get in touch to discuss the date, location, brief and required turnaround.
About the Lee Charlton
This assignment was completed while employed by the RHS, where I've spent four years producing and managing photography for marketing, press, events, publications and corporate communications.
That experience meant I understood not only how to photograph the ceremony, but also how the finished images needed to work once they entered the organisation’s image library and were distributed to communications teams, external media and Britain in Bloom groups.
Before working for the RHS, I spent nine years as Global Photography Manager at TUI. Across my career, I have accumulated more than 16 years of professional experience photographing conferences, awards, brands, destinations and corporate events in the UK and internationally.
