The Christmas party is often the biggest evening of the year for the whole company — the one time everyone, from management to the people who just started, is in the same place at once. Behind it are weeks of planning, a venue, food, maybe an artist. And a month later the evening only exists as a few dark phone shots in the group chat.
For whoever pays, the question is simple: did the evening give anything back? The answer lies in how it is remembered. Memory works so that even the best evening fades, and a year later people remember the party the way it looks in the photos. The more alive the photos — colleagues laughing together, departments sharing a table, the CEO right among the team — the better the party itself is remembered. Those photos then live all year: on the intranet, in the welcome email to new colleagues, on the careers page and in the invitation to the next party.
I have been photographing for 15 years and over 3,000 jobs, and in Gothenburg I regularly shoot in nightclubs — the light there is harder than at any Christmas party. Below is what is worth thinking about, so the evening stays in photos.
December is peak season. Fridays and Saturdays between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas go first, often already in the autumn. Weekday evenings and early December are much easier to get.
Send the date, venue, rough number of guests and the programme as soon as you have them — then I keep the evening for you.
The first 30–45 minutes are when everyone looks fresh and happily gets photographed. I shoot the table setting and decor before the doors open, then the guests as they arrive: hugs, mingling, raised glasses.
These are often the photos that end up in next year’s invitation.
If there is a photo wall or nice decor, I photograph everyone who wants it — alone, in pairs and in small groups. If there is none, we find a spot with a good background.
The photos then go on the intranet, LinkedIn and the careers page. Many people get a work photo of themselves they actually like for the first time.
Gingerbread decorating, a Christmas quiz, Santa with presents, games — great to photograph, because people forget the camera and are themselves.
Tell me in advance what happens and when, and I will be in the right place.
The CEO’s speech, colleague of the year, an artist or a band. Stage light is dark and keeps changing — I shoot from several positions and never block the audience.
The best proof that the party worked is the faces in the room: laughter during the speech, applause, the tension before the winner is announced. That is why I photograph the audience, not just the stage.
Towards the end of the evening it gets dark, chaotic and a lot of fun. There I use flash, so faces are sharp and the atmosphere is still there.
Group photos per department or team, quickly and without interrupting the party. Tell me which groups matter, and we take them while everyone is still there — usually before dinner.
A large New Year party in an industrial venue: Christmas decor, a sequin wall, a gingerbread workshop, Santa, ballet on stage, a band and confetti on the dance floor.
The whole evening is in the portfolio: 238 photos from the party — not a selection, the whole evening.
Expect about 100 edited photos per hour. The full set is delivered within 7 days, in sizes for web, social media and print.
I invoice the company, and commercial use of the photos is included. I work under an NDA when needed. No surcharge for evenings or weekends.
Price: SEK 1,500 per hour excl. VAT, minimum 2 hours. Three hours — arrival, speeches and the first dances — come to SEK 4,500 excl. VAT.
Send the date, venue, rough number of guests and the programme. I will tell you whether the date is free and suggest how many hours you need.
As soon as the date is set. Fridays and Saturdays in December go first; weekday evenings and early December are easier to get even at short notice.
SEK 1,500 per hour excluding VAT, minimum 2 hours, with no surcharge for evenings or weekends. Three hours cost SEK 4,500 excl. VAT.
Two to three hours cover the arrival, the speeches and the start of the dancing. If you want the whole evening to the end of the dance floor, plan for four to five hours.
Yes. Commercial use is included: intranet, LinkedIn, careers page, next year’s invitation. I invoice the company.
The full set, about 100 edited photos per hour, is delivered within 7 days via an online gallery.
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