When you shoot a photo at a ceremony, make it matter. "Instead of shooting an award ceremony," suggests Phil Douglis, director of the Douglis Visual Workshops, publicists should "ask themselves who will benefit from the award or check or medal. Then go shoot the benefits. Instead of taking a picture of a man who set up a therapy center for mentally ill people getting a medal for his efforts, good public relations people will go to the therapy center, shoot real people involved in real benefits, and sell the idea to the press. This is the ultimate value of publicity pictures-to sell news, features, benefits-instead of superficial awards and ceremonies."

If you must take pictures of a ceremony, try to have your photos capture the feelings of the people taking part. Aim to show why the ceremony is important: what it means. Ask yourself why this ceremony is different from every other ceremony and how you can show that difference on film. Another question to ask yourself is why you want these pictures. What message are you trying to convey to your audience? How will these pictures carry that message?

For more great ceremony photos (or lack thereof) advice, and for more tips on how to make those ceremony photos really matter see David R. Yale's "How To Get Publicity Photos In Newspapers, Magazines, And On TV"