Photographing the Orbis Awards 2026 at Cardiff Marriott Hotel
Returning to photograph an annual event is always rewarding. It means the client knows how I work, trusts me to capture the occasion and values the photographs delivered previously.
On 15 October, I photographed the Orbis Awards for a second consecutive year. The 2026 celebration took place at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel, providing a different setting for this year’s event.
Back at the Orbis Awards for 2026
The Orbis Awards bring colleagues together to recognise achievement, celebrate success and highlight the people making a difference across the organisation.
Although this year’s event was held at a different venue, photographing the awards in 2025 meant I already understood the pace of the evening and the importance of capturing more than the presentations alone.
The photographs needed to document the complete occasion—from guests arriving at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel and catching up with colleagues to the speeches, reactions and celebrations surrounding each award.
Being invited back for a second consecutive year was a genuine privilege and a welcome vote of confidence in my event photography.
Event Photography at Cardiff Marriott Hotel
The 2026 Orbis Awards took place at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel in the centre of the city, providing the setting for an evening of recognition and celebration.
My coverage began by documenting the venue, branded details and guests gathering before the main awards programme. These establishing photographs provide context and form an important part of the complete event story.
As the evening progressed, my photography covered:
Guests arriving and socialising
Natural conversations and candid interactions
Venue and branded details
Speakers and presentations
Award announcements and handovers
Winners receiving their awards
Reactions and celebrations
Group photographs
The wider atmosphere of the evening
Alongside the essential presentation photographs, I looked for the spontaneous moments that brought the event to life. These candid images often communicate the energy and character of an occasion better than formal photographs alone.
Photographing a Live Awards Ceremony
Awards ceremonies move quickly, with important moments often lasting only a few seconds.
During each presentation, I needed to capture the award handover, winner, presenter and their reactions without interrupting the programme or blocking the audience’s view.
Hotel event spaces can also present changing and challenging lighting conditions. My approach is to work discreetly while adapting quickly to the available light, stage lighting and movement around the room.
Having photographed the Orbis Awards previously meant I was familiar with the general format, but I still approached the 2026 event as a new story with its own people, interactions and memorable moments.
Telling the Complete Story of the Evening
Good event photography should show more than who received each award. It should communicate what it felt like to be in the room.
Wide photographs established the setting at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel, while closer images captured individual expressions, applause, conversations and reactions.
Together, these photographs created a varied record of the evening—from the anticipation before the ceremony to the celebrations surrounding the winners.
Photographs With Value After the Event
The photographs from an awards evening remain useful long after the final presentation.
A professionally photographed event can provide content for:
Company websites
Social media and LinkedIn
Internal communications
Press releases
Staff recognition
Recruitment campaigns
Sponsor promotion
Annual reports
Marketing for future events
My aim is to deliver a consistent collection that documents the occasion while giving the organisation a versatile library of professional images.
Awards and Event Photography in Cardiff
It was a pleasure returning to photograph the Orbis Awards and documenting another evening of recognition and celebration—this time at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel.
If you’re arranging an awards ceremony, conference, corporate function or company celebration, I provide professional event photography in Cardiff and throughout South Wales.
You can also learn more about my dedicated awards event photography, including the moments covered and how your finished photographs can support your marketing and communications.
