Netrunner National Championships: UK Gaming Event photography

One of my favourite events I photographed last year was the Netrunner UK national championships. Netrunner is an asymmetrical card game, with a very cyberpunk feel; my partnerfriend is obsessed with it, and the few times I've played it I've found it really exciting and really complex!

So I was super excited when I was asked to photograph the UK national Netrunner championships in Bristol back in November. Originally due to take place in central Bristol, some flooding damage to the venue meant a last minute swap to the Arts Mansion at Ashton Court - which I've gotta say is a really epic place to photograph a gaming tournament!

I went for a mix of different shots, but in particular for photos which could communicate how it felt to be there on the day, or the vibe of individual games and players. I also tried to get at least one photo of every attendee (or at least, the ones who were wearing red lanyards to indicate consent). And finally I aimed to get some more 'details' oriented shots, such as close-ups of hands holding cards, playmats in use, alt art for sale - basically the sorts of shots that could be easily adapted for marketing materials.

Ashton Court in Bristol is a gorgeous space to work in, and I had a really lovely time playing with different angles, lenses and with my depth of field. It felt like one of those events where I really had the time and space to relax into what I was doing: I'm a big fan of people watching, and photographing a game like Netrunner gave me plenty of time to look for the rhythms in players' expressions and mannerisms. It probably goes without saying, but having the space to observe people properly like that is great basis for documentary event photography!

I'd love to do more events like this - gaming is a big part of my life (though in my case the only gaming events I usually attend are Pokemon related!) and I'd love to incorporate that part of myself into my work a bit more! If you run a gaming group or are holding a big gaming tournament that you would like event photography for, please get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!

Have a look through some of my event photography pages if you'd like learn more about pricing, and see further examples of my work - otherwise you can contact me at nickyebbage@gmail.com, or via my contact form.