It was a case of first time lucky several times over for Marc James at the Event Photography Awards 2026… the US-born photographer topped two categories, and bagged the Event Photographer of the Year crown.
James's 'Headless Chicken' photo (pictured above) won the Behind the Scenes category while 'Old Friends' was judged to be the best Conferences & Corporate Events image.
And he also took home a check for US$1,350/£1,000/AU$1,900 as Event Photographer of the Year, an additional accolade for having won the Best Portfolio Award.
The Event Photography Awards (EPA) is a not-for-profit competition and showcases the importance of great photography to the international events industry.
For 2026's edition, professional and amateur photographers in over 20 countries submitted more than 2,300 images of events that took place around the world.
18 core categories make up the EPAs and a new Black & White Award was introduced for 2026, sponsored by Digital Camera World magazine.
Another newcomer for 2026 was the accolade of Event Photographer of the Year, awarded in conjunction with the Best Portfolio prize.
View the current and past winners of the Event Photography Awards here.
The ceremony at the Central Hall Westminster in London, UK, was attended by more than 250 guests, but we managed to track down Marc James at the reception afterwards to find out more about his two category-winning photos…
'Headless Chicken' – best Behind the Scenes photo
James was working at the World Halal Food Festival at the London Stadium in the UK, and came across an interesting scene.
"Once in a while, the universe aligns and the stars come together," he explains. "This just came up right in front of me and all I had to do was click the shutter.
"The photograph tells it all: it was a very, very hot day and I felt so bad for this poor young girl. She had worked hard and was suffering.
"I thought it was a fun and cheeky photo but I didn't think it would be so crowd pleasing.
"It's a fun photo, but there was stiff competition – so many great artists entered this year's competition, and there were plenty of great photographs for the judges to pick from."
But there's more to event photography than pointing and shooting. Photographers work very hard to find the right light, notes James, and an angle that will flatter the subject.
"We work very hard to design shots for our clients, and do everything we can to get the best shot possible."
His professionalism and attention to detail saw him go home with more than one award from the Event Photography Awards 2026, though…
'Old Friends' – best Conferences & Corporate Events photo
Another assignment saw James documenting the pre-show networking drinks at the Georgian Group Architecture Awards held at Inner Temple, London, UK.
It was a jovial environment, remembers James, as people were catching up with friends they might not have seen for a while.
"I was set up to take another photograph a little to the right of the two subjects, and out of the corner of my eye I saw these men having a touching moment.
"In my head, it seemed that they'd had a long friendship. You don't see this amount of connection at a lot of corporate events, people showing genuine emotion.
"For a pair of senior men they're quite tactile – you'd think they would be the most stoic, hands-off, people in the room.
"I was glad my exposure was correct and I was able to take the shot very quickly. And there's a lovely symmetry with the lady in red in the background.
"The Inner Temple [in the heart of London's legal district] is a gorgeous venue, too, really well lit and very historic. I was honored to have gotten that job."
But winning this trophy might never had happened… had James's wife not encouraged him to submit it to the Event Photography Awards.
"Initially, I wasn't going to enter it. My wife has got a good eye and is my official photo picker.
"She knows quality when she sees it, and pushed and pushed me to enter it, but I was a bit reticent.
"Looking at the other high-quality entries to the Corporate Events category, I didn't think that 'Old Friends' had a huge chance, but she insisted and I'm glad I listened to her."
Event Photographer of the Year
But there was another gong on the night for James. Having won two categories, come runner up overall and having had many photos shortlisted, he won the Best Portfolio Award, which this year came with the additional accolade of Event Photographer of the Year.
Based in London, James is originally from the US and had a previous career before taking up photography.
"As you can probably hear, I'm not from these parts, but from just outside Boston, MA, and I worked in finance before becoming a photographer.
"My wife and got married around the time of Covid and were waiting for our UK visas to be approved.
"I had an epiphany and didn't want to regret anything later in life, so I decided to give photography my all.
"I jumped in with two feet and was very, very lucky to find some really good mentors who believed in me from the start.
"It was a steep learning curve but with effort, perseverance and a lot of support behind me, it has been a fun ride so far."
Click here to see more of Marc James's photography.
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