Hey, I am Melissa!
Welcome to the companion guide for the webinar. Everything we covered is in here, split into tabs so you can come back to whatever you need, whenever you need it.
Meet your host
Melissa Howard
Photographer, Videographer, Visibility Strategist, Multi-entrepreneur, Host of the Visible(ish) Podcast
With nearly a decade behind the lens and a passion for bringing the life and fun back into showing up, Melissa runs Capturing Curves, a content studio trusted by the UK's biggest business events and brands. She captures visuals that match the energy, style, and magic behind what her clients do, with photo and video that spark connection and pull people all the way in.
Melissa is one of Womanifest's official photographers and is heading into her third consecutive year capturing the magic of this incredible event.
Find me online
Visible(ish)™ Podcast
How to use this guide: Click through the tabs at the top to work through each section. The Night Before and On The Day tabs have interactive checklists you can tick off as you go. Stick the link in your bookmarks and come back to it before the event.
🎁 Free resource for Womanifest speakers
The Event Content Vault
100 easy, plug-and-play content ideas to stretch your Womanifest moment across your feed for weeks. You have done the hard bit by showing up. This helps it last way beyond your spot in the spotlight. Absolutely free.
Grab it here, it is free 🎉
The night before matters.
Do not leave this until the morning. You have got enough going on. Get it done the night before, stick this checklist on your phone, and sleep easy.
0 of 6 tasks complete
✓
Clear 5 to 10GB storage
Video eats storage fast. Do not let a full phone kill your session halfway through.
✓
Switch to 4K at 30fps
iPhone: Settings, Camera, Record Video, 4K at 30fps. Android: Camera App, Settings, Video Resolution, 4K or UHD.
✓
Turn on grid lines
iPhone: Settings, Camera, Grid. Android: Camera settings, Guidelines. Essential for cropping into portrait later.
✓
Do a 10 second test record
Check angle, sound, and that nothing is blocking the mic. Do not skip this one.
✓
Charge everything fully
Phone and power bank. Do not rely on finding a plug on the day.
✓
Pack your kit bag tonight
Phone, power bank, tripod, and microphone if you have one. All in the bag before you go to sleep.
Set up your shot.
You have prepped. Now get the camera sorted before you go on. This takes five minutes and makes all the difference.
0 of 7 tasks complete
✓
Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb on
A phone call mid-session is mortifying. Do both before you hit record.
✓
Clean your lens
A quick wipe on your top is fine. Smears are invisible until you are watching it back and it is too late.
✓
Clip your mic halfway between mouth and chest
Not at the collar, not at the belly. Halfway. That is the sweet spot for picking up your voice without too much rustle or room noise.
✓
Tripod or solid surface, nobody holding it
Nobody can hold their arm steady for 45 minutes while also watching your talk. Get it on something stable.
✓
Camera 1.5 to 2m away, eye level, back camera
Not the selfie camera. Eye level, not floor-up or table-down. Back camera quality is significantly better.
✓
Shoot landscape with grid lines on
Landscape gives you flexibility. You can crop into portrait for Reels later. Shoot portrait and that is your only option.
✓
Lock your focus before you hit record
iPhone: Tap and hold on your face until AE/AF LOCK appears. Android: Tap and hold until the focus square locks. Stops the camera drifting mid-session.
Consent reminder: If your audience will be in shot, give them a quick heads up at the start. Something like, "I am recording today and will be sharing clips online, so if you would rather not be in shot just shuffle to the side." Most people will not move, but you have covered yourself.
Lighting at Womanifest.
The stages and spaces are set, so you are working with whatever you have got. Here is what to expect and how to handle it.
🏕️
Tipi with good light
Tipis can be well lit but the light often has a warm yellowy tint. That is not a problem at all. It can actually look gorgeous and gives your footage a lovely festival feel.
🌑
Tipi, darker
If your space is darker, come in closer with the camera. The closer you are, the less work it has to do. A mid-shot from the waist up will always look better than a wide shot in low light.
📏
Distance
Closer than you think. A mid-shot from the waist up works best for social regardless of lighting. A tiny figure on a phone screen is hard to connect with.
📐
Angle
Straight on is the safest option if someone else is setting it up. If you go for a slight angle, do a run through of your full movement first so you know you stay in frame.
Not working with me on the day? Do a quick test record in your actual space before your session starts. Set up your phone, record ten seconds, then watch it back. Check how the light looks on your face, whether the background is distracting, and whether the audio sounds okay. That two minute check can save a lot of frustration later.
What matters most on the day
📏 Camera distance and framing
75%
Make your footage earn its place.
This is where most content dies. You have got the recording. Now actually use it. One session, done well, should give you weeks of content.
🎬
Reels and TikToks
Pull 30 to 60 second clips where you said something quotable or memorable. Your speaker reel, built event by event.
▶️
YouTube
Upload a longer cut. Workshop content performs well, people search "how to do X" and a live recording builds trust.
💬
Captions
Always add them. Most people watch on mute. CapCut is free and brilliant, and captions make your content accessible.
🎙️
Podcast Episode
Clean up the audio, record a short intro, and you have got an episode. Workshop recordings make excellent source material.
✏️
Quote Cards
Pull 3 to 5 lines that stand alone as thoughts, put them on graphics, post them over the following weeks.
📄
Blog or Newsletter
Transcribe the key points and turn them into a written piece. You have already done the thinking, now get more mileage from it.
✨ Melissa's tip
Even one Reel per event adds up.
Five talks this year, one clip from each, that is five pieces of content showing you in front of a room being brilliant. That is your portfolio, your credibility, and it is worth way more than a perfectly lit studio video that took you a week to make.
Quick editing guides
Import your clip, tap Text, then Auto Captions
Select language, then tap Generate
Edit any mistakes and adjust font and size to match your brand
Export at 1080p or higher
Import landscape clip, tap Edit, then Ratio
Select 9:16 for Reels or TikTok, or 1:1 for square
Drag to reframe so your face is centred
This is exactly why you shot landscape with grid lines on!
🎁 Free resource for Womanifest speakers
The Event Content Vault
100 easy, plug-and-play content ideas to stretch your Womanifest moment across your feed for weeks. You have done the hard bit. This helps it last way beyond your spot in the spotlight. Absolutely free.
Grab it here, it is free 🎉
Melissa's kit picks.
You do not need all of this. But if you are doing events regularly, a few small investments make a big difference. Starter level gets you solid results, pro level is for when you want to step it up.
🎙️ Lavalier Microphone
Clips on and plugs straight into your phone. The single biggest upgrade you can make to your audio. Your voice will be noticeably clearer from the first time you use it.
View on Amazon →🐙 Gorilla Flexible Tripod
Bendy legs that grip onto chairs, rails, poles, and all sorts. Lightweight, easy to pack, and brilliant for festival environments where you do not have a flat surface.
View on Amazon →🔦 Tripod with Light, 53 inch
A solid starter tripod with a built-in LED light. Great if your space is on the darker side. 53 inches tall, which is a good height for most setups.
View on Amazon →🔦 Tripod with Light, 71 inch
Same setup as above but taller. If you are on a raised stage or need the camera higher to hit eye level, this is the one to go for.
View on Amazon →💡 Portable LED Light
If you already have a tripod and just need the light, this clips on separately. Really useful for darker tipi spaces where the ambient light just is not cutting it.
View on Amazon →🔋 Power Banks, twin pack
4K video drains battery faster than you think. This twin pack means you have always got a backup ready. Do not risk running out halfway through your session.
View on Amazon →
🎙️ Pro Wireless Microphone
No cable, clips on, transmitter goes in your pocket. Total freedom of movement and noticeably better audio quality. Worth every penny if you speak or run workshops regularly.
View on Amazon →🎯 Tripod with Tracking and Light
Tracks your movement automatically so the camera follows you as you move around. Brilliant if you do not have someone to help set up and want a fully hands-off solution.
View on Amazon →📷 DJI Osmo Pocket 3
A step up from your phone. Compact, brilliant stabilisation, and gorgeous footage. If you are doing lots of events and want to invest in your content quality, this is where I would start.
View on Amazon →📷 DJI Osmo Pocket 4
The brand new version, just released. If you are starting from scratch and deciding between the two, the Pocket 3 is the more affordable option and still brilliant. The Pocket 4 has upgrades but you are paying for them.
View on Amazon →
👇 Affiliate links
See my full Amazon storefront
All my kit recommendations in one place. Have a browse and pick what works for where you are right now. It costs you nothing extra, but I do get a small commission, which I will absolutely spend on biscuits. Thanks chicas! 💖
Visit Melissa's Amazon Storefront
These are affiliate links. I get a few pennies from Amazon if you buy through them. It does not cost you anything extra.
Want me to do it for you?
You have already said yes to the stage. Let's make sure you leave with the content to prove it. Whether you are on stage, leading a workshop, or holding the space in the Tipi, I will capture the moments that show exactly why people came to see and hear you.
Coverage during your talk or workshop
A gallery of images to choose your favourites from
5 professionally edited photos included
You choose your favourites from the gallery, with the option to add more if there are extra you love.
Book now
Everything in the photography package
Your talk filmed on the day
The strongest moments selected and edited
10 short vertical reels of you speaking
You will receive a selection of clips to choose from, with the option to add more if there are extra you want to keep.
Book now
✦ Optional upgrade
Branded intro and outro clips
Give your speaker reels a next-level, polished feel with custom branded opening and closing clips. One-time setup, reusable on all your future content.
Short branded clips at the start and end of every reel
Your logo, tagline, or colours to keep everything consistent
Reusable on future reels and video content
One-time setup, no need to buy again for future work together
📸 See it in action
Take a look at Womanifest 2025
See some of the brilliant speakers who stepped onto that stage and absolutely owned it. Real moments, real women, content they could actually use the minute they got home.
View the gallery
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The photography is available for anyone at Womanifest. Whether you are speaking on stage, running a workshop, hosting a session, performing, or simply part of the action, it captures you in the moment while you are doing your thing.
The speaker reels work best for people who are on stage delivering a talk or presentation, ideally where you have around 10 minutes or more of you speaking.
Your talk is filmed while you are speaking and the strongest moments are carefully selected and edited into short reels. Think standout ideas, memorable lines, and the moments where the audience really connects with what you are saying.
No. The focus of this package is creating powerful short-form content rather than delivering a full recording of the talk.
Events are wonderfully unpredictable, especially festival-style ones. We have got the elements to contend with, whether that is wind, rain, sunshine, or the way light behaves inside the tents. I work with it.
You will be able to view them from your own private gallery and select which ones you would like to download as part of your package. You can also buy additional bundles of images and reels should you wish.
Because of the amount of filming, editing, and supporting speakers across the whole weekend, delivery is usually within 15 working days, around three weeks.
Events are wonderfully unpredictable, and festivals even more so. I will always work closely with both you and the Womanifest team to make sure I am in the right place at the right time. The aim is always to make sure you leave with something brilliant from your time on stage.
The best part about this is that you are there speaking, sharing, and connecting with the room, not standing there posing for a camera. Most people barely notice I am there, which means you come across far more relaxed and natural on film.
Abso-freaking-lutely. Take a look through the Womanifest gallery and see some of the brilliant speakers who stepped onto that stage and absolutely owned it.
🎁 While you are here, grab this too
The Event Content Vault
100 easy, plug-and-play content ideas to stretch your Womanifest moment across your feed for weeks. Absolutely free.
Grab the free vault 🎉
