CAOS (Crestmead Annual Outdoor Spectacular) is a vibrant, full day community event hosted by PCYC Crestmead. Designed to bring families together through rides, entertainment and local engagement, the event attracts strong community attendance and needs dynamic, respectful coverage.
Verlane Media was engaged to provide professional event photography and licensed drone services throughout the day, delivering a complete visual story suitable for social media, marketing and future event promotion.
- Client: PCYC Crestmead
- Location: Crestmead, Queensland
- Duration: Full day event coverage
- Services provided: Ground photography and licensed drone operations
- Final delivery: 206 professionally edited images ready for social media and marketing use
The Challenge
Community events present a unique operational environment. Unlike controlled corporate venues or construction sites, CAOS was a live, fast moving public space with families, children, rides and constant activity.
The key challenges included:
- Operating drones safely in a populated outdoor environment
- Maintaining compliance with CASA regulations
- Avoiding disruption to rides and attractions
- Capturing authentic moments without photographers becoming intrusive
- Working efficiently in changing light conditions across a full day
Balancing safety, compliance and creativity was critical.
Our Approach
Drone Operations in a Public Setting
Drone use in public environments requires careful planning. Prior to the event, we assessed airspace, crowd density patterns and operational positioning. Flights were conducted in accordance with Australian drone regulations, maintaining safe separation distances and operating only when conditions allowed.
The goal was not to dominate the airspace, but to capture controlled, high impact aerial perspectives that showcased the scale and atmosphere of the event. Strategic launch positions and short, deliberate flight windows ensured minimal disruption while still delivering strong establishing imagery of:
- Ride zones
- Crowd movement
- Vendor areas
- Overall event footprint
Discreet Ground Photography
Event photography at CAOS required awareness and mobility. Rather than staging moments, the focus was on genuine reactions, movement and energy, and interaction between families, rides and the broader community environment.
Photographers positioned themselves deliberately to avoid blocking pathways or interrupting activities. Long lenses and careful timing allowed key moments to be captured naturally without impacting the flow of the day.
Results
By the end of the event, Verlane Media delivered a complete event gallery including:
- 206 fully edited, high resolution images
- Optimised versions ready for social media use
- A mix of aerial, wide crowd coverage and close community moments
- Content suitable for future event promotion and sponsor engagement
The combination of aerial imagery and ground photography documented the event both emotionally and structurally, showing not only what happened, but how the community experienced it.
Why Professional Event Coverage Matters
Community events move quickly, and without structured coverage, moments are easily lost. A planned photography and drone strategy helps ensure:
- Sponsors receive quality exposure
- Future marketing campaigns have usable assets
- Community engagement is documented professionally
- The scale of the event is accurately represented
For organisations like PCYC, these assets remain valuable long after the day concludes.
Call to Action
Planning a community event, festival or public activation in South East Queensland? Verlane Media provides professional event photography and compliant drone services designed to capture atmosphere without disrupting operations.
