By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 28 October 2026

Guest with long braids hugging a woman with white hair at the reception, smiling widely as blue light fills the ballroom

Strategic Resource Group held the evening of its Middle East Summit at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. I photographed the summit evening at the Krasnapolsky from the lit façade on Dam Square to the awards on stage.

An evening with a full program and international guests needs someone who works quietly and misses nothing. That is exactly where my business photography in Amsterdam comes in.

Where
Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Dam Square
When
An October evening
Session
Event Photoshoot
Light
Blue stage light and warm lanterns

A Summit Evening Begins on Dam Square

Outside on Dam Square, I framed one of the stone lions of the National Monument against the lit façade of the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. The moon hung above it, so the opening frame of the night came almost by itself.

Inside, a welcome sign with drawn Amsterdam canal houses greeted the guests. At the bar, bottles of Spanish red wine stood ready, because a good reception starts with a glass in hand.

Stone lion of the National Monument on Dam Square at night, the lit façade of the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky glowing behind it
Welcome sign of the SRG Middle East Summit with the Strategic Resource Group logo and a drawing of Amsterdam’s gabled houses
Bottles of Spanish red wine lined up on the bar under violet light, a silver ice bowl glowing softly behind them
Dam Square at night, then the welcome inside

Wine and Warm Welcomes

The reception began with hugs. Guests with name badges on their lanyards embraced and laughed, while blue light washed over the walls.

I moved through the room without asking anyone to pose. As a result, the frames show what really happened: a wide smile, a sip of water between jokes.

Guest in a patterned blouse and glasses smiling with a name badge on her lanyard during the reception of the summit evening

By the bar, three men laughed together, one with a glass of water and one with rosé. That moment was too good to miss.

Three men with name badges laughing together over drinks, one taking a sip of water, at the reception in soft violet light

Dinner Under Blue Light

In the ballroom, round tables in white linen waited under big geometric lanterns. At each place, an awards card lay beside the cutlery, a first hint of what the night would bring. Two screens on either side of the stage glowed in the same blue as the walls.

Glasses of sparkling wine on a dark tray, warm pink light catching the bubbles before dinner in the ballroom
Place setting on a white tablecloth with an awards card, a plate, polished cutlery and wine glasses under violet light
Full ballroom at the Krasnapolsky during the summit evening, guests at round tables under glowing lanterns and blue screens

Soon the tables filled up, and orange and red flowers stood between the glasses. Over dinner, I photographed the tables one by one, because the laughter there tells as much as the program on stage.

Guests laughing at a dinner table during the summit evening at the Krasnapolsky, with wine glasses and orange flowers

At one table, two guests leaned in side by side for a portrait. Behind them, the room was full from wall to wall.

Two guests with lanyards smiling side by side at their dinner table, the ballroom full of round tables behind them
Dinner in the ballroom, under blue light

On Stage at the SRG Middle East Summit

On stage, a live band played with keys, guitars, drums and two singers, while the room listened in the dark. In low light like this, I let the stage lights shape every frame.

Live band on a dark stage with keys, guitars, drums and two singers, the audience in silhouette at the summit evening

For the panel, four speakers sat on stage while a moderator spoke from the SRG lectern. Behind them, a large map of the region filled the blue screen.

Panel of four seated on stage at the SRG Middle East Summit, a moderator at the lectern and a blue map of the region behind

Six guests also stood together on stage, each holding an award, while a man waited at the lectern. That calm row in blue light is the frame I chose to end this summit evening at the Krasnapolsky.

Six guests standing in a row on stage holding their awards at the Krasnapolsky summit evening, a man at the lectern beside them
The awards on stage, in blue light

For organizers, photos like these keep the whole evening together: the welcome, the dinner, the music and the people on stage. Together, they tell the story long after the last guest has gone home.

Planning a summit, a conference dinner or an awards night? Discover how my business photography in Amsterdam works.