24/03/2026
GDC San Francisco is over for another year and this has to have been my favourite one so far!
Working on behalf of Xsolla at one of the world's largest B2B gaming conferences, the schedule was set for a busy and exciting experience once more as I embarked on my third straight event with the company and probably the most challenging yet.
With a wide range of events, speaking sessions and moments to capture branding around the city, the week got off to the best start with a ton of sleep in the days prior to my starting day and some fantastic Californian sunshine, which followed me throughout the week I was there.
There's something about the weather that just puts everyone in a great mood and one of the reasons this was probably my favourite GDC so far, was that it put me in a brilliant mood every day and having a great team of staff to work amongst makes GDC an absolute highlight of the year for me.
I go out as a lone photographer, often moving from one event to the next on an hourly basis, but if you know me, you'll know I love to be busy and every task came with it's new challenge or something interesting to capture.
These events test your creativity and for me, I always strive to capture new angles or moments with new enthusiasm and desire to not repeat the same images from previous events. Try something new where possible to keep things fresh.
I'm a sucker for having a great workflow during events, so the challenge was always to take photos, race to my computer, download and edit... then move on to the next job. Keeping this flow and remembering to eat is why I was able to pack in as much as possible during the day without feeling any sense of anxiety and just the feeling of pure adreneline and excitement. I'm in San francisco after all, what's to complain about? :)
So yeah, there you go. That's pretty much my week in San francisco. I mean, throw into the fold a visit to Oracle Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, the odd 9pm whirlpool bath at my hotel, a 3-hour stroll along the embarcardero, a chinese new year parade and countless fun chats with locals and participants and I have myself the best work trip to San Francisco yet... let's see if I get the chance to better it someday :)
A massive thank you to Elspeth Lawson for having me back again and Sally Kevan for guiding me through the speaking sessions. Gabby, for keeping me on my toes with updates about the events and where to be next, but finally, all of the Xsolla team at GDC (too many to mention) that kept me smiling all week and made me feel proud to work for such a fantastic company and remind me why I love being a photographer so much.
Here's a pick of some photos from the event.
*To all prospective clients, keep me in mind for your next event both locally or internationally and visit my portfolio below to get in touch:
www.photosjoetakes.com
Sony
Sony Nordic
San Francisco Giants
Tamron Americas
GAMINGbible