Event Photography, rush order, and legalities?

[Sonny]

A person from Money Week Houston April 2-9, 2011 has contacted us. She is the event coordinator of Money Week and wants us to 'take pictures' of the festivities, people, and speakers lasting four hours (4pm-8pm) on April 1, 2011.

There is also a chance that some of the Houston Rockets players might show up before their game with the San Antonio Spurs.

So what does she want? She wants 25-35 digital images for their website, a poster, and 5x7 prints (amount yet to be determined). Here's the kicker. She want the digital images the next day on April 2, 2011 so they're available to be viewed by their attendees for the duration of Money Week from April 2-9, 2011.. Yikes!

• I know what I'm charging for my time per hour, the poster, and prints. What I do not know is what to charge her for the digital images and the rush order 'fee'. My usual turn around time is normally 1-2 weeks.
  
• Should I just take the initiative and choose what I think are the best 25-35 images and post process them since she wants these the next day? Or Do I create a web gallery and let her sift through all of them? There's no telling how many photos I'll take in a four hour period.
  
• Am I allowed to sell the digital images of the Houston Rockets players? I'm assuming the members attending will want their photos taken with the players.

Thank you,
-Sonny

[S-Man]

Hmm this is curious. I have read in the past that you cannot sell images you take of them on the court in uniform. But I'm not sure about outside events, and/or in plain clothes.
Something about their likeness being copyrighted or something.
Tagging for curiosity.

IMO about the gallery, many times what I think are the "best shots" the client picks the shots I don't really care for instead. Go figure.
I like to provide a lot of images for options to hopefully make them want more prints, but oftentimes this proves overwhelming for them and they fail to make a decision on what they want. /$.02

[JWCustomPhotography]

Originally Posted by S-Man

IMO about the gallery, many times what I think are the "best shots" the client picks the shots I don't really care for instead. Go figure.
I like to provide a lot of images for options to hopefully make them want more prints, but oftentimes this proves overwhelming for them and they fail to make a decision on what they want. /$.02

While I don't have tons of experience, especially with what you are having to do... I have the same problem, my clients rarely pick the images I would.... But for that quick of a turnaround, i think I'd try and get a feeling for what they want, and pick them myself... I wonder if you could post a gallery, and have them be able to make choices fast enough.

[mercphoto]

Originally Posted by Sonny

[*]Should I just take the initiative and choose what I think are the best 25-35 images and post process them since she wants these the next day?

Pick the 25-35 images you think best tell the story of the day and be done with it.

[*]Am I allowed to sell the digital images of the Houston Rockets players?

Depends. Sell to who? The players? The attendees? Your local newspaper or national magazine?

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by S-Man

IMO about the gallery, many times what I think are the "best shots" the client picks the shots I don't really care for instead. Go figure.

I'm glad it's not just me. This seems to happen all the time.

Originally Posted by JWCustomPhotography

But for that quick of a turnaround, i think I'd try and get a feeling for what they want, and pick them myself

That is a great suggestion. Thank you.

Originally Posted by mercphoto

Depends. Sell to who? The players? The attendees? Your local newspaper or national magazine?

Images containing the Houston Rockets players, I will not be selling prints or digital images to anyone other than the event coordinator to place on their website. Until I get clarification on how this works I will not be selling any images at all that contain the players.