Social Event Photography Needs

[laawaaris]

I am trying hard to break into the Social Event Photography business. I work with 2 Non-Profit organizations currently in different ways.

Right now, I have been simply taking photographs of the event and providing them on a CD. They use it for whatever they want - sometimes to release to local publications for print or for internal use on their website or office walls.

The events I cover are small outings and also mid-size benefit concerts, but I would ideally like to be the person who covers one of the huge gala events - the kind where the price is $500 per head.

I would really like to come up with some strategies that can create value out of the photos above and beyond what is on the disk. So far, I have found a few ways that I can sell the photos directly to the attendees of the social events - which has opened my eyes to hidden cash buried within the photos.

I don't know if anybody else has experience with such organizations, but I have not had a chance to really sit down with them and talk about their needs when it comes to photography. I plan to do so this week - with one of my clients - but I would like to hear what others think since Non-Profits seem to be willing to try different things.

[Howard Barlow]

I don't know your situation, but if I was going to do event photography, I would get a good, fast printer, or two. Shoot and print on-sight. Photograph each couple as they come in. Offer 8x10's, or whatever, with a percentage going to the cause.

I think there would be more sales that way, rather than all money going to you. Plus, getting them right then would be a plus.

Of course, with digital, you only print to order. No wasted film/proofs/time. Ain't that great?

[Breezy]

For the Navy Ball and the like here they charge the "Navy" X amount by the hour and then they charge us couples y amount for package and they usually have 2-3 to choose from. We get them 2 weeks later.

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by Howard Barlow

I don't know your situation, but if I was going to do event photography, I would get a good, fast printer, or two. Shoot and print on-sight. Photograph each couple as they come in. Offer 8x10's, or whatever, with a percentage going to the cause.

I think there would be more sales that way, rather than all money going to you. Plus, getting them right then would be a plus.

Of course, with digital, you only print to order. No wasted film/proofs/time. Ain't that great?

There are some great dye subs out there these days, but you need a sizeable investment to get one that prints up to 8x10s and is quick with great colors. They pay for themself fairly quickly at the right events, though.

[laawaaris]

hey guys thanks for the notes ... i will think about shooting and printing on-site ...

don't know if i will be able to get any printers right now, so i will have to have that as a goal for sometime next year ...

i think in the meantime i may take my monitor with me to the event to show the client the photo - that way may generate a quicker sale so they can see and decide on the spot if they like it

[Breezy]

Bobby at the Navy Ball, they don't force anyone to take the pics.
What they do is have it set up in a seperate room or some where away from the crowd. They are there for x amount of hours and everyone knows that they can order but the order has to be paid in advance. But they don't run the cc until about 2 days before the prints are ready. They must do well this is at least the 3rd year they have done it this way.

Charleston was the same way.
In VA it was a couple of different Photographers cause one whose one camera didn't produce any prints, not sure if his card was bad, no card in camera or what, but the fact that it took them about 2 months to get back to us the Navy dropped them.