Corporate party shoot - I'm freaking out

[Gator_Nutz]

Please excuse this long winded post.
First off, I am definitely an amateur photographer. I was lucky enough to take some nice industrial type photos of my wife's company plant, have prints made and framed, and they bought them to hang in their main offices and reception area. They turned out great, look very nice, and made me happy to have produced them.

Now however, I have been "hired" to shoot their upcoming Corporate Christmas party and feel like I am way over my head. I have already told my wife that maybe I should just do it for free because I don't feel comfortable charging for something that might end up being a total disaster. She keeps telling me it will be fine and they know I am not a pro and that my expectations are a lot higher than theirs are but that is still not too comforting. Obviously I want to do the best job that I am capable of.

I shoot a Nikon D200 and for this I will have 105mm f/2.8, 70-300mm VR, 50mm f/1.8, and a 12-24mm f/4 lenses to choose from. I just ordered a flash bracket from Really Right Stuff (Perfect Portrait Package) and a new SB-800 speedlight. I had an SB-600 but wanted the extra power of the 800 and also the off camera bracket. That is all I have. I have no reflectors or umbrellas or soft boxes or anything like that so it is going to be tough.

Normally I shoot everything RAW and don't usually worry about white balance up front but for this I may end up having to shoot everything JPEG, just because of time constraints and my inability to post process what will surely end up as hundreds and hundreds of images. (They are not paying for post processing anyway) The party is on Saturday evening of December 7th. The following morning I have to leave for a two week training session in Mexico. They want the pictures uploaded to a website so they can all see them and won't want to wait two weeks for that to happen. I'm freaking out more and more just by typing this.

The party is being held at the Safari Texas Ranch in the Sugarland area if any of you are familiar with it. I was at their party last year just as a guest and it is definitely going to be challenging. There will be mostly candid type shots taken of things like people arriving, signing in, greeting each other, and then there will be more portrait type shots taken of certain individuals that want it, standing on the big spiral staircase in the main entryway. A choir will also be performing on these stairs and group shots of them will be needed. Then it's on to the big Texas Ballroom and shots of the awards being presented, company honchos, dancing, food, eating, etc., etc., AARRRRGGGHHHH. The lighting is going to be my biggest obstacle but I suppose that's true in every type of photography situation right?

I guess I was hoping that someone had actually worked in this location before and could just offer up any type of help or advice or warnings or prayers that might help me survive this night and come away with some halfway decent images of their joyous occasion. I keep thinking about it and worrying myself sick over it so who knows, I might just end up backing out altogether. Or at least wishing I had. I never wanted or asked for this to happen. I was perfectly content wandering around Brazos Bend State Park, taking pictures of birds and alligators, not worrying about anyone else's expectations. Now I'm in it up to my neck and just don't know what to do or expect. I'm sure it won't be as bad as I am making it out to be in my head and once it gets going it will probably be fine but for now, just the worrying and the anticipation of the event is almost more than I can stand. I don't see how you professionals do this for a living. It feels too much like regular work and there is way more pressure than I ever intended when I took up this hobby.

If you actually made it through this entire diatribe, I really hope you can offer up any sort of advice or comfort to make the experience a little more fun and a lot less stressful and maybe just some tips or important things to remember while in the heat of the battle. Proper white balance control has me petrified. Thank you for anything. James

[janetg]

james - first of all - don't panic. you've got the right equipment - you've got the know-how - just take the pictures. and charge for it. if you don't feel comfortable charging the usual 100+ per hour that other's would charge - charge them less, but charge them.

i've done some shots on that staircase there, with a d200 and sb800 and they turned out just fine - you don't need anything extra - i didn't even have a flash bracket, just a stofen diffuser.

just try to relax - walk around, look like you KNOW what you are doing, even if you don't. confidence is key. check your histogram - and all should be fine. you COULD do jpg+raw - and tell them the small files are proofs only - if there are any prints ordered you can do that from the raw.

[ndsimm]

Breathe, man, breathe
First of all, NEVER give away anything for free when someone OFFERS you money
second, Corporate parties are fun so have a good time (you are there to work but it is not nearly as stressful as a wedding)
I shoot ALL my parties RAW (RAW images people ) and the processing doesn't take nearly as long as you would think
If possible, bounce the SB800 and you'll get more pleasing lighting rather than straight on
Shoot the D200 in manual and use TTL on the flash and you should get some nice ambient light as well.
I'd offer to help, but I have three parties that week myself. What type of payment arrangements did you make?

[CaptainTom]

James
This is the kind of stuff I do all the time for corporations, etc.
I'll offer the following advice.

1- your anxiety is OK. I still get anxious before dong a big party. But I have found out that good preparation helps lower the fear factor.
2- you have excellent equipment and can produce a fantastic product.
3- KISS = keep it simple (stupid). Unless you are completely comfortable with studio lighting, etc. stay away at this point. Your flash is MORE than adequate for the job. I would suggest a diffuser (Sto-Fen). You've got the RSS bracket. Even if you forget to put a CF in the camera, you'll look like a PRO !! Half the battle is won.
4- have a back up to everything you can. Batteries, CF cards, flashes (you have two now?), lenses on stand by.
5- figure out which lens is going to cover the most territory and stick with it.
I.E. a zoom with wide angle and head shot capability. Remember that you can move in close or back up to increase your lens range. Stay away from a lot of lens changing. It only brings about equipment problems.
6- learn to read your histogram and go by it religiously. Don't count on the LCD to show you if exposure is good or bad, only to show if the eyes were closed, or something growing from someones head.
7- learn how and when to "drag your shutter". Gets some very unique results that others will not have.
8- It will seem like work, because it IS work. You are hired to do the job, and you need to treat it like a job. You will probably know lots of people at the party. Remember that you are the PROFESSIONAL photographer and not just someone with a nice outfit.
9- give directions when necessary. Don't expect people will stand together, smile, put down their drinks ( I don't like drinking or eating pictures and the company doesn't want to show it much either ). Tell them what you want.
10-Be visible. One of the reasons companies hire photographers at events is that it is expected. You are there to lend to the atmosphere. There will be times when people will look for you specifically to take their photo with their spouse, friend, c0-worker, etc. Don't try to be invisible. It's not a wedding ceremony.
11-If there is a master of ceremonies or a DJ, become friends with them. They will alert you to important happenings and even wait for your arrival.
12- Dress comfortably. Even in a tux, the photog can wear black running shoes and fit right in.
13-Did I mention to have backups of everything possible ??

You'll do great. Don't come up to DFW and steal all the corporate gigs, OK ?

[guitarbug]

The way I look at it when I get these type of gigs is this, "I am getting paid to attend a party and take pictures, kool!". I still can not believe the cool events I have been to and have been paid to be there. The biggest and best advice I can give is, Bounce you're flash and drag the shutter to bring out the nice Christmas lights! That and don't forget to get some detail shots of the food and decorations. Also if there is a company logo, do not miss some shots of it, it can be used in a collage later on. Good luck and post a few when you finish.

[Gator_Nutz]

I thank you all so much for the advice, encouragement, and kind words. I'm sure I'm blowing this way out of proportion and it will all end up fine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyways. I do have one of the Sto-fen diffusers for the SB-800 and I also just ordered the Gary Fong LightSphere system just to make sure I have all the bases covered. I have extras of everything I can think of, including my D40 as a backup body. So I will have 2 bodies, 4 lenses, 2 flashes, two diffusers, the flash bracket, tripod if needed, remote cord, extra batteries, extra CF cards, and anything else I can think of between now and then. I'm re-reading the "Using the Nikon Creative Lighting System" Ebook by Mike Hagen to get up to speed with the proper use of the flash and that has helped ease my mind a bit as well.

As for payment, I will be paid $300 for the evening. As I said, I am an amateur and the fact that they are paying me at all feels a bit strange but for the sake of you pros that make a living at this I feel it is an obligation that I be paid for my effort. $300 may be too cheap but I figure during a 4 hour evening I won't be shooting the entire time so it works out ok with me. That is one side of this that I never really thought too much about because I never really pictured myself in that position. I may have to rethink things if it goes well. Thanks again for the fast input. I think I can rest a little easier now. I will be sure to let you all know how it went and post a few samples from the affair.
Thank you,
James Newman

[Cope]

You have the equipment and plenty of time to get set, you will do just fine. But be aware that 12/7/07 is a Friday.

[Gator_Nutz]

See I told you I was freaking out:) My mistake...it's the 8th. Thank you.

[AndrewCCM]

In addition to what everyone else has written.. I would suggest not purchasing a bunch of new stuff that you're not familiar with right before the event.. Ie, flash brackets, Fong dishes, etc.. You want to be comfortable with your equipment and know how it will react. The last thing you want to be doing is fiddling with a new piece of gear that is giving unpredictable results.

When I first started shooting these types of events, I did something similar. I quickly found that the flash bracket has a permanent place on my shelf.. None of the flash modifiers to anything extraordinary over each other..(imo, fong, although brilliantly marketed, makes the light top heavy)...a simple stofen works fine or even a simple bounce card.

The suggestions above are solid and the SB800 / Nikon CLS system is very solid. Bounce the flash.. Practice shooting at slower shutter speeds around the house using the flash (dragging shutter).. When you get comfortable shooting consistently with the flash and at decent ISO/Shutter levels, you'll get some really nice evenly exposed images with lots of holiday ambient light...rather than the deer in the headlights P&S look that everyone else gets with direct flash.

Anyway, good luck... and make sure and practice your flash technique prior.

[Cope]

Originally Posted by AndrewCCM

In addition to what everyone else has written.. I would suggest not purchasing a bunch of new stuff that you're not familiar with right before the event.. Ie, flash brackets, Fong dishes, etc.. You want to be comfortable with your equipment and know how it will react. The last thing you want to be doing is fiddling with a new piece of gear that is giving unpredictable results.

When I first started shooting these types of events, I did something similar. I quickly found that the flash bracket has a permanent place on my shelf.. None of the flash modifiers to anything extraordinary over each other..(imo, fong, although brilliantly marketed, makes the light top heavy)...a simple stofen works fine or even a simple bounce card.

The suggestions above are solid and the SB800 / Nikon CLS system is very solid. Bounce the flash.. Practice shooting at slower shutter speeds around the house using the flash (dragging shutter).. When you get comfortable shooting consistently with the flash and at decent ISO/Shutter levels, you'll get some really nice evenly exposed images with lots of holiday ambient light...rather than the deer in the headlights P&S look that everyone else gets with direct flash.

Anyway, good luck... and make sure and practice your flash technique prior.

I agree, I tried my Stroboframe out at a wedding, and realized I should have played with it at home. Also, remember your SB-800 has a built in bounce card.

[taygull]

Here is one piece of advice and something for you to practice.

I see most amateur photographers making the same mistake when it comes to doing events. They use a much faster shutter speed when using flash then they need.

First thing find out if you can bounce your flash, if not don't worry.

If you can then you know how to position your flash. Use the white card to get a little more light on the face.

Now go home and practice in M mode and first try a setting like 400ISO, a shutter speed of 1/200 and your f/stop at 5.6. Now take 4 pictures of the same subject with just changing your shutter speed. What you will be doing is allowing more ambient light as you slow down the shutter speed, yet you will be freezing the subject with the flash. You will be shocked how slow a shutter speed you can use and still get a sharp subject. Go all the way down to 1/30 or even 1/20 and see what happens.

If the image is still a bit dark then just adjust your ISO to where you are comfortable with the noise.

This works whether you are bouncing the flash or not.

Just remember if 90% of your images come back in focus and framed well then you are in the top 5% of amateur photographers and they will look much better then anything they will have taken.

Don't forget to get pictures of the decorations and stuff like that.

[picman]

Shoot a bunch so you have plenty to edit from. Find out who the VIP's are and give them double coverage.

[jon_k]

I think you're freaking out way too much. You're afraid that since you got paid if you under-deliver you'll be in deep crap.

However, I'm sure you'll take enough 'keepers' to present the client and make them happy, unless you're having a really bad day.

Shoot, treat it like it's being done for free, stay relaxed, and you'll be OK ;-)

[CaptainTom]

Most companies will pick out half a dozen shots and display them on the company website or in the company newsletter. Show people having a good time, but not out of control, and they'll be happy.

[lextalionis]

Oh gosh...this is a great thread...I'm in the exact same boat...just got asked to photo our Friday evening mixer...I've never shot an event. Shooting Canon D40, flash bracket, Speedlite 430EX (stofen), and a choice of: Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS or Canon EF 85mm f1.8.

I need to learn slow shutter sync...I usually bounce in P-mode...but looks like I need to use manual at slower shutter speeds for better results.

-Roy