What’s Your Preference?

FGPhotography · #1 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 07:50 AM

First off, Hello!!! =) Missed you guys, I've been super busy lately - kids do that, make ya busy... lol

Now down to business...

Recently an old friend of mine approached me asking if i'd be willing to donate a photography package for a Christmas Gala event (all donations, all the money goes to families who are less fortunate for Christmas). The even is being held on the 25th of this month and after I agreed to donate (I am more than happy and excited to be in a place to help!!!) I then was approached by my friend's boss asking if I'd be willing to do the photography as well for the event itself!!!! This even is $75/person, music, dancing, the whole nine yards!!! I've done weddings, but never anything like this! I plan on taking an assistant with me (she volunteered lol), but can't help but still be nervous!!! I keep trying to tell myself that they saw my work, they like what I can do... I can do it!!! But because this portion of photography is new to me, I am a bit nervous!!!

So two questions here:

1: Any tips?!?!?! Advice?!?!?! I'd GREATLY appreciate it!!!!

2: When you look at my flickr, or website - what do you think?

Thank you for anyone who gets this far!!!! And another thank you for your help/advice/etc!!!! (I just got told tonight that they want me.).

OsmosisStudios · #2 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 12:20 PM

The trick with events like this is what you're doing. If you're going from table to table, then that's very different than if you've got a backdrop setup for groups. Once youve figured that out, then go for it.

zona5101 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 02:17 PM

It will be like a wedding reception, relax & just shoot it! Your website shows you have the skills!

FGPhotography · #4 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

The trick with events like this is what you're doing. If you're going from table to table, then that's very different than if you've got a backdrop setup for groups. Once youve figured that out, then go for it.

From what I understand they want me to do the photographs of the individuals as they're entering so that we can give it to them as a 4x6 with a watermark of the event/my photography information (for if they want to order more) and I -think- I then go from table to table, and around and photograph free-style the rest of the evening to capture the festivities and what not... I'm meeting with the organizer this week to iron out the details.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zona5101

It will be like a wedding reception, relax & just shoot it! Your website shows you have the skills!

Thank you!!! When something this big is given to me (I certainly count this as a blessing!!) I found it's making me re-evaluate and second guess my work... Wedding receptions are a lot of work, but so much fun to photograph - this will have less 'important' moments for me to 'have' to capture, so the stress should be reduced a slight bit, but replaced by the 'new experience'. lol Regardless, I do look forward to it!!!

BigFuzzy · #5 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 03:37 PM

One thing I could suggest, is try to scout out the site and ensure that the "entrance" photo has a decent background (ie, not too busy) and see if you can ensure that your shooting environment is to your liking.

Alternatively, see if there is a little area with a corner or plain wall where everyone entering can be sent for their photos so, again, you have control over the conditions and you can make each shot be something other than "two people standing infront of other people getting flash blasted into their face" sort of shot.

Scout ahead so you know in advance if you can bounce of the ceiling or nearby walls, or if you should use some sort of flash diffuser.

In the end, my suggestion is to be as prepared as possible, the photos will take care of themselves then.

PS you're doing it for free.. anything they get is worth their money, so relax!

Good luck

Swisstony10 · #6 (**permalink**) 06-02-2010, 08:28 PM

I'm doing a very similar thing in a couple of weeks. I got involved with a testicular cancer support group last year (while having treatment, so it's kind of important to me to "give something back"), and we decided to start a charity to help fund some of the services that our oncology centre provides for men going through the same thing.

We're holding a ball (350 people) and I'm doing formal portraits of people, couples, and small groups for the first half of the night, using my normal portable studio setup (9'-wide white background, 4 lights), and we're selling those at £5 for a 9x6 print, which they can have on the night - we're renting a decent dye-sub printer to do it properly, and we need to sell 45 prints to break even, which I reckon we'll do based on the number of people attending. For the rest of the evening I'll be taking pictures of a couple of bits of entertainment that we've got planned, and as we have some national sporting celebrities coming, we're thinking of persuading them to let people have their pictures taken with them (back at the portable studio) which they can maybe autograph - and then sell those too.

I know it's going to be pretty hard work, but it's nothing scary. The formal portrait thing isn't particularly hard - a close-up, a 3/4 length, and a full-length, shot tethered to a laptop so they can view their pictures and pick which one(s) they want a print of, and the rest of it is standard stuff - the same as shooting a band or any other event.

Break it down into all the different bits, and it looks a lot less worrying - you'll be fine!

Russ.