Becoming a "Party" tog...?

Aw bless :) To me, thats what its all about. I LOVE looking back on my own photos of nights out, if I can make myself smile without making the effort, imagine what I can do for someone when I am putting in 110% effort. And with a much better camera and kit :D
 
Well kinda got my first gig today :) Only from a woman at work, its her sons May Ball, she wants pics of him and his mates with their dates and the limo :D

Will hopefully be hearing from the village hall tomoro as well :)
 
Indeed! Ain't no stopping me now :D

Thanks Nathan :thumbs:
 
Ok, the meeting was on Monday, and Ive not heard anything, I am hoping its not bad news :p

Should I call them to gee them along a bit? Not sure what would be taking so long :/
 
Just quick update, I still havent heard back from the village hall, so Ill call her this afternoon.

Ive also managed to place an ad with our local community magazine offering portraits. I need the experience, so I wont be charging for my time, just for prints, if anyone wants any of course :)
 
I have mentioned on here before that I once worked with a semi pro. His approach to this was to first get your permission, Then he just wandered around the venue snapping away at the guests, he then made a contact sheet of each film, cut them up to individual shots placed them into a small cheap plastic frame and sold them for 10/-0, 50p. With the photographs being ready, and on display within the hour, this caused a lot of interest.
But not a lot of money, but he did make some good money on the enlargements. And with most of the guests having had a drink he said it was a very easy way of making some cash. This is going back to the days of film, it would be much easier to do now.
Best of luck if you give it a try.
 
Please all bare in mind that any secondary earnings will have to be declared as you have already been allocated your allowance and will be paying Tax and National Insurance based on your main earnings.

Not wanting to put a damper on this but you CAN get yourself into serious trouble if earnings are not declared as income and you are found out at a later date.

A good accountant should be able to offset any profits against the equipment etc.
 
Thanks Double Agent, I currently work for an accountants, so nothing to worry about on that front :)

Ive called the village hall for an update, apparently she never made it to the meeting last week and wasnt sure if anyone put the idea forward, she has to wait for the minutes of the meeting to come back, hey ho. If they say no, they are still happy for me to advertise on their notice boards, that'll do me :)
 
Ive given up on the village hall, too much red tape I imagine :( Ill still get the advert put on on their notice board mind :)

Got a late birthday present today, an uber reflector! Its huuuuuuuuuuuuuge :D
 
That's a shame Betty. You never know, they might come back to once they've had time to go over it?
 
She did say she would let me know, but who knows how long that will be :D

Proactive, not reactive is the key here I think ;)
 
That's a shame, Betty. But don't worry, these things often take time to deliver results, but at least you've got your name out there "in the loop" which is a great step forward. You never know, you may get a call or email out of the blue in a few months because of the groundwork you've done now!

Does anyone know what the score is with release forms for this sort of shoot/event? I've shot sports before and got all team members to sign a release each, it's good to be safe but it really kills any atmosphere having to fill out forms!

Is there an easier way to get everyone released possibly an agreement with the hirers that consent is given by attending the party?

Any ideas or tips would be welcomed!
 
I hadnt given that any thought to be honest.

So what do wedding togs do different? They dont get the whole family and Great Aunt Nellie to sign forms do they? :D
 
I read that weddings are an exception because they are so often photographed and guests expect it.
 
wow well done guys, wish i could pull my finger out and do a bit of this on the side, must be a good experience builder :D
 
Whats stopping you Elektro? I cant wait to get started properly, I am trying to get a little studio together at the moment and its going to be great :D
 
Betty don't write off the website aspect as it being expensive.

There are plenty of low cost ways to do your own website, fair enough it may not be beautiful and as flash as others but as long as its simple, to the point and does what it says it does.. who is to say its rubbish.

I done mine throu MS Frontpage, its all drag and drop stuff and adding links etc. Once you can get to grip with the basics you can improve every stage.

Even if you could use a online photobook to display your work.

I use JAlbum as a means to display my pictures, you drag and drop the images in and it makes the album, then you just drop it onto your web hosts server.

I am still learning mine, and I have moved onto Dreamweaver to further improve my skills and also the design of my website. I would not call myself a pro or an expert and my web skills are limited.

have a look at www.mykweb.co.uk

I am planning getting into this feild as well, to put my skills out there and gain some extra pennies for equipment.

I have my sisters graduation coming up, going to take my camera along and get some snaps and offer my services to some of her friends. ;)

Mike
 
Thanks Mike, the website has been put on hold for the time being, but I have more options now, thanks :thumbs:
 
Eeep, the mag comes out tomoro, wonder if Ill have a flood of calls, or none at all? :D
 
Quick update, Ive got a studio kit on the way, and I have two customers! :)

Ive printed some flyers and I am going to get them up in leisure centres and such this weekend :)
 
Eeeeep! Studio kit has arrived :D

And got a 50th birthday party tomoro night totally out of the blue! Where I work, we have a new receptionist, her husband is a DJ and wants some promotional shots, and is doing a gig for a friend so Ive been invited along! Ill go armed with my business cards ;)
 
SimonTALM said:
Good luck - there is a fair bit of money to be made at such events and if you are a half talented phtogographer with a decent amount of sales skills this really can be a gold mine.

If you are looking at event photography you should look at the cost of hiring / buying a dye sub printer and selling shots on the night. Apparently it's more profitable than simply shooting and selling via the internet. Basically it turns in to an impulse purchase more so if the there is alcohol on tap :D.

Also if you read up on it there is potentially greater profit to be made if you print all the photos and sell the prints rather than viewing on screen and printing to order. All down to the psycology of people actually being able to hold and see the finished article before handing over the cash.

Base your prices on what the event is with black tie being more expensive than a children's show but single photos between £7 to £15 are not uncommon. Remember that 3 for 2 type promotions are always a good way of getting people who would normally buy 1 to pay for 2 (the cost to you of printing 3 rather than 2 is marginal).

Just remember to tell the tax man and that equipment costs are offsetable against tax though an accountant will help here.
Click to expand...

Simon

Super information. A friend and I conquered a prom last night. Again, being organised for event photography is the big thing. I've done it for a couple of years now so can work under the pressure.

Last night we were selling 8 x 6 prints in a strut for £8.00, or 10 x 8 for £12.00 and we went through them like there was no tomorrow!

Again - dye sub printers came into play here and we were able to take the images, edit, select with client and print in under a couple of minutes.

Being quick and handy on the computers / PS does help too - especially when you have a constant stream of cards / images to work with and impatient kids around your feet :lol:

Send me a PM Betty if you want any advice on equipment / setups etc :)

Lee
 
Wow, thanks Lee! Dont think I could manage something like that on my own mind ;)
 
This is something I'm also seriously considering.

If you're printing on the night speed is of the essence ... are you shooting RAW and having to process images? Is this a single person operation?

A phtography company near me has the best local bars sewn up with this type of event photography but I have a few options up my sleeve. I guess I'm a little wary about going it alone when I'm competing against companies such as this: http://www.snappedout.com/

By the way the white balance isn't wrong in the photos ... everyone in West Essex in the trendy bars are David Lloyd orange!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top