KIM &
theMM this is what I do:-
Write and thank the organisers and set out what's expected on the day from both sides. Go to the venue a week before and check out the rooms available to you - find out where the plug sockets are etc.
I ask for the venue to be open from 08:30 on the day of the event and request that bookings are taken in advance from 10:00 through to 17:00 at 20 min intervals with allowances for short comfort breaks morning and afternoon and a half hour for lunch. I explain in the letter that images will be shown immediately after the portraits on a laptop with the opportunity to order and pay on the day. I will take plenty of order forms and price lists. I will have prepared sample photographs in mounts of every different size I do and will display them on exhibition panels erected in another room along with sample frames and canvas prints - my largest is a 30x20 canvas effect in a bespoke frame. Put prices up on the framed samples and then people know exactly what you charge. I suggest in the letter that to ensure people turn up on the day to charge a booking fee of £5.00 per family at the time of booking, which is refundable when they turn up and if they don't, then the School gets the money.
I offer to do the shoot free of charge (mad I know) which puts extra pressure on me to do a good job. I offer the school a percentage of my 'print' sales and as an example, the last 2 schools I did, I managed to donate almost £300 to each of the school funds - you work out if I had a good day!
I put together at least 2 special offers for paying for photographs on the day only. Usually is something like 1 10x8 & 4 6x4 in Avanta Black slip mounts for £28.00, another set for the same price is 1 10x8, 2 7x5 & 2 3 and a half x 2 and a half. I usually leave the percentage offer I give the school open for a couple of months for families to re-order.
My assistant is brilliant and I pay her well. She sets up in another room with laptop, cash box, order forms, exhibition panels with samples velcro'd as well as my insurance certificate and posters reminding people of the special offers.
Families are told that the photographs will be ready in 21 days.
She sets out chairs for people to wait and browse through children and family poses I have used in the past, this works really well as some people bring the book in with them and say we want it like this or that. She also gets them to fill out the top section of the order form with their details and asks them to hand me the sheet as they come in for their photograph to be taken
The set up I use is a 16' x 20' White background, but take my Black background as well as my Blue clouds to shut out any sun rays that sneak in the windows as the sun goes around the classroom during the day.
I have 2 lights on my background and 2 softboxes and a slave to use in front depending on how many are in the family. I have had 2 sets of grandparents with parents and 2 children quite often and even my backdrop is not wide enough, so I PP the light stands out
I use the alphabet to mark up my CF Cards which I have formatted ready and once one family is 'shot' the card comes out of the camera and the letter is marked on their sheet and they hand it to my assistant who loads it into Zoombrowser. For me, it is the quickest software to load RAW images into and create a slideshow for them to view.
Remember Alan, if you decide to do it, create a checklist of everything you need days in advance and keep adding to it, then on the day, tick them off.
If you want copies of any of my correspondence or check sheets, then I will PM you.
OMG! I have just read that back and it rambles on a bit - sorry. I hope it helps.
Gilly Good luck if you decide to do it.
) then go for it. It'd be excellent promotion for you for a start & will give you a chance to establish the fact that you offer more informal portrait sittings too, just something different to the static, standard school shot.
