Social Events Photography

[sydneyguy30]

.

I have just started a small weekend business in
taking photos at private party- social events.

the simple concept is

a clinet pays me a one of fee
say... $200 for 2 hours work.

i take shots at their party

i spruce up the pics, burn them to dvd
as a slideshow

add music

they have long lasting memories of their special event on a
custome made music dvd slide show.

they also get to keep the copyright (get a cd with jpgs)
to keep.

simple concept yet seems to be working
with the right niche market

.

my question is

as people who are probally all in the line of photo business

can anyone give tips on

a direction i could go into

or a way io can futher better my small business

?


(by the way, i have also got a any commericially released music licence to play music in slideshow)

[dmp-potn]

Hello,

Sounds like a lot of work, but I like the idea. Are you using ProShow Producer (http://www.photodex.com/products/producer/)?

Having a good website with examples of your work and hiring someone to do some search engine optimization for you will help to get the word out. Finding a good source for licensed music is hard; good luck with that one!

[sydneyguy30]

hi mate

.

actually
i am using pro show gold

should i get another one?


yep, iv gote web siet already


alot of work?

u think?


nah, its not that hard, just a few hours input per week after the actual event

a lot easier than what most photographers have to go through
when they do real photo shots !

.

good idea about optimisation on google....

.

about the licening

in australia

there is only one major licnece u can get

i already have it

it allows me to play any song in the entire world that has been officially released on the charts.

its pretty cool



Hello,

Sounds like a lot of work, but I like the idea. Are you using ProShow Producer (http://www.photodex.com/products/producer/)?

Having a good website with examples of your work and hiring someone to do some search engine optimization for you will help to get the word out. Finding a good source for licensed music is hard; good luck with that one!

[liza]

I wouldn't give them a CD of JPEG's. Sell them the slide show and then put the images on the web so you can sell individual prints.

[sydneyguy30]

interestinh remark.

i thought of that

but i want to keep it fair and simple and create a good clinet base first

by just giving the client the jpges on cd and allo them to keep copyright



I wouldn't give them a CD of JPEG's. Sell them the slide show and then put the images on the web so you can sell individual prints.

[liza]

Personally, I'd never give up copyright. You lose money that way.

[ssim]

interestinh remark.

i thought of that

but i want to keep it fair and simple and create a good clinet base first

by just giving the client the jpges on cd and allo them to keep copyright

I'm not sure what kind of parties you are actually catering to. Birthday, high society gatherings, company parties, etc.

Is this a business venture or is it something that you are just doing to have some fun and gain some photographic experience. Being fair, there are more than one party involved in this, you have to be fair to yourself too. Simple, I think this is more an issue for you than them. Do you just not want the dealings with the customer after the fact. Client base, the key word that you used in here to me is the word first. You set prices and conditions now. You are going out and trying to buy business with lower prices and conditions (giving away the jpgs). Lets say that you do ABC Widget company's Christmas party at the conditions that you have set forth here. Then you get busier and you say, hey I should be charging more. When it comes time to doing their party again the following year(s) they say, why has everything changed so much. You need to have some forward thinking and vision of this business venture. If you are going to rely on any amount of word of mouth advertising you will hear allot of "you did their party for 200.00 and they got the disk" and now you want this. If you are working predominantly for friends or friends of friends, I can perhaps put some reason behind the create a good clinet base first comment.

Now it is possible to supply copies of the images on disk without losing your copyright. Do you have any sort of contract that you sign with the customer that outlines the terms and conditions. At the very least are these spelled out in an email or even a "letter of understanding"?

I know that you posted similar questions a few months ago. How has the success rate been. I still cannot tell for sure from any of these posts whether this is something that is a real business venture (helping you make the mortgage payments) or something that you are just having fun with and might help you buy some gear along the way. I know that I tend to sound like a broken record in this forum but if it is a business venture, treat it like one. You don't owe the marketplace anything other than being competitive and providing a qood quality product.

[Vegas Poboy]

I do this type of work weekly and not sure what type of party this is but you're short changing yourself.
In my local market the rate is $75.00 to $150.00 hr
Then a post production charge
Some will include a rights to ownership or a copyright charge, this can vary from photographer to photographer.
Additional cost for Studio lights onsite and extra cds

Think about total man hours and what the images going to be used for before quoting

[dmp-potn]

Hello,

... i am using pro show gold
should i get another one?

...about the licening

in australia there is only one major licnece u can get
i already have it

it allows me to play any song in the entire world that has been officially released on the charts. its pretty cool

ProShow Gold is great, but Producer is the "Photoshop" of slideshow programs. The extra $320 mainly buys you the ability to use layers. You can have up to 100 of them per slide, and each layer can have it's own motion, opacity and other effects.

Like in Photoshop, effectively using layers takes some time to learn (and I'm still learning), but this is really the feature that sets Producer apart from everything else that I've seen on the market. If you have not already, give the demo a try or at least look at some shows that have been created with Producer.

As far as licensing goes, sounds like we need to move to Australia. :)

[PIXI_666]

I am an events photographer and i work for a company...

We take shots at like conferences, chrissy parties, sports events etc. (West coast eagles etc) around the tables like your at a wedding, group shots, couples and singles....then we take the film back to the lab, print them all out and sell them then and there for $10 a pop. We can sometimes make up to $700 worth of sales EACH (sometimes we have 10 ppl working) so you can imagine the commission you can make on that type of money......

This way is simple and easy...because sometimes like last week we had a function with 1400 people!!!

Plus i got to see 100% Kylie on stage, and one of her male dancers spun off the stage into the crowd hehehehehehe i cracked up!!!

Del

[gcobb]

$200 for labor sounds reasonable for 2 hours. I'd not sell them all the prints. I'd remove what I saw to be unacceptable then post process and charge a fee for that. You can spend a lot of time doing that. If they want the pictures to reproduce for their own use, I'd sell them rights for a fee also. Or I'd just give out contact info, put the photos on the web or contact sheets for review then sell to individuals. But $200 for all that work and just handing over photos sounds like you're not making what you're worth.

[Big WIll]

then we take the film back to the lab, print them all out and sell them then and there for $10 a pop. We can sometimes make up to $700 worth of sales EACH (sometimes we have 10 ppl working) so you can imagine the commission you can make on that type of money......

Do you take orders prior to printing? Or just print them out and then try to sell them?

What size would your customer get for $10?


I mainly do charity parties, charge a fee to be there and then sell photos off my website. http://www.esphoto.co.uk/4images

They then get them max of two days later!

Or i print and mount photos on the night/day and sell them on the night like PIXI_666



Cheers

[AussieCat]

can anyone tell me about prodcer photodex??
as per below?


i wann aknow more about your experince with it / features first hand
Hello,


ProShow Gold is great, but Producer is the "Photoshop" of slideshow programs. The extra $320 mainly buys you the ability to use layers. You can have up to 100 of them per slide, and each layer can have it's own motion, opacity and other effects.

Like in Photoshop, effectively using layers takes some time to learn (and I'm still learning), but this is really the feature that sets Producer apart from everything else that I've seen on the market. If you have not already, give the demo a try or at least look at some shows that have been created with Producer.

As far as licensing goes, sounds like we need to move to Australia. :)

[Jon, The Elder]

My version of ProShowGold has layers ability.

Unless you have a ton of money to blow....ProShowGold works just fine.

I have put 250 slides with music synced to transitions together in less than an hour. There are so many options to use that you run the risk of making it too busy for the viewer keep up.

Just download the free trial version and check it out.

[Gary_Evans]

ProShow Gold is great, but Producer is the "Photoshop" of slideshow programs. The extra $320 mainly buys you the ability to use layers. You can have up to 100 of them per slide, and each layer can have it's own motion, opacity and other effects.

Photodex are currently charging $99 to upgrade to Producer if you have had ProShow Gold two years. Downside is they make the offer to you - you cannot ask for it.

However, no harm in calling 1-512-419-7000 and trying ;)

[Actionphotog]

g'day mate
This is what I use.
http://www.pianobrothers.com/
for the music Very reasonably priced.

http://www.photodex.com/products/proshowgold/
This is by far the easiest software I've used
Its an all in one package
by this I mean you can drag and drop photos / music, add captions and fades, Compile the slide show as a VDC, SVCD, an exe, CD, WEB and DVD. You can make a DVD image and from that image you can burn as mean DVD's as you need.
The most photos I've ever had is a slide show was 375 with about 20 music tracks.
It is also very easy once you have started a project to add photos and music.

Good luck

[bigjon0107]

$200 for labor sounds reasonable for 2 hours. I'd not sell them all the prints. I'd remove what I saw to be unacceptable then post process and charge a fee for that. You can spend a lot of time doing that. If they want the pictures to reproduce for their own use, I'd sell them rights for a fee also. Or I'd just give out contact info, put the photos on the web or contact sheets for review then sell to individuals. But $200 for all that work and just handing over photos sounds like you're not making what you're worth.

I agree with this, also make sure that you have the usages spelled out in a contract if you are going to hand over images. The last thing that you want is if you are shooting for a company is to see your images all over promotional material and in possibly ad's (both of which, you should be pad WAY more then $200 for usage). $200 is on the cheaper end, sorry if you posted this somewhere, but don’t forget ALL your expenses. From travel to gear ware and tare (when the flash or shutter fails, you are going to replace it somehow right?). Also another thing with the contract, you should probably spell out everything that you and the client expects in the shoot. If they expect a CD of images, or for you to post the online and make them available for sales? Your prices should actually vary on their expectations. But i would say that the $200 would be good for just labor, plus $xxx.xx or whatever for the CD of images. But it is a good way to get you foot in the door, just make sure that you are valuing your time at a decent rate.

[AussieCat]

hi mate
i like your concept of event photography

can u private me and tell me more about your concept and business tips?

im setting uo a similar business in sydney

Photodex are currently charging $99 to upgrade to Producer if you have had ProShow Gold two years. Downside is they make the offer to you - you cannot ask for it.

However, no harm in calling 1-512-419-7000 and trying ;)

[ianhay]

about the licening

in australia

there is only one major licnece u can get

i already have it

it allows me to play any song in the entire world that has been officially released on the charts.

its pretty cool

can you provide a link to where this licence can be obtained?

[gardenstate]

For your consideration if your DVD videos do NOT have smooth transitions...

For making DVD Video Montages, I use MemoriesOnTV Pro edition (costs about $80 USD)(http://www.codejam.com/index.htm. While it will not support layers as ProShow Gold, it does allow you to port your video output to the PEGASYS TMPGenc Plus video encoder software ($37USD) ( http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/download/tp.html) that makes incredibly sharp output with very smooth transitions. DVD montages shown on our home HDTV are just beautiful!

Like PSG, MOT is very easy to use and add music. They now have a CLIPSHOW option that allows you to use "canned" video sequences with your images.

[mmahoney]

I'd be more concerned initially with how you're going to market your business and find customers.

Where are your customers going to come from seems to be the most important place to start. And perhaps the corporate market will be better paying than the private parties, etc. Companies of all sizes are always having conferences, parties, awards ceromonies, etc. that need coverage.
Cheers,
Mike

[AussieCat]

interesting thoughts guys...

i know for me - the clients will come from advertising in local papers / online business directories.



I'd be more concerned initially with how you're going to market your business and find customers.

Where are your customers going to come from seems to be the most important place to start. And perhaps the corporate market will be better paying than the private parties, etc. Companies of all sizes are always having conferences, parties, awards ceromonies, etc. that need coverage.
Cheers,
Mike

[PhotosGuy]

Keep in mind that, if you sell a Cd of images for them to make crappy prints at the corner drugstore, not only will you lose the sales, but those will be your crappy prints that will be shown to their friends? ;)

[AussieCat]

good point

but i do want people to have a copy of thier images

its not like a wedding where i want to retain the copyright

Keep in mind that, if you sell a Cd of images for them to make crappy prints at the corner drugstore, not only will you lose the sales, but those will be your crappy prints that will be shown to their friends? ;)

[PhotosGuy]

but i do want people to have a copy of thier images I do give the car guys who pay for a shoot files on CD, but I...
1/ resize them for prints & rename them Web_xxx, 4X_xxx, 12X_xxx, etc...
2/... & tell them where they will get the best prints.
3/ AND tell them if they get them anywhere else, to please tell people I didn't make them. ;)

[AussieCat]

iv been using gold only and its great

but i am curious to get producdr to see sample of layers in moption

if any one has any footager of a producer slidewho with motion backdrops id love to see it

My version of ProShowGold has layers ability.

Unless you have a ton of money to blow....ProShowGold works just fine.

I have put 250 slides with music synced to transitions together in less than an hour. There are so many options to use that you run the risk of making it too busy for the viewer keep up.

Just download the free trial version and check it out.

[bigjon0107]

.
they also get to keep the copyright (get a cd with jpgs)
to keep.

You do realize that if you give up the copyrights, you would not be able to do ANYTHING with the image. If you wanted to put it in a portfolio to show potential clients...nope, if you want to host it online for the same reason...nope. Now if you are looking for a way to allow them to make prints, you could have them sign a reproduction contract, stating that they can print the images as much as they like while YOU retain the copyright. If you get an event that a celebrity is there, and you already have the event host getting the copyrights, and you get "the shot" of the night. You would not be allowed to do anything with the image period. Just my 2 cents.

-Jon

[jackies35]

I AM FACING THE SAME THING!! I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE HOWEVER, MY CONTRACT STATES THAT I HAVE OWNERSHIP of all images.

I am taking pictures for someone and I had them review my contract which does say they could not copy, print, but only upload the images I capture for them. It states that I have total ownership and copyrights of all images.

One of the clients (the boyfriend) didn't want to sign or agree because of this. They are paying me $300 for 2 hrs of capturing pictures at a special event.

He wants to pay me A one time fee. He wants all the images on the CD for himself. THE MAIN PURPOSE: TO UPLOAD ON A WEBSITE FOR THEIR BUSINESS.

I doubt if he would ever use it for magazine, books etc... BUT YOU WOULD NEVE KNOW... RIGHT??

I want this gig cause I know I could meet people, celebrities, and get my name out. However, i don't really fully trust him.

So would it be ok to embed my digital signature on each image. Which will show up on every printout. Also, I am using adobe photoshop (metadata) to import and burn these images. My info will be coded and tagged. I am not trying to trick him but I guess I will let them know before I start the gig. Or should I have them sign a contract for reproduction images on a cd. This way, the images are smaller (rebel xt S jpgs), very low resolution (excellent for web viewing), and I still be the sole owner of the original images.

[bigjon0107]

Work it all out in writing, have all changed parts spelled out leaving no grey area possible. If he wants to use them for advertising his business on a website, add some kind of "usage" fee, require watermark, or something that will benefit you as well. The usage fee would be the best bet for you. But with this guy, make sure EVERYTHING is spelled out.

[jackies35]

Work it all out in writing, have all changed parts spelled out leaving no grey area possible. If he wants to use them for advertising his business on a website, add some kind of "usage" fee, require watermark, or something that will benefit you as well. The usage fee would be the best bet for you. But with this guy, make sure EVERYTHING is spelled out.


Yes Indeed! You got that right!!!

Thanks!

[AussieCat]

sweet.

but in australia

the laws area little different

i have done red carpet photography at the MTV awards and tv awards....

and while the host of mtv has allowed in the venue as a media photographer

i do ionfact get to keep the copyright.

mind u, i work for my own business, self employyed.

if say a corporation had hired me, fair enough, its there copyright by default.



You do realize that if you give up the copyrights, you would not be able to do ANYTHING with the image. If you wanted to put it in a portfolio to show potential clients...nope, if you want to host it online for the same reason...nope. Now if you are looking for a way to allow them to make prints, you could have them sign a reproduction contract, stating that they can print the images as much as they like while YOU retain the copyright. If you get an event that a celebrity is there, and you already have the event host getting the copyrights, and you get "the shot" of the night. You would not be allowed to do anything with the image period. Just my 2 cents.

-Jon