Evening Gala Event

[erinsowinski]

I started off a few months ago just doing family + newborn shoots. I feel like I am just getting a grasp on my standard settings and I was asked to do some shots at a dinner gala in a few months. Normally I wouldn't even think of it but the group attending fit my client profile and I'll get paid (not much) and I get free advertising in the program.

In your experience does doing an event like this pay off? I am tempted just to say no and offer to donate a family photo session to the auction.

Thanks!
Erin

[ssim]

What exactly is your "client profile". When I see this it means that one is very particular about who they will take on as a client.

I do a black tie event each year and donate my time and donate a 20x24 framed print (I pay for the frame as well) for their silent auction that takes place. I donate this way because it is a cause that I firmly believe in as did my wife who was involved in it. I rarely get a call that said saw your ad in the program for this event. I have subsequently sold many of the prints though. I would assume that most people do what I do after coming home from one of these events, the program is either still in my suit jacket or it hits the garbage. After the event you are forgotten, your name travels on that little program into obscurity. The print however is displayed with my name on it and have gotten calls from the way it was displayed at a companies office. Of course if it gets bought by an individual the opportunity for more people to see it is diminished. I like this particular event because it is attended by some of the local heavy hitters in the business community and the prints normally go in the thousands. I am usually confident that it will end up somewhere other than a persons home.

When I donate my time or prints I do it on the basis that this is a donation and not a vehicle to get future sales. I do other events that I just charge for and the results are about the same as far as getting future work form it.

[cwtreloar]

I think being there and interacting with people will really help with the donated photo session. By talking with people, they'll know who you are and that you'd be great to work with for a session!

[RDKirk]

Doing dinner shots you might get a little money from selling those particular images, but don't expect much more from it. At the higher end, people hire specialists, not generalists, and a "dinner shot photographer" is what your specialty will be in their minds.

ssim's anecdote is similar to mine. I also attend a particular black-tie event each year. I do the publicity photography for the ladies organization that stages it (renewed annually each January)--individual shots of the officers and a group shot the guidance committee, usually based on a theme. This year the theme is "Haut Couture," and I've already shot the group as a "behind the scenes" panorama of a Vogue-like cover photography session.

I'll have a 30x40 enlargement of the themed group shot on display at the event, where I'll be a guest as group supporter. Although the group pays me regular rates for the photography, my main intention at the event is to network, and it usually scores me a good number of high-end portrait sessions.

[NwePhoto]

whenever i do events i charge an up-front fee then put all the pictures up on my website so the people who were there can download and print as the please its much easier and you make more money doing it that way...

[erinsowinski]

Thank you for all of the great input! I have decided to pass up this opportunity- it is not in my realm of abilities yet.