Recently I was asked to shoot a prom for a small private school in the area and I was hoping some of you more experienced people could help make sure I have the proper workflow.
The setup
- The school is providing a New York themed backdrop
- Canon 5d MkII
- (1)Einstein E640 (shooting through 48" umbrella)
- (1)AB800 (shooting through 48" umbrella)
- (6) 16GB Lexar CF Cards
- 1D Mark IV as a backup camera
- 70-200mm IS II (too long im)
- 35mm 1.4L (possibly too wide?)
- Rent 50 1.2 or 85 1.2??
General Lighting setup - Basically a butterfly setup
Pre-Sale
I'm offering pre-sale packages at a cheaper rate for obvious reasons. I set up a Pre-Sale page on my website and used edwic for the storefront.
http://www.kinetic-stills.com/iow/
Pre-Sale Pricing
Prom Package #1
$35.00
(2) Poses per couple/individual
(2) 8×10
(8) Wallets
$35.00 in advance
$40.00 at the door (cash only – no checks)
Prom Package #2
$45.00
(2) Poses per couple/individual
(2) 5×7
(2) 8×10
(8) Wallets
$45.00 in advance
$50.00 at the door (cash only – no checks)
Add-On Options To Either Package
(2) 4×5 Prints (+$4.00)
(1) 5×7 Print (+$6.00)
(1) 8×10 Print (+$8.00)
(4) 3×5 Wallets [addition to the 8] (+$6.00)
Additional Pose (+$5.00)
Workflow Pre-Sale
For pre-sales I will already have the information from purchaser. This will include their mailing address and I have also included an additional line for the students name in case their is a difference in last name.
They will get confirmation on their payment and the package they ordered. I will review the package and file it in alphabetical order using the students last name.
When they arrive at the prom, they will fill out a form that tells my assistant they are a pre-paid student. We will then retrieve their information we via our pre-paid filing box.
Once located out assistant will go over the general poses etc.
Workflow At-The-Door
Sales at the door will be paid via Square. I have adjusted the pricing of each package to reflect the charges I will acquire through Square so no profit is lost as well.
Student will walk up to the booth area and I will have forms for them to fill out getting their general information. Once they complete that information, I will have an assistant go over basic poses etc. Once it's their turn I will get the sheet and we will take their pictures. I will then write the image number on the sheet and hand it to my other assistant to file alphabetically using their last name. This assistant will also collect payment. The assistant will then also mark the form as "paid" once the transaction is completed and I may also require the student to sign the form once the payment is complete.
Post Production
Once the Prom is over and I have all of the pictures upload to my machine, I will then submit each order to my vendor to fufill and ship them directly to each students home. All of the images will also be uploaded to Zenfolio or a similar site in case someone wants to order additional photos down the road.
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Questions I Have:
Does my workflow sound efficient?
I plan on doing a fake trial run with a bunch of friends just to see how it goes.
Would you add a 3rd light to the mix?
Any additional tips/advice?
This is my first (prom) rodeo and I haven't had the luck of working with someone else in this type of situation so it's all been about researching the forum and using Google to the best of my ability. Also this might be worthwhile to note for others. I am being paid a flat fee of $450 just to be there with 100% profit from sales. No part of my sales will be returned to the school unless I donate part of the proceed (which I am considering if this is a sucess)
Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated!
