Event photography: how to get more for your money

Since my photography work is based on an hourly rate (rather than cost per photo), my clients are very aware of two things:

1. ​The information listed on the estimate includes a set cost (it would only change if it takes more or less time)
2. They need to be mindful of what they want and communicate it to me (more communication = more photos)

So here's where a client's mindfulness, planning, and communication come into play - events might be several hours long - and sometimes there's some sticker shock because of that.

​I actually remind clients that my presence at an event that's several hours long potentially isn't the best use of a their money. (Wait, am I asking to be paid less? Am I hurting myself by doing this? No - they usually hire me because they see I'm just trying to be helpful.)

Example: Client A is having a half-day annual conference at the Convention Center. They want photography of two speakers presenting, the crowd's engagement, and one large group photo. Speaker 1 is presenting from 8:30-10am, there's a break from 10-10:30am, and speaker 2 will present from 10:30-11:30am. Most clients would ask for a quote for 3 hours (8:30-11:30am).

Before I go on with how this isn't my recommendation, especially if you have a budget, consider this: think about fireworks photos. While taking them, you think you're getting 50 excellent photos. But when you review them later, they kind of all look the same. That's the secret to event photography unless something special is happening at different times throughout the event. You might not need a photographer for the whole event - just parts of it.

Back to Client A. I'd recommend that I be hired for event photography from 9:30-11am (1.5 hours). Why? I'd get 30 minutes of speaker 1 (and the crowd), I'd ask for 5-10 minutes during the break to take the group photo, then I'd stay for the first 30 minutes of presenter 2's presentation, and also get more photos of the crowd. Now Client A has all the photography they need at half the cost. And at least I get hired by staying within their budget. (And likely they refer me to others because not only do they like my work, but are so pleased with how helpful I was.)

Make sense?

Happy Friday!
​Autumn