Advice on my first paying gig, a client garden party

ChrisMoJo · Jun 23, 2016

Hey all, I'm new and this is my first post so please go easy.

I'm interested in making at least a side job out of photography and filmmaking and I'm hoping for some advice on my first paying gig coming up next month. Some of this might be best posted in the beginners forum as I'm still learning the ropes, so please forgive me if some of this is off-topic.

My wife's boss, a financial advisor, is having a garden party at her home for her top clients, roughly 20-30 people. She asked me to take portraits of the guests (mostly couples) as well as candid shots of the event that she can share with guests and post on her website. I'm just looking for some advice on how to approach an event like this, mainly on thinking like a professional, making a good impression, getting the guests comfortable with the camera, etc., and as a bonus if you have any suggestions for some good types of shots to look out for (or time-wasting or uninspiring/cliché shots to avoid), making the best of my meager equipment (see list below), and anything else it would be appreciated.

I cased the joint last week and we have picked out a nice spot for portraits in front of a flowering bush that will be in full late-afternoon/evening sunlight. But I'm wondering if it will be boring to shoot every portrait in the same location, especially if most or all of them end up being displayed in the same place e.g. her website. Any experience you guys can share on mixing things up to make a collection of similar portraits more interesting would be great.

There is also the issue of a signed release form allowing the images to be used as we see fit. Is there any advice on the protocol here and pointers on approaching it tactfully? I will search around for templates but if you know off-hand of any good ones available on the web I'd appreciate it. Do I even need a signed form for this or is a verbal OK generally fine? It feels overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Here is the equipment I have to work with:

Canon 70D body (Note: only built-in flash, no external)
50mm f1.8 lens
18-55mm kit lens
55-250mm kit lens
Box lights (which I might not use if we are in full light, and might actually make the guests nervous)
Tripod

I'll also bring 3 (fully charged!) batteries and some empty SD cards and will clean everything well beforehand.

I have to say, amateur photography has always been really fun for me, but now that money has entered the equation I'm a nervous wreck! It's not a huge paycheck, but the fact that I'm being paid at all makes me want to conduct myself professionally and end up with something impressive.

Lastly, here is a sample shot I took at the location with the 50mm if you have any comments on whether I can actually shoot and process a decent photo.

Critique away...

Thanks so much in advance if you have read this far and choose to share your wisdom. Either your own experiences or links to articles you've found helpful are all welcome!

- Chris

tirediron · Jun 23, 2016

My most important piece of advice is that you don't take payment for this. Yes, it's great to make money doing something we like, but the minute money changes hands, so do attitudes. Do you have insurance? I'm going to assume you don't. Do you have business license? I suppose not? What happens when someone trips over your camera bag and chips a tooth? That could get really expensive really quickly. As well, what happens if the day goes to s**t? It rains, you miss the shots, your camera dies... whatever.. When you're being paid, you have to take your lumps. If you're there, doing a favour for your wife's boss, and things don't work out then the expectation is significantly less.

I'm not saying don't do this, it sounds like a good experience, I'm just saying don't take payment for it. If she likes the work and wants to treat you and the Missus to a nice supper, or buy you a good bottle of scotch for your trouble, that's great, but at this stage, I would very much keep the business out of it.

With respect to your questions... step one is to look and act professional. This means dressing well (I assume that's a foregone conclusion based on the nature of the event, but you never know...), and speaking like a professional. People you don't know, or who you know are in senior positions should be sir, ma'am, or Mr/Mrs/Ms. Keep your conversation polite, no profanity, avoid slang, etc.

I would concentrate on candids during the main part of the event and have a specific time(s) for portraits. I would also probably try and choose a couple of locations, ideally with an eye to what the lady is wearing; in other words, if she's in a dark green coloured dress posing her against a green shrub might not be the best plan. You're going to need to account for the sun's position and make sure that people aren't facing into the sun or you'll have a gallery full of squinters. I would strongly suggest renting a speedlight & TTL cord for this.

As far as advice on releases & other paperwork, that varies widely by country state/province and even municipality, so without knowing your location it's hard to provide useful advice. Two things strike me about your sample image: (1) The WB is off; she's got a distinct blue cast, and (2) when shooting portraits, the portrait (or vertical) orientation is usually the best. I would add to your gear stable a reflector of some sort; even just a large piece of white Coroplast or posterboard (say 2x3') will help get some light into the faces.

ChrisMoJo · Jun 23, 2016

Great advice, thank you!

You have a point there about not taking payment. I am not insured nor do I have a business license. Honestly this is more of a favor than a true job and the money is essentially a thank-you gift. We haven't even discussed the amount directly but she'll probably offer something like $100 USD, maaaybe $150, and I wouldn't think of accepting it in advance. I could just not bring it up at all going forward, and if she happens to throw me some money, food or drink (all acceptable forms of payment!) then great. And if something goes horribly wrong or the photos suck, I will just appreciate the learning experience.

I did think to dress well and speak professionally but you are right that you can't always assume this haha. What I mostly need is to get a bit more comfortable with approaching strangers like, "Hi there, can I take your picture?" I guess it just comes with experience, and building confidence, which comes from experience, which helps to build confidence, which comes from experience. :S I've watched some pros who can really work a crowd and it's mesmerizing.

Great tips on taking the portraits. I will keep all of that in mind.

I am in Connecticut, USA. I'm not sure if you know the particular laws around here but I have a couple friends in the legal field that might be able to help me with that.

Thanks for the commentary on my sample. I do see that blue tinge, especially in her white shirt, which I have no idea how I neglected. As to the orientation, I'm always thinking in landscape because I work a lot more with video than stills so I'll have to remember to turn the thing sideways once in a while.

I do have a collapsible silver/gold reflector that I forgot to mention so I'll be sure to bring that.

Cheers and thanks again for your reply!

beagle100 · Jun 23, 2016

ChrisMoJo said:
Hey all, I'm new and this is my first post so please go easy. I'm interested in making at least a side job out of photography and filmmaking and I'm hoping for some advice on my first paying gig coming up next month. Some of this might be best posted in the beginners forum as I'm still learning the ropes, so please forgive me if some of this is off-topic.

My wife's boss, a financial advisor, is having a garden party at her home for her top clients, roughly 20-30 people. She asked me to take portraits of the guests (mostly couples) as well as candid shots of the event that she can share with guests and post on her website. I'm just looking for some advice on how to approach an event like this, mainly on thinking like a professional, making a good impression, getting the guests comfortable with the camera, etc., and as a bonus if you have any suggestions for some good types of shots to look out for (or time-wasting or uninspiring/cliché shots to avoid), making the best of my meager equipment (see list below), and anything else it would be appreciated.

I cased the joint last week and we have picked out a nice spot for portraits in front of a flowering bush that will be in full late-afternoon/evening sunlight. But I'm wondering if it will be boring to shoot every portrait in the same location, especially if most or all of them end up being displayed in the same place e.g. her website. Any experience you guys can share on mixing things up to make a collection of similar portraits more interesting would be great.

There is also the issue of a signed release form allowing the images to be used as we see fit. Is there any advice on the protocol here and pointers on approaching it tactfully? I will search around for templates but if you know off-hand of any good ones available on the web I'd appreciate it. Do I even need a signed form for this or is a verbal OK generally fine? It feels overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Here is the equipment I have to work with:

Canon 70D body (Note: only built-in flash, no external)

50mm f1.8 lens

18-55mm kit lens

55-250mm kit lens

Box lights (which I might not use if we are in full light, and might actually make the guests nervous)

Tripod

I'll also bring 3 (fully charged!) batteries and some empty SD cards and will clean everything well beforehand.

I have to say, amateur photography has always been really fun for me, but now that money has entered the equation I'm a nervous wreck! It's not a huge paycheck, but the fact that I'm being paid at all makes me want to conduct myself professionally and end up with something impressive.

Lastly, here is a sample shot I took at the location with the 50mm if you have any comments on whether I can actually shoot and process a decent photo. Critique away...

Thanks so much in advance if you have read this far and choose to share your wisdom. Either your own experiences or links to articles you've found helpful are all welcome!

- Chris

if this is the wife's boss you should consider doing it for free. (don't jeopardize her job!)
For portraits look at getting a longer focal length lens - 100mm, 150mm, etc.
and shoot in RAW so you can adjust WB, sharpening, etc

DandL · Jun 23, 2016

ChrisMoJo said:
Hey all, I'm new and this is my first post so please go easy. I'm interested in making at least a side job out of photography and filmmaking and I'm hoping for some advice on my first paying gig coming up next month. Some of this might be best posted in the beginners forum as I'm still learning the ropes, so please forgive me if some of this is off-topic.

My wife's boss, a financial advisor, is having a garden party at her home for her top clients, roughly 20-30 people. She asked me to take portraits of the guests (mostly couples) as well as candid shots of the event that she can share with guests and post on her website. I'm just looking for some advice on how to approach an event like this, mainly on thinking like a professional, making a good impression, getting the guests comfortable with the camera, etc., and as a bonus if you have any suggestions for some good types of shots to look out for (or time-wasting or uninspiring/cliché shots to avoid), making the best of my meager equipment (see list below), and anything else it would be appreciated.

I cased the joint last week and we have picked out a nice spot for portraits in front of a flowering bush that will be in full late-afternoon/evening sunlight. But I'm wondering if it will be boring to shoot every portrait in the same location, especially if most or all of them end up being displayed in the same place e.g. her website. Any experience you guys can share on mixing things up to make a collection of similar portraits more interesting would be great.

There is also the issue of a signed release form allowing the images to be used as we see fit. Is there any advice on the protocol here and pointers on approaching it tactfully? I will search around for templates but if you know off-hand of any good ones available on the web I'd appreciate it. Do I even need a signed form for this or is a verbal OK generally fine? It feels overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Here is the equipment I have to work with:

Canon 70D body (Note: only built-in flash, no external)

50mm f1.8 lens

18-55mm kit lens

55-250mm kit lens

Box lights (which I might not use if we are in full light, and might actually make the guests nervous)

Tripod

I'll also bring 3 (fully charged!) batteries and some empty SD cards and will clean everything well beforehand.

I have to say, amateur photography has always been really fun for me, but now that money has entered the equation I'm a nervous wreck! It's not a huge paycheck, but the fact that I'm being paid at all makes me want to conduct myself professionally and end up with something impressive.

Lastly, here is a sample shot I took at the location with the 50mm if you have any comments on whether I can actually shoot and process a decent photo. Critique away...

Thanks so much in advance if you have read this far and choose to share your wisdom. Either your own experiences or links to articles you've found helpful are all welcome!

- Chris

I agree with Beagle and Tirediron. Do it for free and for the experience. Last weekend I had to shoot a funeral for a US Marine who had served in Vietnam. I've never attended a military funeral, so I had no idea what to expect. I didn't think my photography skills were worthy of such honor, so I did it for free. The experience, and boost to my confidence were worth far more than any monetary gain.

I recommend you do the event for free. If you "nail" it, you'll be a hero and that will lead to future business ($$).

Keep us posted on how it goes.