Did my first Event Photography; Takeaways and some Questions

[hfocal]

Hi Folks,

So since upgrading from Olympus E500 to Nikon D7200 about a month ago, I did my first event shoot, Christmas Party for an insurance company. Close to 60 people attended so it wasn't so stressful. I have done my prep which included Gear checklists, Pre-Shoot, Principal Shoot, and Post Processing Workflow Checklists, and lastly a detailed SHOT LIST.

At the event, well it seemed like a long day because the worst that (maybe) could ever happen to any photographer, forgetting the main equipment (THE CAMERA), happened. Everything else but not the camera. Long story short, It was alright because it was a TFP (verbal) agreement. My friend who told me about the event had the car, I drove back and forth to get the camera (25mins each time). They couldn't really expect much but...

Takeaways for myself and anyone who can use any:
-Even if it's a non-paid project, ALWAYS ALWAYS perform like you're getting paid 10,000 bucks! There's no excuse! you'll only be downplaying your business, not theirs! This happened to me cause... see below.

-Take a rest before shoots. I didn't quite get to do that cause my sleep in the last few days have been irregular so next time make sure that when you take on any project, there's room for rest beforehand. Never ever underestimate the power of sleep! It's that or lack of organization and stress management.

-Never forget about the checklists, guidelines, and props. I ended up not using them at the event because again, the above. They're there for coverage and to make it organized and more fun for everyone. One can easily be overwhelmed with the flow of a large group.

-At the shoot, IT'S OKAY TO CHIMP a lot - as a beginner anyway until you perfect your shoot. I didn't do this enough because I actually told myself beforehand not to. But when I got home and started looking at some of the photos, a group photo has a girl's chin and one side of her lips covered by a small christmas tree that's on every table. Luck and skill that the exposure is good and most of her face is visible so it'll be easy for me to fix at Post. Still, better to do everything almost flawless in-camera.

-Don't forget to take a few seconds inspecting how the background looks whether while subjects are getting themselves together or posed, solo or group, and after you took the shot. Again, GO CHIMPING but don't be too long, know what mistake you need to look for! Don't be shy/afraid to Shoot atleast two more after the first. Your subjects actually appreciate it when you take your time to make them and their environment look good. Make a list of potential mistakes if you have to and memorize them one by one til you remember them by heart.

-Be okay. I mean.... BE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH MAKING MISTAKES. If people notice that you're not confident, it will show. To me, it helped when I told people that I was new but I decided beforehand that I won't bother them with details. Some folks were noticing some mistakes (overexposed foreground) but I would also tell them what I can do with them at POST and they accept it. As long as you don't take them personally (which I bet is hard for a lot of us but a rapport with them right at the start can be very helpful), everyone's happy. I would also ask them for feedback and I got suggestions. It just felt so good when people react to you that way and it becomes a ripple effect, I started with a low confidence level cause of what went down at the beginning but it was back up midway.

-Don't be afraid to ask every single one to take a photo of them. You have the camera, you are the photographer, and they'll either say YES or NO. Most of the times YES except for the server who's like me and rather be behind the curtains. lol in that case, you win with most people in your shots given that atleast 2 photos of each look good. Get to know the mood of every individual and match them or just do it, ask and shoot or as one professional photographer would say along the lines of 'Shoot and apologize later.' I thought I was gonna be turned down by two who seemed evasive but they ended up being well-posed. You just never know who will surprise you!

Now to Questions:
-Would you use a contract even if it's a TFP setup? And why?

-What size would you send the pictures at?

- Color Profile? In my case, my understanding anyway is if it's only for their site or social media, just give them sRGB. My camera setting is at AdobeRGB. So I guess at processing I can change it to sRGB and it'll be exported that way? I don't really understand the right process with this much. Should I shoot at sRGB. What problem can I expect if I did it either way?

That's it for now. Appreciate it =)

 

[tirediron]

60 people is a decent size event to cut your teeth on. Overall it sounds like it went reasonably well. Like anything else, planning is key, and even if you don't always follow the plan, the process will keep you from making a lot of mistakes and/or forgetting things.

In answer to your questions: (1) I rarely bother with a formal, paper contract, even for paid events of this nature, but what I do is ensure that the client specifies their requirements and accepts my conditions in an e-mail so that I have a written record of both what they expect, what I have agreed to, and their acceptance of that. (2) This is something I pre-determine with the client based on their intended use. If it's solely social media/electronic use, than generally 800x600 and ~100Kb each. Sometimes the client has specific requirements. I just finished a presentation event for the Ministry of Veteran's Affairs, and one of the conditions of the job was that I provide 'X' images at this or that resolution. (3) You should be shooting in RAW, so the colour space your camera is set to is immaterial; your exported .jpgs should be sRGB for electronic display.

 

[KmH]

Using the viewfinder on the camera - for composition, checking the exposure meter, seeing which focus point(s) is being used, checking other camera settings, etc - goes a long way to negating the need to chimp.

If you shot Raw files there is no white balance and no color space.
I would send retain as much image resolution (pixel dimensions) as possible if you crop.
As far as file size, I would use a Quality setting that yields a file size of about 2 Mb.
Yes, Convert (not Assign) the color space to sRGB.

As it is, you should be editing in the ProPhoto RGB color space, but that's not a choice on the camera. You set ProPhoto RGB in your Raw converter application or your raster editing application.

 

[KmH]

. . . what I do is ensure that the client specifies their requirements and accepts my conditions in an e-mail so that I have a written record of both what they expect, what I have agreed to, and their acceptance of that.

That's a formal written contract, even though it's not on paper.

 

[tirediron]

. . . what I do is ensure that the client specifies their requirements and accepts my conditions in an e-mail so that I have a written record of both what they expect, what I have agreed to, and their acceptance of that.

That's a formal written contract, even though it's not on paper.

Okay... okay... What I meant was: Unlike, say a wedding where I have a paper document entitled "Contract for Services" which spells out everything in specific detail, the process for this is (as I do it) is less formal and more of a 'give and take' discussion.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I'm not sure I know where to start! I think you have more to learn than what canbe said in a post on a message board...

Yes you need to learn how to license usage, do contracts, etc. etc. Try http://asmp.org or PPA. In John's situation, he knows his stuff - he knows his area, his clients, etc. and there could be situations where I might not worry about it too much. BUT - once you give the photos to someone, you have no control over how they're used. You need to learn how to get this all in writing.

And people may be okay with your photos and amateur work - because it's FREE!!! I think there will be different expectations if you want to start charging.

I've done sports where basically nobody gives a rat's patootie if you didn't get enough sleep all week - grab an extra cup of coffee, get your a&$# there early, and get the job done! lol Events are usually a little more relaxed. HOWEVER - I would plan to be on my feet pretty much the whole time, grab something at the buffet by the time there was hardly anything left...

GO EARLY. Check out the lighting, where in a banquet room does it seem better or worse, try to avoid dark corners. Find out where things will be, when and where, is there a podium or main table, etc. You're right, notice backgrounds, where can you set up. Be aware of what's happening, learn how to work around wait staff coming in and out, etc. If making lists helps you, that could be a way to get your thoughts together on what might make for some good shots of the event.

BUT - besides knowing what is scheduled when, you also need to be prepared to get photos of whatever happens as it happens. Like the hockey team event where the players were 'waiters' and decided to have a relay race across the room carrying their trays - that was not exactly planned! so not only did I have to figure out what the heck was going on and why they were all of a sudden racing across the room - but then try to get pictures of it!

You need lots and lots of practice. Lots. Learn how to get proper exposures in various lighting conditions. You need to do that before you can take pictures for other people. I'd suggest going to maybe some holiday events in your area; check websites to see if attendees can bring cameras/take photos for personal use. Go just to get in some practice. You need to learn to see what's in your viewfinder and how to do that efficiently so if someone's face is behind a plant, you know to move your feet, take a step or two and change the perspective, to get their face out from behind the plant. It takes knowing how to adapt and to do what it takes - in crowds I learned to scrunch down or lean over or whatever to get the picture.

And chimping is considered a joke... it started on Sports Photography and Photojournalism for Professional Photographers and Photography | SportsShooter.com . I'm not actively doing sports these days but used to use their resources quite a bit. And some of their pro photographers called it that because when digital cameras were fairly new, people would look at the back of the camera and go
'ooh-ooh' like a chimp. Look it up and you might find the video they did about it, or if you search the site you should find the first use of the term.

Anyway, you don't want to do that for real! lol The thing is, you're missing things while you're looking at the back of the camera. I usually stop and look at photos during intermission, or maybe when I first take a few photos, or if there's a long stoppage. And I also shoot film where there's no looking at what I shot. You need way more practice and learning to be successful at photography, which is probably true with lots of things.

 

[vintagesnaps]

And glancing at your Flickr, it looks like you're seeing interesting photographs, it looks like more like you need to continue to work on proper exposures. Think about how you're framing shots too, and practice that so at an event you get to the point that you can frame shots well and quickly. You can't putz around! lol things don't stop and wait. However, cussing under your breath seems acceptable at least shooting hockey! lol (jk, but I saw a hockey picture in there...). Good luck and keep at it.

 

[hfocal]

I agree about checking focus points being used. I've just discovered how to turn a grid on specifically for this so when I view a photo on the viewfinder, I see where the focus is. Pretty cool. I need to find a way to turn it off though while letting subjects see photos, it can be distracting for them I would think.

As for exposure, that's why I decided to shoot RAW. I knew it was gonna be tough as the event was indoors with not a lot of lighting, all were on corners while tables and seats were jam-packed in the middle. Big spaces in between tables and wall corners lol. The roof was not high though so that helped. Anyways, I'm hoping RAW will give me a lot of room at POST for this issue - including fixing temperatures when necessary. I do wonder what's an affordable light meter that works well. I currently use an app called Lux, it's not too bad but I just never trust any of these apps to do this kind of job. The only thing I'd use a mobile device camera as a scanner / meter for is activating QR codes lol. I think I'll need a meter sooner as I notice my eyes aren't as sharp anymore. I've never worn eyeglasses either but I have a feeling it's gonna happen soon as I notice my difficulty seeing while driving sometimes.

Also, about Color Space . Didn't know RAW doesn't have that. When I set my cam to RAW, the Color Space is still activated and lets me choose between AdobeRGB or sRBG. It's unlike others which won't work when you turn on settings that they're not supposed to work with.

Great responses overall. Thanks

 

[The_Traveler]

I always take waaaay more pictures than I think I will send, shooting until people get used to me clicking around.
Typically for me, the best picture results when people are not posing.

Anyone can shoot a posed picture.
It takes a bit of effort to get meaningful pictures.

This ended up in the annual report of the local RT organization.
They had wanted repair team pictures, which I supplied, and I sent along a bunch of others.

 

[Gary A.]

The on-board meters in cameras are wonderful. To be honest, a handheld meter at a fast moving event isn't going to significantly improve your images. This is my mantra which I use to ad nauseam on this forum. Understand how your meter works and learn to to use it effectively. The meter is but a guide. The more you understand metering, learn metering and shoot the better you will be at interpreting what the meter is telling you.

 

[OGsPhotography]

-Would you use a contract even if it's a TFP setup? And why?

No. Because it is un needed. Unless you get s photo of someone you think will be saleable then you should get the rights, from that individual.

 

[tirediron]

-Would you use a contract even if it's a TFP setup? And why?

No. Because it is un needed. Unless you get s photo of someone you think will be saleable then you should get the rights, from that individual.

Even if it's TFP, you need to have some sort of agreement in place. Any exchange of services has value under the law, and it's prudent to ensure that things are spelled out. As I alluded to above, I don't believe it's necessary to have a formal contract for such things, but some record of what you offer and the other party's acceptance is a good idea, even if only for something as simple as portfolio use, or how many pictures the talent is going to get. Do you really want some pi$$ed off model going on a facebook rant about what a bad photographer you are because she misunderstood what you said in regard to how many pictures she would get from the shoot?

 

[astroNikon]

I agree about checking focus points being used. I've just discovered how to turn a grid on specifically for this so when I view a photo on the viewfinder, I see where the focus is. Pretty cool. I need to find a way to turn it off though while letting subjects see photos, it can be distracting for them I would think.

As for exposure, that's why I decided to shoot RAW. I knew it was gonna be tough as the event was indoors with not a lot of lighting, all were on corners while tables and seats were jam-packed in the middle. Big spaces in between tables and wall corners lol. The roof was not high though so that helped. Anyways, I'm hoping RAW will give me a lot of room at POST for this issue - including fixing temperatures when necessary. I do wonder what's an affordable light meter that works well. I currently use an app called Lux, it's not too bad but I just never trust any of these apps to do this kind of job. The only thing I'd use a mobile device camera as a scanner / meter for is activating QR codes lol. I think I'll need a meter sooner as I notice my eyes aren't as sharp anymore. I've never worn eyeglasses either but I have a feeling it's gonna happen soon as I notice my difficulty seeing while driving sometimes.

Also, about Color Space . Didn't know RAW doesn't have that. When I set my cam to RAW, the Color Space is still activated and lets me choose between AdobeRGB or sRBG. It's unlike others which won't work when you turn on settings that they're not supposed to work with.

Great responses overall. Thanks

when showing ppl picks on your LCD just use your selection pad and press up and it will change the view (I think there's a configuration somewhere on which views to show. I have all of mine set on).

With focus points make sure you understand you camera, and how you use it. I just did an event and I was at AF-S-Single. So I knew every focus point was where I wanted it.

I also had a flash on a bracket. I mostly used the flash when I was taking pics of people in a equal plane away from the camera. When I took a few pics of the crowd the depth and light dropoff isn't good for a flash (front area gets a lot of flash, behind doesn't). So it's all ISO at that point (or post processing Highlights and Shadows).

The lighting in this "garage/workshop" was awful. Not just low light but the flourescent tubes gave images a very bad "noise" level that I haven't seen before. I had to use a light amount of flash to compensate some shots due to the bad quality of light.

It's funny. I can walk into a place and know how the light is and approximately where my ISO is going to be based on the Aperture and Shutter being used. Then review potential compromises in my head that I may need before I even start.

But shooting in RAW let's you either pull back and pull up over or under exposed images especially if you are adding a flash as long as you are in the ballpark.

I used my D750 w/24-85/2.8-4 lens; flash bracket; SC17 remote flash extension; a SB-700 flash with vertical diffuser. I had a spare set of AA batteries rubber banded together and a couple memory cards in a hip pack; and a 50/1.8, set of remote radio triggers, SB800 just in case in my backpack. I had my backpack set up and ready to go the night before. And checked it again the morning of to make sure I had everything. And it was the first thing in my car.

Uneventful event with bad lighting ... common scenario it seems.

 

[hfocal]

@astroNikon I agree about advantages of RAW. Except for some of the photos I just don't like the effect that the christmas lights gave. All I could do was make a BnW image out of them cause of being out of time trying to adjust colors and noise whatnot. When I tried playing with them at post, something's just off and I didnt like that they wouldn't match the colors on other photos, I wanted them warm red, not yellow, w/o having to make a lot of adjustments cause when I do, I don't know if it's just a psychological thing but it'd seem like I've just ruined the quality of the image so I completely skip color correcting / matching.

At shoot, I dont remember making changes on camera settings, I shoot manual. Also when using flash, I stayed on the same power levels, 3rd or 4th. I guess the takeaway here is that I should've taken into consideration when I change my distance to subjects, Inverse Square Law being at play. I dont know what else I could've done. From research, 12-bit and 14-bit depth doesn't have a lot of difference, I shot at former. Wonder if in lowlight, this matters.

 

[hfocal]

I always take waaaay more pictures than I think I will send, shooting until people get used to me clicking around.
Typically for me, the best picture results when people are not posing.

Anyone can shoot a posed picture.
It takes a bit of effort to get meaningful pictures.

This ended up in the annual report of the local RT organization.
They had wanted repair team pictures, which I supplied, and I sent along a bunch of others.

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View attachment 131178

Very nice photos !

And yes, people need to get used to / warm up to you as a photographer. I expected that not everyone didn't want their photos taken so I would wait for a while until I can go back to anyone who seemed not motivated for a photo or I'd also shoot them w/o their knowing. I think I'm more comfortable when subjects don't look into the lens as they tend to be 'deer in the headlights.'