Performance Art Photos

[Art of Emotion]

Last year around Christmas time I was asked if I'd like to shoot the local Nutcracker performance. When speaking with the Teacher she said that I would do performance portraits after the show and shots during. I made up a price list of what i'd charge for prints and offered a few well priced packages. I would then give them a package in which they would order a set amount of photos.

This to me was one of the worst experiences ever. unlike weddings this was just so all over the place. All of it albeit due to my lack of experience in this area. I took it as a live and learn type experience.

My headaches didn't come from the photos themselves but rather the after effect of having parents order prints. Some how they all loved my photos but expected to get them for free. Umm no. I guess what I learned is that the next time I do something like this I will be asking for payment of my time and this is what you get for that payment.

I had one mother who emailed me and insisted that the person who did these photos for the kids last year didn't require payment. That he gave all the parents CD's of the photos taken both during the ceremony and also the portraits. She emailed me time and time again to get a CD of all the photos. Again something that wasn't agreed with the Teacher. Plus I mean I'm not daft she could take the cd and give everyone the prints.

I had to give myself a huge slap on the wrist for ever accepting things as I did. I clearly didn't think this out well enough and the execution on the business part was poor. As I should have made myself very very clear. For me the 3 packages that were actually bought wasn't worth the headaches I got from this gig.

Has anyone ever done Performance Art photos before? If so how do you go about pricing? Do you require payment for your time or just for the prints bought after wards. I'd love to do this again because it was so much fun taking photos of the Ballet. I'm just looking for advise on what to do if I ever decide to take this on again. I do realize what I did wrong. However I don't really know of what I should do next time.

 

[Flash Harry]

Welcome to the business of photography, everyone thinks it should be free even though the simple fact is that to produce photographs you first have to spend a small fortune on equipment, I'm glad its almost over for me, my email reply to cretins like this are two words, the first starts with F, the second ends with the same letter. H

 

[Bend The Light]

I am interested in the replies this thread may get. I recently took some photos of a stage show (actually the dress rehearsal). I wasn't asked to do so, however, so no agreement made for prices etc.

What I have done, since, is made all my shots of that night available to the organisers of the show, who run a music teaching centre where my daughter does piano lessons. I allow them to use the photos in their promotion of future shows, to put images up on their walls and website.
For the parents and the cast members, I am am running off some CD-Roms of lower quality, reduced sized images. Nothing bigger than a 4"x6" will look anything like good.
But then, if they want prints, I will take orders.

Now I am doing this as a loss-leader, really. If this works, I get to shoot, officially, the future shows, at least two in the next year plus maybe some music concerts by the music teachers band. I am interested in knowing what prices people put on their work in this scenario, and whether a CD of low quality images is usually given, or sold at a low price?

 

[GerryDavid]

I did a recital last year, took thousands of pictures, didnt sell a single one. problem was the the recital was the last day of the classes till it started up a few months later. I didnt realize this and thought I could show proofs or give flyers out the following week.

live and learn.

Ive been asked to do it again, this time the Christmas recital. I will give the parents the information way ahead of time, and this time make cd's available of low res files, as well as prints for those that want it. and on each cd will be information on how to order prints, I think.

I figure thre are 17 sets of performances *there was last time* and I could sell a cd of each set for $$ hoping that the parents would buy every set that their kid is in. im hoping they wont share cd's, and that the instructor will keep them honest, cuz Ill give her 10% of the sales for helping push the product.

 

[Bend The Light]

I did a recital last year, took thousands of pictures, didnt sell a single one. problem was the the recital was the last day of the classes till it started up a few months later. I didnt realize this and thought I could show proofs or give flyers out the following week.

live and learn.

Ive been asked to do it again, this time the Christmas recital. I will give the parents the information way ahead of time, and this time make cd's available of low res files, as well as prints for those that want it. and on each cd will be information on how to order prints, I think.

I figure thre are 17 sets of performances *there was last time* and I could sell a cd of each set for $$ hoping that the parents would buy every set that their kid is in. im hoping they wont share cd's, and that the instructor will keep them honest, cuz Ill give her 10% of the sales for helping push the product.

Instructions for ordering on the CD...yes, great idea!

 

[GerryDavid]

hmm, instead of a pamphlet for each parent, perhaps I should put heavily watermarked proofs on a cd and give that to them, along with ordering information on it and a portfolio for other photography work. hmmmm. cd's are pretty cheap so it probably woudlnt cost much more than using a regular inkjet printer and good printer paper.

 

[GerryDavid]

im doing gymnastics now. perhaps I should put the heavily watermarked candid proofs on a cd, along with instructions for ordering, along with that mini portfolio. the candids havent been selling *digital files or prints*, so maybe this will help them get some interest.

 

[Art of Emotion]

Now I am doing this as a loss-leader, really. If this works, I get to shoot, officially, the future shows, at least two in the next year plus maybe some music concerts by the music teachers band. I am interested in knowing what prices people put on their work in this scenario, and whether a CD of low quality images is usually given, or sold at a low price?

This I found to be the hardest. Wedding photography is easy it's a pay for this and you get this in return. It was a live and learn lesson I know what not to repeat. I like the idea of a cd with lower res photos. I think that was an amazing idea.

 

[Art of Emotion]

I did a recital last year, took thousands of pictures, didnt sell a single one. problem was the the recital was the last day of the classes till it started up a few months later. I didnt realize this and thought I could show proofs or give flyers out the following week.

live and learn.

Ive been asked to do it again, this time the Christmas recital. I will give the parents the information way ahead of time, and this time make cd's available of low res files, as well as prints for those that want it. and on each cd will be information on how to order prints, I think.

I figure thre are 17 sets of performances *there was last time* and I could sell a cd of each set for $$ hoping that the parents would buy every set that their kid is in. im hoping they wont share cd's, and that the instructor will keep them honest, cuz Ill give her 10% of the sales for helping push the product.

This is a very smart way of doing it. I do believe there is a way to make it harder for them to copy the CD's. Some sort of burning program I believe but I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't thinking around the time and really should have done a low res cd as you and others have mentioned. What price did you sell the CD's for if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Art of Emotion]

hmm, instead of a pamphlet for each parent, perhaps I should put heavily watermarked proofs on a cd and give that to them, along with ordering information on it and a portfolio for other photography work. hmmmm. cd's are pretty cheap so it probably woudlnt cost much more than using a regular inkjet printer and good printer paper.

I'm loving the brainstorming going on !! great ideas!

 

[Art of Emotion]

im doing gymnastics now. perhaps I should put the heavily watermarked candid proofs on a cd, along with instructions for ordering, along with that mini portfolio. the candids havent been selling *digital files or prints*, so maybe this will help them get some interest.

Could you perhaps offer a coffee table book to gymnasts? Along with an 8x10 photo one of an action shot another of a portrait shot and then a team shot in one photo collage?

 

[GerryDavid]

Ive shown a photo book to the parents *out of 50+ sets* and not a single person seemed interested in getting one with gymnastic pictures, probably because of the price. They start at $111 for a 5x5 book with 10 pages plus tax with one image per page.

Next time I should make a book up with pictures and show it, the book I was using is from a child portrait shoot, not gymnastics or ballet. In fact I got another gymnastics portrait coming up this weekend, if I got enough people signed up I should go a head and get one made up. I got a number of people to sign model releases that I should be able to pick a great set.

I just contacted the ballet/dance person, hopefully they will get back to me, the recital should be in 2 or 3 weeks, and I would like some time to get ready. I believe classes will be over right after the recital, so my only way to get sales from them is to get pre orders before the recital and give my information to them the day of. Ill probably just make a dvd movie out of the stills and let them view it that way. It'll be harder for most of the parents to copy them and give them to someone else.

 

[Bend The Light]

DVD movie...background music...nice.

A product in itself, but hard to copy the individual images. Good plan!