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05/05/2014 01:48:22 PM · #1 |
I've been asked to do individual pictures and probably a couple of team pictures for a team that was out of state when the league's regular photographer was doing her thing. This isn't something I normally do, and he's not really expecting much (he's family that also resides on the junior baseball committee), so now it's more of a pressureless favor / challenge.
The only experience I've had with this was when my daughters were doing sports and the league photography had a packet of print packages (and maybe a privacy agreement?) for the parents to pre-fill. Is this how it still works? I can do this through Smugmug... but I would prefer not to have to deal with designing such a packet in such a short time... I would rather just send them a link to my smugmug and be done with it. On the other hand, I kinda feel like I have a toe in the door and if I do a really professional job, it would pay off in the long run sportsclub-wise. |
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05/05/2014 03:47:44 PM · #2 |
it depends on whether or not you REALLY want to do this as a business.
since this is your first time, i'd treat it just like that: a first time chance to shoot. nothing more, nothing less. there are plenty of examples of what bad photos look like, and some good examples of what it looks like done right. the main thing is to get decent shots (tripod and lighting of some sorts are the key elements here).
after you've shot, we can talk about just what's involved on the business side of things. for now, i wouldn't recommend anything more than getting good shots and sending the parents straight to smugmug. |
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05/05/2014 04:11:01 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by Skip:
after you've shot, we can talk |
I was hoping you'd be the one to answer. I'm going to hold to you it :D And thanks! |
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05/05/2014 07:18:51 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by cynthiann:
Originally posted by Skip:
after you've shot, we can talk |
I was hoping you'd be the one to answer. I'm going to hold to you it :D And thanks! |
any time.
for the most part, this type of shooting is fairly straight-forward. one-light, two-lights, even a mounted (non-popup) flash can get the job done. it's mainly about posing, arranging, and efficiency. as i said, plenty of samples out there as to what looks good and what doesn't. it's even simpler when it's headshots (as opposed to full-body, posed shots).
the key, though, is to be able to get in and out in the least amount of time. you are only going to get paid a certain amount, and that means efficiency determines how much you're making. if you're working on spec, it's even more important.
the same holds true for post-production. nothing fancy. you have to get it down to a minute or less per individual. anything more and you're losing money.
it takes some time and practice to get the mechanics worked out: loading up, unloading, setting up, shooting, breaking down, loading, unloading, post-production (and i mean *complete*: captioning, copyrighting, the whole nine yards), prepping for delivery, and delivery.
do that a more than a few times, then start thinking about the business side: marketing, pricing, making yourself stand out against the competition, equipment upgrades, enhanced product offerings, etc.
sometimes it's easier just to keep it really, really simple and grab a few bucks here and there, rather than trying to create a whole business. it can be done, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and commitment.  karmat has some pretty good stories to tell about how she built her business - and it was far from being an overnight sensation.
good luck, and above all, have fun with it! |
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