Cash with your Canon
Make event photography more eventful
Shooting events is a good way to earn money with your camera, and it can offer more diverse subjects than specializing purely as, say, a wedding
photographer. Events work involves a number of different photographic and business skills, because you need to be able to shoot many different types of subject, and to deal with the needs and demands of both the organizers and participants.
The skills and style of photography needed for shooting portraits for a corporate function, say, are very different to those needed for shooting sports events, so you need to decide which types of events you want to shoot.
Once you’ve decided on a type of event that suits your skills or interests, seek out as many opportunities as possible to practise before you go fully professional – there’s absolutely no substitute for experience!
Experience pays
You can often find small, local events to shoot for free that will enable you to gain some experience, although even these will usually require you to demonstrate that you can provide suitable images. You may also have to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if the event involves children. Many charities hold fundraising events such as fun runs or activity days that need photographers, which are perfect for learning the basics, so try approaching these organizations, or look out for adverts for volunteer photographers on job websites to find events close to home. Once you have the experience you need, and you’ve developed your skills, you can begin to look for paid work.
Start by approaching local businesses and events, although don’t be surprised if it takes some time before you get your first booking – this can be a difficult area to break into without a track record. Remember that while it’s great to shoot creative images using techniques such as motion blur, shallow depth of field or panning to show some action, most event organizers are more interested in seeing pin-sharp images that clearly show what’s happening, and who’s there, than in arty techniques. With that in mind, ensure you get your standard shots before you try to get too arty with your images – although there’s nothing wrong with getting some more creative pictures once you have your ‘banker’ images in the bag.
Gear up
You can start shooting small events with fairly basic kit, but there are many functions that will require more specialized equipment. For many sports events, for example, you’ll need wide-aperture, long telephoto lenses and a camera capable of shooting at high ISO settings to get acceptable results in low light. A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would be perfect if you can get reasonably close to the action, but a lens with a focal length of 300mm or longer will be necessary for many motorsports or equestrian events where you need to shoot from a distance.
Many corporate events require you to shoot formal portraits on location, so you’ll need a portable studio with at
least two lights and a backdrop, while other events will call for specialized equipment such as on-site printing with immediate access for customers, which you wouldn’t have as part of your normal photography equipment. You’ll need to take this into account when you’re looking at the costs involved when setting up your business.
Shooting events can involve some long hours, arriving early to set up your gear, then shooting images during the day, and finally processing and maybe even printing your shots. You need to be prepared to put in long hours if you’re going to make a success of your business. Most event organizers will want the images quickly, so you may need to work into the evening after the event, or the next day at the latest, to process all your images and get them either online or ready to send out to the client. If you’re providing prints at the event, you’ll need to have a colleague handling this service while you’re shooting.
As with any photographic business, you need insurance cover for your gear plus public liability cover before you shoot events. It’s worth checking the value of the coverage for any public liability, because large events often require you to have cover for several million pounds, which may not be included in some policies.
For some jobs you’ll be paid a day rate, but this isn’t always the case. For certain events you’ll need to sell images or prints to the people taking part, either on the day or later via your website. Many sports event photography companies offer a range of digital images, print sizes and even photo gifts, such as mugs or key rings, which they can sell to participants – although many of these will need to be sent out after the event.
If you’re thinking of offering this type of service, you’ll need a way of taking orders and payments both on the day and through your website. The simplest way is to use Paypal, although you need to remember that this and other similar services take a percentage of every payment made through them.
Look for company
Larger events will require specialized equipment and several photographers and support staff working together to cover everything satisfactorily. Unless you’re in a position to offer this level of service, these jobs are best left to one of the many larger events photography companies. On the plus side, even if you have your own small events photography business, this can be the perfect opportunity to make some extra cash: big firms often advertise for extra photographers to cover certain large events.
You’ll need to prove that you’re able to shoot the type of images they need, and you may need to use your own kit. Some companies will provide the equipment, however, making it much more affordable than setting up your own business. The downside is that instead of potentially charging several hundred pounds per event, you’re more likely to be paid a day rate of around £80 to £100 – although some offer bonuses based on print sales at the event.
There are many ways to make money from events photography. Charging a single fee or day rate means that you’ll know how much money you’ll make per event. The amount you charge will depend on the size of the event, the type and number of images you’ll be expected to provide, and even the size of the company or organizer you’re dealing with. Most events photography companies charge £150 to £300 per day for a single photographer, with additional charges for any extra staff used.
Charging for prints or digital images, however, can make it difficult to estimate how much money you’ll make from an event; as a rule of thumb, most companies charge between £5 and £10 for an individual print. This means that you’ll need to be confident of selling at least 50 prints to even start to make the same money per event as you could if you were charging a day rate.
There are many ways to make money from events photography, from charging a single fee to cover the event to charging for individual prints or digital images
How much time will it take?
Once you have the basic skills and equipment to shoot events, and you have appropriate
insurance, you can get started almost immediately – but even if you get several bookings, it will still take from six months to a year to start recouping the start-up costs for basic equipment and insurance. Then, just as with most other photographic businesses, it will usually take around a year to get enough events under your belt to help bring in new business. Perseverance can pay off!