As the party progresses, people may look less and less like themselves in ways they might not appreciate having a photographic record of. Suggest trying to get photos early on in the party and always strive to portray people in the best and most flattering light (regardless of the degree of their incapacity). Watch out especially for what you're going to capture in the background as well as trying to flatter those in the foreground.
the main thing is to be on the same page as the person hiring you as to what they are expecting to be delivered and what their budget is.
- are they looking for posed grip-and-grin shots, or mainly candids, or a mix of both?
- are they looking for environmental shots, or just people shots?
- what are they going to do with the images (make prints, put them on a website, put them in a newsletter)?
- are there any special requests (gift presentations, special recognitions, VIPs, etc)?
- how long do they need you?
- when do they want the images delivered?
- what is their budget?
if the work and pay offered is reasonable, then take it. if they want too much for what they're offering, you'll have to communicate/educate them as to how they'll either have to scale back or pay more.
it is work, but it's fun.
btw, i typically shoot these with my 24-70 at iso400, f/5.6, tv 1/125 with a fong-o-sphere on my 580ex. if i need more of the room, i'll bump the iso.
I shoot a couple of corporate xmas parties each year - coming into my 3rd year now - I charge £400 for the evening and all the shots on CD. Roughly 4 hours work on the night with an hour afterwards sorting the wheat from the chaff.
Makes for a nice little bonus at the end of the year.
Its a corporate party at a hotel with a prop and backdrop. I have the lights and equipment to do this, so its not a problem for me.
ok, that narrows down the scope of work considerably...
you'll still need to know:
- how long they need you
- when then want the images
- how they want the images
- how much they have to spend
some other considerations:
- do they need you to print on-site?
- do they need you to offer print sales via an online gallery?
- will you need help keeping track of what you're doing?
lastly, in terms of determining if what they're offering is acceptable, you have to consider the value of 1) having the necessary equipment, and 2) knowing how to use it. this is different than being paid for a 'creative vision'; here, you're being paid for equipment, expertise, and efficiency.
when i do jobs like this, i charge $150/hr, starting from the moment i hit the door until i leave. i deliver the organization images they can use however they want and i handle any print fulfillment for them at my reasonable print rates. my clients typically do not want to deal with prints; they'd much rather send someone a link to the gallery i've set up and let me handle all that. again, my hourly rate is not for 'creativity'; it's for being able to get in, set up, and to shoot perfect portraits as long as there are people to photograph. these jobs usually run 2-3 hours.
it sounds like things are going in the right direction ;-)
as to the backdrop, that can be a bit of an ay-yi-yi...
you need to find out what they've done in the past and/or what they're expecting. if they want to leave it up to you, then it's your call as to what you think is going to work best.
you might have to be prepared to invest in another backdrop, though. if you do, it's not the end of the world, as long as you get something you'll be able to get good use of down the road. in a pinch, the white seamless will do, but your images will have more appeal if the backdrop is somewhat relevant to the season/event.
as for the online sales, make sure your site is equipped to handle this type of sale. you have a really nice site, but i don't think it's really geared towards event sales. here's a link to what i think about online sales ;-)
do keep in mind, even if you have to invest to kick it off, once you're geared up, this can be a decent line of business without a whole lot of headaches.
