ortega
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are you by any chance an elite?
Setting up a photography booth for valentine's day
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are you by any chance an elite?
:bsmilie:
That's what I was trying to advise this youngster. Most people these days can afford the most basic DSLRs. Furthermore, he is still pretty much a greenhorn. Who would pay money for a greenhorn to snap their photos when they can ask their best friend to snap it for them for free. I know I wouldn't.
To be able to convince others, you'll have to achieve certain level of skill and knowledge. That's why in the professional world, we have got to look at portfolios. Too many people claimed to be skilled photographers, but only a handful of them can deliver.
Well, nowadays many have their own digital cameras and hp cameras... Why will they want to adopt your services? Think of how you guys can sell your ideas... Try doing a survey before committing yourselves into the work.
than you are very wrong liao, look at what he has...
surely all these gadgets can deliver quality stuffs.
don't you ever dare to tell him that someone can shoot better than him with a phone camera..
.
the gadgets are good... but imho, its the skills that matter, you may have the best camera, but it aint nothing if you capture **** photos....just my 2 cents, to a certain extend, camera phone do and its possible to captures candid shots easier... imagine you running ard with a dslr... who will still be as ease.. you need time to get used to it.. and in the process losing time....
as a noobie photographer, at times, i still like to use my k750i then my d80.. its just more convient and easier to go ard. thou the quality is much worst, but it works for me, esp when i am not one that keep going for print...cheers
no offence to anyone here, just stating my views
To Photobum,
I fully agree with your point about "valuing what you have", and I try my best to value what I have by volunteering my time to cover events at my church, like special services, celebrations of holidays and other events.
Also, it has been decided that costs will be deduced from the revenue generated, and the remainder donated to a charity ( undecided yet
) but I personally feel the money should go to the JC instead ;p to boost the orientation 2007 budget!
And in response to your practice of not charging for prints, my father maybe be relatively well off, but I have 3 other siblings to consider. He is willing to pay for a hobby that will benefit me in the long run (he wants be to take up photography remember?) but he doesn't approve of giving our "family money" away to others.
Furthermore, I try not to get started on such topics such as "are people well off now as compared to the past?" because it tends to degenerate into a free for all GP essay posting. But I would like to state that everyone is entitled to their point of view, so live and let live please.
Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU to ymmij, for his advice, btingyap for your PM and post, wanzw for taking time to talk to me on MSN and Photobum for giving me food for thought
I fully agree with your point about "valuing what you have", and I try my best to value what I have by volunteering my time to cover events at my church, like special services, celebrations of holidays and other events.
Also, it has been decided that costs will be deduced from the revenue generated, and the remainder donated to a charity ( undecided yet
) but I personally feel the money should go to the JC instead ;p to boost the orientation 2007 budget!And in response to your practice of not charging for prints, my father maybe be relatively well off, but I have 3 other siblings to consider. He is willing to pay for a hobby that will benefit me in the long run (he wants be to take up photography remember?) but he doesn't approve of giving our "family money" away to others.
Furthermore, I try not to get started on such topics such as "are people well off now as compared to the past?" because it tends to degenerate into a free for all GP essay posting. But I would like to state that everyone is entitled to their point of view, so live and let live please.
Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU to ymmij, for his advice, btingyap for your PM and post, wanzw for taking time to talk to me on MSN and Photobum for giving me food for thought
I just saw the 2nd page, and I feel compelled to reply to Ortega's question, "[a]re you by any chance an elite?"
I'm not going to start a "flame" war like that girl did in the recent past, but I can't see a connection between me stating people are better off now than in the past, and me being an elite. If my tone irritates people, I apologize now, but I was just trying to make a point.
SORRY
I'm not going to start a "flame" war like that girl did in the recent past, but I can't see a connection between me stating people are better off now than in the past, and me being an elite. If my tone irritates people, I apologize now, but I was just trying to make a point.
SORRY
duno the times now..$5 for a 4R even if the proceeds go to the sch/charity sounds like way too much!!
as mentioned by others, your booth must be extra special...and not just for 'snaps'.... else u might just be catching flies and snapping your own mates instead..
happy vdae! and yes..enjoy your gear..as you can see....many of us are jealous here...(including me
)
as mentioned by others, your booth must be extra special...and not just for 'snaps'.... else u might just be catching flies and snapping your own mates instead..
happy vdae! and yes..enjoy your gear..as you can see....many of us are jealous here...(including me
)you just need to advertise well. get help from student's councils.
most of the time is peer pressure. if their friend want to take. most probably they will also join in the fun.
but then to be frank very little people will appreciate your efforts. because digital camera is so readily available today and most won't care about the picture quality or the dyanmic range the DSLR can provide.
most of the time is peer pressure. if their friend want to take. most probably they will also join in the fun.
but then to be frank very little people will appreciate your efforts. because digital camera is so readily available today and most won't care about the picture quality or the dyanmic range the DSLR can provide.
raptor84
Senior Member
I doublt people would pay that much $ for school funds. The last time I did a charity booth for an animal welfare org it was for $8 a pop but you gotta remember that people generally want cute pics of doggies but I'm not too sure about humans and thier partners.
Maybe if you had some nice props and yes a portfolio does help.
Maybe if you had some nice props and yes a portfolio does help.
zoossh
Senior Member
i believe you didn't list your equipments to invite criticisms on how well off your family is, but i guess that is the envy of some too. i'm not into event nor studio, but my personal opinion is that treat the work as a service and the photographic portion as your interest and learning. do not treat it as a business deal and do not allow your fellow school mates to be treated like clients. let them know you are helping them out of good will and shooting out of interest.
if the equipment is your own, and there is nothing that you need to buy, then essentially the shooting can be for free. what is being put in would be time and energy, assuming it is done in school compound and take no transport charges.
calculate carefully on the cost if there is any. perhaps add a 20% margin or more to guard against loss due to mistakes, and just be open and not worry, since the margin is to avoid a loss, and any profits is to go to school. what is important is you keep things as cheap as possible for your fellow school mates.
unless you really have interest in desktop publishing and making of stuff like photo frames, why dun you keep things simple by just providing the digital copies, in cheap cdrs? it makes things very much simplier, and reduce monetary handling. if you are helpful and resourceful, you can recommend on a list of places that do great printout, or help to collate orders to an external agent and provide collection on behalf on the couples and arrange a distribution date/time for them to collect in school? in that case, all you did is a service, and the cost of printing is decided commercially by the external agent, which will solve your worries of how to set the cost. expenses cover the cdrs and miscellaneous + 20% margin, the rest is up to the couple if they want to print on their own or to get you as a middleman to collate an external order where they pay for what the external agent has projected. or by avoiding the printing totally, or in addition avoiding miscellaneous things like designing the border, you save a lot more energy better spent on providing better photographs. do remember that take good photographs is not just about talent, experience and skill, but also depend on good mood, ample time and creative vision (not when you are tired).
further more, if printout is not an issue and a single cdr is large enough for any one case, then essentially you can avoid pricing like shot or by counting the number of people in the photo. if you charge by shots, then the couple may go into the nitty gritty of thinking whether they should pay for this and that lousy shot, and just pay for the shots THEY think is good enough. they will naturally become more picky when things become more expensive. however, if it is charge by time instead, perhaps in 10-15mins block, if they are fussy or wanted more shots over a wider distance or whatever special request, it is up to them. whatever shots you produce in that time slot, it is all theirs. if they want to, they can extend the time. if they ain't happy with the shots, they pay just for that 10-15mins or shorter.
students tend to get very excited and creative. i'm pretty sure it is hard to convince y'alls not to spend anything on decorating the booth and to minimise on things like advertisement, brochures and banners. basically a lot of expenses may have been incurred out of too much enthusiasm that is not practical. i dunno but that is how i feel when i look back.
as for photography, it is hard to suggest. basically i think it is something like wedding photography in open compound. and that is best to leave to the photographer. and dun worry about ideas, couples themselves probably have plenty of ideas. you can even encourage them to pre-think what they would like to shoot and bring their own props. this takes some communication skills and it depends on inter-personal situations. you can perhaps arrange 1-2 assistant for the photographer, which i think will help. as for "Like asking them to pose facing each other, then pretending to kiss, and we photoshop some hearts around the photo", i thought it would be better to be more natural and less mushy. holding hands, putting faces together or a gentle hug is good enough. for inspiration, take a look at how wedding photography forum. i think that would help.
for good or bad, it is for fun and interest, both for the photographers and the students. but if you take it as a deal, you will see problems arising from expectations.
manage the load well. how many people will take it up? how much time will you allocate to each couple? is there a limit you would want to set to prevent overloading? that is the 2nd major problem. manpower on photography, adminstration and treasury is the issue that is better managed if you reduce the work on publicity issues and printing issues.
and last of all, perhaps important, perhaps not. one thing about the copyright. if engaged as a profit or deal, the copyrights goes to the couple, and if it is done without being a deal, the copyrights goes to the photographer. usually for most things like school events, nobody is going to care about all these things. but somehow i thought pictures for couples maybe a personal thing. if the pictures are meant for just the couples, i'm sure it is al'rite if you keep it as your personal portforlio, but do bear in mind if you ever need to publish the photos, e.t.c as part of an article in a school magazine talking about your ECA's events, unexpected problems of misunderstanding can arise if communication is not done properly.
if the equipment is your own, and there is nothing that you need to buy, then essentially the shooting can be for free. what is being put in would be time and energy, assuming it is done in school compound and take no transport charges.
calculate carefully on the cost if there is any. perhaps add a 20% margin or more to guard against loss due to mistakes, and just be open and not worry, since the margin is to avoid a loss, and any profits is to go to school. what is important is you keep things as cheap as possible for your fellow school mates.
unless you really have interest in desktop publishing and making of stuff like photo frames, why dun you keep things simple by just providing the digital copies, in cheap cdrs? it makes things very much simplier, and reduce monetary handling. if you are helpful and resourceful, you can recommend on a list of places that do great printout, or help to collate orders to an external agent and provide collection on behalf on the couples and arrange a distribution date/time for them to collect in school? in that case, all you did is a service, and the cost of printing is decided commercially by the external agent, which will solve your worries of how to set the cost. expenses cover the cdrs and miscellaneous + 20% margin, the rest is up to the couple if they want to print on their own or to get you as a middleman to collate an external order where they pay for what the external agent has projected. or by avoiding the printing totally, or in addition avoiding miscellaneous things like designing the border, you save a lot more energy better spent on providing better photographs. do remember that take good photographs is not just about talent, experience and skill, but also depend on good mood, ample time and creative vision (not when you are tired).
further more, if printout is not an issue and a single cdr is large enough for any one case, then essentially you can avoid pricing like shot or by counting the number of people in the photo. if you charge by shots, then the couple may go into the nitty gritty of thinking whether they should pay for this and that lousy shot, and just pay for the shots THEY think is good enough. they will naturally become more picky when things become more expensive. however, if it is charge by time instead, perhaps in 10-15mins block, if they are fussy or wanted more shots over a wider distance or whatever special request, it is up to them. whatever shots you produce in that time slot, it is all theirs. if they want to, they can extend the time. if they ain't happy with the shots, they pay just for that 10-15mins or shorter.
students tend to get very excited and creative. i'm pretty sure it is hard to convince y'alls not to spend anything on decorating the booth and to minimise on things like advertisement, brochures and banners. basically a lot of expenses may have been incurred out of too much enthusiasm that is not practical. i dunno but that is how i feel when i look back.
as for photography, it is hard to suggest. basically i think it is something like wedding photography in open compound. and that is best to leave to the photographer. and dun worry about ideas, couples themselves probably have plenty of ideas. you can even encourage them to pre-think what they would like to shoot and bring their own props. this takes some communication skills and it depends on inter-personal situations. you can perhaps arrange 1-2 assistant for the photographer, which i think will help. as for "Like asking them to pose facing each other, then pretending to kiss, and we photoshop some hearts around the photo", i thought it would be better to be more natural and less mushy. holding hands, putting faces together or a gentle hug is good enough. for inspiration, take a look at how wedding photography forum. i think that would help.
for good or bad, it is for fun and interest, both for the photographers and the students. but if you take it as a deal, you will see problems arising from expectations.
manage the load well. how many people will take it up? how much time will you allocate to each couple? is there a limit you would want to set to prevent overloading? that is the 2nd major problem. manpower on photography, adminstration and treasury is the issue that is better managed if you reduce the work on publicity issues and printing issues.
and last of all, perhaps important, perhaps not. one thing about the copyright. if engaged as a profit or deal, the copyrights goes to the couple, and if it is done without being a deal, the copyrights goes to the photographer. usually for most things like school events, nobody is going to care about all these things. but somehow i thought pictures for couples maybe a personal thing. if the pictures are meant for just the couples, i'm sure it is al'rite if you keep it as your personal portforlio, but do bear in mind if you ever need to publish the photos, e.t.c as part of an article in a school magazine talking about your ECA's events, unexpected problems of misunderstanding can arise if communication is not done properly.
I totally agree with you. After looking back at my JC years, I have the same thots as you. Despite the fact that profit is intended for the school which is a good cause, i think that we should not be always too concerned abt profit. It's not like the school is going to fault you if your profit and thus contribution is low. Just make it affordable/cheap for your fellow school mates. Hope that you can get profit and not make a lost. And most importantly, enjoy yourself in the process of capturing the smiles of those you are photographing
I'm not trying to suggest that the TS cannot take good pictures... Armed with the equipment he listed, I believe he definitely know how to use them well...
The problem is about not everyone sees the difference of DSLR vs their PnS or even camera hp... They can shoot all they want with their PnS/Hp, so why pay to get shot when they can shoot themselves for free? One may have shot one pic with perfect lightings/exposure etc... but that does not meant the subject will buy that... they may end up prefering their own self taken shots (even if they are OOF, handshake, exposure problem etc...). In this case, it is not the quality of the pic, but the mentality of the people. Give them a reason why they should pay to get shot.
I recommend to do a survey to understand the market, demand and potential before you continue, so as not to be disappointed if "business" is poor and to save effort... If response is good, then good for you. You can also predict how much resources you will have to standby at the same time, so that you don't have to worry about "out-of-stock" cases...
Either way, do your homework first... This is not just about photography... While this has nothing to do with actual biz as stated, I think it's somewhat related... At least you expect good response and support from the student body...
Hi guys... If it's money making... It's not a one day thing... If one can make money only on this day. who will work for the rest of the year? Business is 1% Theory and 99% Practical...
Vector1 - don't worry too much. Just go ahead with what you have and learn on the job. Nobody learn to WALK without first Falling. No one learn to RUN without first walking.
Hope this Ex poly student gives a good word to you... God Bless. :mad2:
Vector1 - don't worry too much. Just go ahead with what you have and learn on the job. Nobody learn to WALK without first Falling. No one learn to RUN without first walking.
Hope this Ex poly student gives a good word to you... God Bless. :mad2:
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