picturesonthemove

I take pictures at a dance studio that my daughters has been going to for years (6). Last years, for the costume shoot i was given 30.00 an hour for about 5 hours a day, 5 days, About 750.00, that year i didn't have to do the editing or dropping the photos onto the USB drives of worry about prints. Year before that i did, and make about 1600.00 after i split it with the studio. When i did the Dance Recital at the end of the month i was given an account credit for my daughter of 1800.00 for her winter dance season. Years before i wasn't paid. This year, costume pics are the same price or i can choose to do the edits and we split the profits again. The recital though, she wants to pay me 100.00 er recital show, about 90 minutes long, with the exception of sunday which will be 3 & a half hours long. 5 shows. So 500.00 for the 2 days total. I don't know what to do this time. Advise would be helpfull. Thank you

Hello everyone, I have a question that I have to ask. As of this moment i am a Dance photographer. I have taken pictures for Recital, and Costume pictures at the studio. My last shoot, i took over 3500 pictures over a period of 5 days at the studio. To complete the order we print out order forms for them to fill out. They decide if they want a USB drive for the pictures, Print package, Which include a memory Matte as well. Then as i take the pictures of there kids, and the group we put the Image number on the order form. I have to come home and sort everything out, upload the pictures for prints for them to choice what ones they want and so fourth. Is there an easier way to do this. Maybe electronically? I can't have orders done and printed from my site because of the picture package i offer, the first one is 15.00 which includes 8x10, 5x7, & sheet of wallets. Then any other print package is 8.00 each. My site can process that only Individual prints. I am asking what everyone else does when shooting allot of pictures with diffent kids, costumes and such. I am looking for something that affords a quick way of proccessing the orders. Thank you

Sorry, It is NPL. Or National Photo Labs - Professional Photo Printing & Photo Gifts | Nations Photo Lab You can download Desktop software and see all they have to offer, they are really great. My Recital is on the 25th. May i ask what Lens do you use? And where do you try to postion yourself?

Hello and welcome, I have just started posting here as well. I have been taken dance recital/costume pictures for the last 3 years and i will let you know what i have done in the past and doing currently with this year. 1. what's the best way to go about this? - You can go through your web site and set up a price list if you have a site set up, i used smug mug, but just recently changed to Zenfolio as it allowed me more control over pricing and offered emailed orders if i use a separate photo Lab. I also have an account with NPI, which is a photo lab that i can upload my photos to and have prints of any size made, 8x10 to print cost around 2.00 so i can change 10 and make 8 profit. 2. will my initial price change since I have to photograph more detailed (try to get each dancer) rather than generally? -You can charge what you want, i would charge i bit more then you have in the past because of the extra work you have to do cropping the pictures and stuff like that. 3. should i sell through my website? - Again see answer to number 1, it is up to you.. If you have a web site already set up, an are able to sell through it, you can up load the pictures and set a price list through that, you would still have to neat in up the pictures to make sure they are print worthy 4. should i offer the dance studio a cut or is that all my profit? - I do a 50/50 split with my dance studio, only because my daughter goes there and that is what we worked out. The pricing is enough were we both make out very well, But if this wasn't even mentioned i wouldn't worry about even mentioning it to them. We havn't sold Recital Pictures in the past, this is the first year we are doing that option, normaly i would go to the studio and take the pictures of the dancers in there costumes for each dance they do, and a group shot. I would then have the parents fill out the form with the IMG of there kids and what Package they wanted. Prints on a CD - 20 for CD with on Dance/costume, then like 8.00 for each Addional Costume/Dance, Print package 8x10, 5x7, sheet of wallets for 20, then each additional would be like 10.00 Al La Cart Pricing, and A Memory Matte print. This year instead of a CD we are doing USB Drives. I hope this helps, please let us know. Jeff

Hello everyone. I am usually tasked with taking pictures of large number of people with a lot of separate ordering. Dance classes, Group shots and individuals. Right now to keep track of the orders i have someone sitting at the desk were my laptop is Teather to my camera and they are taking the completed forms and writing the IMG number on them that i took of there kid and what ever Package they want. This is all well and good but i would think there is a better way to keep track of all this. Especially since, the Parent would have to come back for another picture if there child is in more then one dance class. So either we hold onto the paper and bring it out and add the Img numbers to it, or the parent hopefully remembers to bring it with them for the next dance class for more pictures. Is the a easer way? Is there a computer program i could use? Something. I hate killing trees, and it gets completcated the more classes the kids have. Lots to keep track of.. Thank you Jeff

William, Thank you for your reply, Thank everyone for there views. I was unable to to see the practice for the first show as they didn't have one, this was just for Solo's, Trios, and Duets. The next Show(s) is June 25th, with the Practice being on the 11th, of which i will be attending and taken pictures. Of which i hope to sell during the recital. (Print out 4x6's, and such and put on tri fold board) I turn IS off as i am using a tripod. And i do plan to move closer then i have been in he past. This recital is 3 Session on the same day. Some 98 Dances. My wife who knows most of the dances will be taken some pictures as well once she is done getting my daughter ready for her dances. I just got done uploading the pictures i took for the first on to my sight, Unedited as the studio director wanted.

Hey everyone, I have been taking pictures of my daughters Dance Recital for the last 3 years and I am always looking for new ways to improve. What I really want to know is the best settings to us. Now i am usually in the back of the theater/Auditorium so i have to use my telephoto lens 55-200mm On A Canon T3i on it's closest setting. I am on Manually mode but there is some motion blur. I have the ISO Set to 800, the F-stop is set to 2.8 The First Recital i used the Shutter @ 1/125 I think that was my issue. On the 25th of june i have the finally 3 recitals sessions to do. I will be moving midway up towards the stage to get closer. But i am still looking for Advice on the best settings, i can not use Flash. Thank you.

I use tether to capture the images and put them in Lightroom. The only issue with selling at that moment is that most of the kids have more then on dane to shot through out the week. So they have to come back another day for another set of dance pictures. I capture JPEG(L) But i am going to switch to RAW + JPEG(L) since i am tethering. I do need someone at the computer for all 5-6 days of the shot, preferably the same person, usually it is my wife but she will be heloing my daughter with costumes and stuff. What i have done with the order form, is take the pictures, then who ever is doing the "Sales" write the image number on the form for that persons kid and then ask if they want prints with the cd or what not. There is a form with what package they want and the image number they want print etc. It was a bit complicated. Lot's of questions were asked. As for on site printing that would be great, but as i don't have time to print and shot at the same time and neither does my assistant since they would be doing the sales stuff. Jeff