Event On Site Printing

<p>I am taking the photos for an event next month. There will be around 400 participants, and the goal will be to get a photo of as many of them as possible. I will be running the photos through Photoshop for a few minutes each. Then they can be printed, which with my printer takes a few minutes each. My question is, how should I present this? My thought is to have a monitor, and I have a tv for this so that it is a big larger, with a slideshow of the photos going. Then as I work them through Photoshop, I change that photo to the new one. People at the show wanting their picture would have to find it either on the slideshows or by me finding it in my pictures on my laptop. Is there a good or better way to do all of this that I can't think of?</p>

<p>I think that you need to first look very critically at the logistics that you have defined:<br>

400 people.<br>

minimum 3 minutes in Photoshop per each to edit.<br>

minimum 3 minutes per each to print.</p>

<p>Let's assume that you make images of <strong><em>only</em></strong> 200 people: then that's 200 x 3 x 3 = 1800 minutes to get a final print in the hands of each of those Customers.<br>

That's 30 hours to edit and print to provide a sale for only half of the potential customers available to your business - that doesn't include the "shooting time" and the "finding the image on the computer time". That’s a very long event.</p>

<p>A better model could be to capture JPEG SOOC and direct upload to the printing table where the customer service sales person direct prints from that JPEG file.<br>

I'd also suggest taking the order and money prior to the shot - this can be done at the same service desk: the client (maybe with a token) then has the portrait taken and then walks over to collect the print.</p>

<p>In any case: allowing 30 seconds for each sale to be completed and then a subsequent 30 seconds for each image to be captured and another 30 seconds for the printing of each image - for that slick, non-stop arrangement, you'll need to be going for 600 minutes to make a sale to each of the 400 people. That's about 10 hours non-stop working with two people working the gig.</p>

<p>So for the brief that you outline in your OP, and if you want printing on site, I'd account for at least two photographers shooting and three printers, printing.<br>

But before I would commit to that Capital Outlay I would want to be very secure that the sales would render a respectable Profit.<br>

(note – that does NOT mean ‘Respectable Sales’ but means respectable “<strong>Profit</strong>.”).</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>To William's points I would add that you should buy or rent a much faster printer, probably meaning a commercial dye sub printer.</p>

<p>I think the whole thing is going to be hard. From what I understand, there will be horses shown at two arenas, one outside and one inside. I went to a small show at the same location and that is what they were doing. This will be a much larger show compared to that one, so I'm assuming the same setup. That means there wouldn't be pictures of everyone. There are two of us, so if we each took a spot, outside or inside, we could get a picture of everyone. If we never move if they don't have their own lunch breaks. We would not be able to edit or print until after everything then. The guy who always did it and can't this year, which is how I got the job, did on site printing. I don't know who it is even to ask him about it and who knows if he would answer. I will be doing well to buy the photo paper and ink, so buying a new printer won't work. I looked at the prices of the event printers. </p>

<p>You still haven't mentioned how this will be paid for, and actually, your last response indicates you need to re-read William's post. He raises many critical issues that, if not addressed, will certainly turn this do-able project into a train wreck.<br /><br /> Another thing not considered, is how far the printer will be from the point of photography, how the image files will bridge that physical distance, or where your client/subjects will pick up their prints and how /if they will be paying for them. These two aspects will consume a lot of time.<br /><br />I only conduct events like this in which the subject does not select the image nor do they pay for the print. My client pays for time on site, my staff and any prints over an anticipated quantity. <br /><br />I have a printer, and rent a backup, that makes a 4x6 print in 15 seconds. My best/average speed to photograph each person/group is 60 seconds. I have worked this way for up to 4 hours straight. If the math shows this rate of photography will not meet the demand of the crowd, a second photographer is added to the job (meaning a finished photograph is made every 30 seconds). See William's math to understand what these real world numbers should mean to you... t</p>

 

<p>Don't be afraid to say no thank you. It's a more professional and plain old polite thing to do, than taking the job and losing money while jeopardizing your gear and reputation... t</p>

<p>I haven't done horses but I've done other sporting events. What you need is at least two photographers shooting (you said there are two arenas), preferably with a third to relieve you from time to time if there aren't sufficient breaks in the action. Then you need periodically hand off your cards to a separate crew editing, printing and selling. Division of labor is the way it's done. If you are going to let the customers choose the pictures, then you need to have multiple laptops set up for viewing, networked into the main laptop with your edited photos. This takes a lot of people and a lot of gear.<br /><br />If you're not prepared to set up properly for on-site printing, you could offer to have the photos available on SmugMug or the equivalent after the show. That takes off a huge amount of pressure and expense, but getting people to go look at the web site or buy pictures after the event is over can be difficult.<br /><br />Are you getting paid up front, or shooting this on spec and relying on print sales? Much easier to just get paid up front and be done with it.<br /><br /></p>

<p>No up front pay, just if anyone buys a photo from a table set up. I did find out they are using both arenas, so I will need to shoot along with my partner. That means we won't be printing photos until we are done for the day. I wonder how many people will stay for one. Then there will likely be people who want a posed shot. I guess we will load them on the computer, put it on a slideshow on another computer screen, and get to lightening and sharpening them. Ugh. I wish I could pay for a new printer beforehand, but not possible. Mine is nice but not super fast. Optimally I would have a third person who is shooting along with my partner while I just walk to them and give them cards and take the one they have, put them on the computer and edit. We know noone who shoots like we do. Not trying to be mean, it's just that in our area we spend way more time learning and practicing photography than anyone we know. We also would need someone with a camera at least as good as ours and willing to stand there all day two days. They would want pay. Pay is dependent upon sales. We may end up in the hole.</p>

<p>No up front pay, just if anyone buys a photo from a table set up. I did find out they are using both arenas, so I will need to shoot along with my partner. That means we won't be printing photos until we are done for the day. I wonder how many people will stay for one. Then there will likely be people who want a posed shot. I guess we will load them on the computer, put it on a slideshow on another computer screen, and get to lightening and sharpening them. Ugh. I wish I could pay for a new printer beforehand, but not possible. Mine is nice but not super fast. Optimally I would have a third person who is shooting along with my partner while I just walk to them and give them cards and take the one they have, put them on the computer and edit. We know noone who shoots like we do. Not trying to be mean, it's just that in our area we spend way more time learning and practicing photography than anyone we know. We also would need someone with a camera at least as good as ours and willing to stand there all day two days. They would want pay. Pay is dependent upon sales. We may end up in the hole.</p>

<p>From what you described, you're not equipped (equipment, staff and experience) to make this worthwhile trying to print onsite. If you can't have photos viewable and printable shortly after shooting them (i.e. less than an hour), don't bother. My suggestion is instead of trying to print onsite, you get a SmugMug or other photo sales site. Print cards that direct people to the web gallery and give the cards to everyone you photograph. Say on the card that the photos will be viewable the day after the event. At the end of the event, go home, edit your photos and upload them. You can sleep the next day while people are looking and hopefully buying your shots. Also, some people may not have the time to spend or remember to seek you out at the end of the event to see their photos. Instead, they can see them at their leisure.</p>

<p>Thank you for the additional information.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Pay is dependent upon sales. <strong><em>We may end up in the hole.</em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>That is entirely <em><strong>your</strong></em> choice whether you end up losing money or not.<br>

You’ve given no indication that covering this gig as you outlined is compulsory for you to do: and even if you think it is compulsory - it very most likely is not.</p>

<p>I suggest you either withdraw completely, or, if your best analysis reveals that you can make a profit then consider re-arranging along the lines that Josh Laronge has outlined and shoot the event and then allow sales via an on-line conduit. </p>

<p>WW</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sounds like a nightmare. Sounds like something that demands a Polaroid type solution.</p>

<p>If I had to do something like this I'd factor in the cost of renting a commercial dye sub printer, as Jeff suggested, preferably with a supplied touch screen kiosk interface that offered at least some sort of database to record names, etc.</p>

<p>And I'd use a camera that negated the need for editing on the laptop. For example, Fuji's X-series cameras offer not only outstanding in-camera JPEGs, but also amazingly capable in-camera raw processing. If the default JPEG rendering isn't quite right it takes only a few moments to dial in some exposure compensation, adjustments to white balance, highlights, shadows, color saturation, sharpness, etc., and generate a new JPEG, which can be printed without going through the laptop at all. But it would have to be tethered to be practical - the built in WiFi or Eye-Fi card options would be too slow.</p>

<p>However, I have no idea how you'd organize this sort of thing to keep track of hundreds of people. I can imagine doing this for a few dozen people - a typical local arts gala type crowd - and go back later to organize the photos in Lightroom. But hundreds? Yikes.</p>

Buy a dye sub printer. Prints an 8X10 in 45 seconds. I'm using a Kodak and it's for

sale. I've cut way down on my holiday parties and wedding photography. The printer

is a 9810. They don't make them anymore. Kodak doesn't make anything anymore.

 

There may be a company that will make paper for for this printer. Kodak still makes

the paper, but not for long.

 

You need to print FAST. There won't be time to play around with a printer that takes

more then a minute. 3 minutes won't cut it.

 

To do this correctly you need a backdrop, 2 soft light boxes, a person posing,

someone collecting money, and the stressed out printer. We sell 8X10 prints for $20.

 

So for 400 people you are looking at a profit of $8000, minus what you would pay for

the help and about $1.65 per sheet of paper.

 

I'm not new to this. I have about 15 or more years of experience. Do not use an ink jet

printer. Too many things WILL go wrong.

 

Enter this project with careful thought and strict mathematical calculations. For

example for 400 people, perhaps 200 couples, I may use 2 printers, but probably not,

because I use a bit of math and since I've done so many we have a good team in

place.

 

If you print 200 couples you are looking at around 10 hours to do this job with an ink

jet. With dye-sub's it's about less than 3 hours.

 

Here's the deal - if you screw up people will remember your name.

 

Hope this helps.

I would follow the other people that posted. No thank you is actually a good thing at

times.

 

Another idea is to contact photographers that work with schools and sports teams that are

already set up . Maybe hire one of them for a set price and you pocket a lot of the money

for getting the job.

 

Do the math, you may be able to pocket a nice amount of money for very little work.

<p>I just thought I'd add something which occurs to me. You mentioned that this was a equine event, and you would have a table. It occurs to me that a cloud of kicked up dust is going to destroy every print (and printer), and put at risk the rest of your equipment, unless you are physically separated from the activities by either proximity, or (better) walls. </p>

<p>In your shoes, I would go for an online print delivery mechanism. Removes ALL the complication. Simply go, shoot, hand a card to the guest (with maybe even a file number written on it), go home, post, upload, and done. Yes, total sales will be substantially lower, but cost (and risk) will be a fraction of what it would be otherwise.</p>

 

<p>"Then there will likely be people who want a posed shot"<br /><br />Rather than shooting all the action on spec, this might be the way to do this and make money. Do only posed shots -- the owner with their horse, or whatever it is that horse people want -- and charge up front before you shoot it. Run it like school pictures -- an order form with whatever combination of prints they want, they pay you before you shoot and they get the prints in the mail in a couple of weeks.</p>