[fionaB]

Hi all,

i have been asked to photograph an award ceremony and a dinner dance afterwards.
I need to get as much advice as possible on whats the best way to go about it....... from keeping track of whose pic is whose to how they can order prints if they want them........ best settings to use at both bits the award ceremony is in the afternoon so the lighting should be better and in hte evening i think they want a more informal aproach like table photographs etc.....

i dont have a flash!!!!!!!!! will i need one?

I cant afford to mess this up as it includes folk from my work, including my immediate boss and upwards from there as well as other big wigs across the different healthboards.

HELP!
i realise its a big ask and it may seem cheeky wanting to know everything from start to finish but im in a panic .. oh and the really bad news? its only a week on Tuesday!

Fi

[Summerleft]

Hi Fi,
Well for selling prints, you can get a free website at freewebs.com which enables a checkout and uploading of images, or I am with Photium for £7.27 a month you can upload pics and add checkout, Photium has the advantage of being reallllly easy.

I suggest getting cards or leaflets with the web address and your details on so you can leave them lying around for people to pick up at the event.

You will need more than one memory card but might manage with one battery if you take your charger.
Each time you fill up your mem card wrap it in paper and note on when or who you took the pics of, I also write down peoples names, its funny how you remember people. Its not full proof but its ok, anyway most people are happy to looks through portfolios which say for example award ceremony room 1 on them.

Im no expert of the settings and lighting but from expereince I personally would worry about not having an external flash for an event like that, obviously as you know noise is a problem when doing things in poor lighting too but will leave the rest to the more experienced on the forum, all I can say is I struggled with my event in poor light on sunday without an external flash or V fast Lense.

[fionaB]

i dont have time to set up a website etc and i dont really want to go to all that trouble for just one event.



I have 3 mem cards, so i reckon i can get about 300 shots.... may get another one before hand tho. batteries arent a prob either as i have 3.

its the flash bit and the ordering prints bit i have a problem with. what did folk so before they had web sites! lol

Fi

[Summerleft]

Well really the only way i know of to order prints is web, unless you go to the trouble of having the best images printed out into a book and then showing people but that would take time and people want to buy when its fresh in thier minds. Sorry I cant be of more help.

[silkstone]

I think you really will need an external flash. The built-in one has two big drawbacks - range and red-eye. You also can't bounce it, although that may be tricky anyway depending on the venue and ceiling height. Also it's often better to be slightly further away from the subject and use a long lens and more powerful flash. Unless the ambient lighting is very good, you probably won't get away with just high ISO since people are not good at keeping still!

Sorry but I can't really suggest anything for ordering prints - never tried to sell off the web. Maybe your employer has a website on which they could be displayed, since it's a works do?

[Markulous]

You could sign up to Welcome! :: Fotopic.Net
250MB free

I use it for photoshoots to give a quick listing of the pics (see my site in the website listing for how it looks)

[Dabhand16]

To keep track of who you are shooting, you could number each shot in a notebook and jot down the names. Maybe you can use table numbers to divide the shots up too.

[fionaB]

great advice............. now another one......... i have 4 lenses, the 18-55 kit lens, the 35-70mm, 75-300 and the 50mm 1.8

which would be the best, i am assuming the 50 as its the fastest?

Fi

[Soupdragon]

I have done this type of thing before.

I am not saying you will be able to do the same but here goes anyway.

I visited the venue before hand and as good fortune would have it, there was room in the reception area for a makeshift photo booth!

I dug out a set of old blue velor curtains I owned and made a quick back drop out of them and supported it on a clothes rack that was available at the hall.

As people turned up at the venue I introduced myself and invited them to have their portrait picture taken, at the same time noting their name/s and then putting the raw/jpeg file names in the next column.

I do however have the advantage of owning a metz hammerhead flash and a bounce/diffuser.

Doing the table rounds was easy after that.

I did not catch everybody but enough to leave with my dignity in tact.

As for printing the results, Jessops is probably as good a place as any.

BTW: Take more shots of the important people than you need to.

After that I don't know what to add!

[Dave]

If possible get a helper to take names ..... you'll enough to think about being your 1st time

[WOODY]

Fiona, Has Your Company Got An Internal Email Or Website,
If So You Could Put THEM ON THERE

I Would Suggest Writing Proof Across Them.

When I Used To Do The Clubs, I Used To Have An Assistant, Who Would Go To
Each Table, To See If They Would Like A Photo Taken, In A Receipt Book,
My Assistant Would Take The Name And Address Of One Person, Who Would
Then Ask People At The Table How Many Copies They Would Like.

This Was Payment On The Night.

With Awards, Again I Used To Take A Photo Of Everyone ,who Was Being
Presented , In The Case Of Birthdays, Or Anniversaries, With Flowers Etc.

My Assistant Would Make A Note In The Book I.e. Lady In Red Dress With
Large Cuddly Toy Etc.

When The Presentations Were Over, She Would Go And Find The People
To See If They Wanted To Order Any Prints.

I Always Used A Wide Angle Lens ( 28mm) For Table Shots.

I Would Say Yes You Would Definitely Need A Flash.

[Summerleft]

I agree with the assistant/ helper, I could not have managed without my OH, he did the names and downloading to the laptop. Invaluable.

[Ali]

Perhaps a silly suggestion relating to people being able to view/buy the images...
Could you have a Flickr account or Piscasa web album (or some other similar free picture hosting site), print compliment slips or business cards with the link on and your email address?

[fionaB]

wow thanx all............. i think im gonna have to call in a helper for this one!!!!!11 eeks.1 dont know anyone who would do it!

flash is sorted , im getting a loan of one phew!

cant get to the venue before hand as its in a big hotel conference centre in Clydebank.

Dont think the NHS would allow me to put the pics on there web site

printing i can get done if i dont do it myself no probs.

i dont have a laptop so will have to send the prints out if any are ordered.

right im starting to get things sorted in my head now, cant thank you all enough for the
input!

have opened a fotopic account, and i do have a flickr account but i can print comp slips myself.


Fi