Wow! Event photography is harder than it looks!

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM for Nikon

05/06/2008 09:44:52 PM · #1

I know that all of you have been losing sleep wondering where I've been. You've been wondering "Where the heck is Eric?!? He hasn't entered any challenges lately!"

By 'all of you' I'm, of course, referring to . . . . uh. . . . . ok, just mom. (how sad is that?) :)

Still, I really, really want to enter challenges again. Now that my classes are over for a little while, I plan on doing just that. Don't think that I've put down the camera, though! (Did you notice that 200 next to the D? I still have the 80, but. . . . needed a backup camera!)

I'm still learning! The biggest thing that I've learned in recent times is that event photography is hard! I volunteered to do the portraits at the Charleston area Submarine Birthday Ball recently and discovered very quickly that I had gotten in over my head! (No assistant, expected to participate in several key events during the ball as part of the planning committee, and plenty of beer. . . .) By the time I got home, I was beat. I felt like I had run a marathon. (OK, I've never run a marathon, but I assume it would be at least this bad!)

With event photography, I discovered that there is almost no time to pose the subjects (yeah, there are 20 people in line behind them), or get the shot! I ended up taking at least two shots of each couple, doing a quick look at the tiny screen to see if there were obvious closed eyes or goofy expressions that necessitated another try, and then moving on to the next group.

Still, in the last two days I have edited (very quickly) over 400 shots and uploaded them for sale to benefit next year's ball. Before the batch upload was even done, I had raised over $100 in sales, and more are coming! I'm happy with the results, but not sure if I want to do this again next year! :)

Now, to the point of this post. . . . I'd really like the thoughts of this community on the shots I got. (Being the most respected group of photographers I know. . . )

They're posted at //www.ebjonesphotography.com/subball08

My favorites are #66 and #161

Thanks for your input, and I would really like your input on how to make events like this move in a smoother manner. (I had a sign up list for e-mails and a stack of cards with the address of the website on one side, and my business card on the other. Other than that, I was winging it, and the tripod stayed idle to one side of the shoot!)

kgeary

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/06/2008 10:10:09 PM · #2

Usually event photography is candid; no need to pose them. Were you doing something different?

CarpeLumen

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

05/06/2008 10:18:03 PM · #3

thats easy, an assistant. Ive never had to pay one either, I do but it is always as a gift really. I also have connections with photography classes filled with overeager aspiring photographers who would give there arm to do this professionally, find that and your set. Craigslist will sometimes produce, but sometimes it wont: just post that you need an assistant who wants to learn about professional.... ect ect. You'll probably have to pay them something, but it is always worth it ($20-40 will go a long way to help you). Being that this was volunteer, that line was yours and you could do with it as you wished. Take your time, many of your pics are great, but a few seemed to have flash problems toward the bottom. Set up a sturdy tripod that can change elevation easily, and position your minions exactly as you need. With this event you could have even done the exact same pose every time, easy as pie. Also I did something like this, I reccommend always walking up to your subjects and physically posing them, by the shoulders or whatever is needed. talking them through it takes forever, and they may never get it. I hope that helps, now more importantly....

I love your website, who did it? how can I contact them?

^ he doesn't mean normal event photography, this was more like event school portrait photography... no offense

Message edited by author 2008-05-06 22:19:52.

05/06/2008 10:19:26 PM · #4

I actually have a hundred or so candid shots that I took during breaks that I'm still processing. The main idea for the evening was to get portraits of all the sailors and their significant others in their dress uniforms that we get to wear about once a year. (Usually for this event!) It's a very formal event, and I even went so far as to design a frame to be printed around the portraits to identify the event.

I guess that maybe "event photography" could be the wrong term for it. How about "Speed Portraits"? :)

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

05/06/2008 10:29:02 PM · #5

Thanks for the advice. The unfortunate thing is that I decided to go with the prime lens on this one. (The 18-200 was mounted on the D80 for candids. :) Thus, I was forced to move forward and back for each couple as I wanted a "shoulders up" landscape shot and a full (or as it turned out, thigh up) shot for each couple.

I'll look into the craigslist thing next time I do this. I really could have used some help that night! Maybe a local DPCer? (I deluded myself into thinking I could handle it while dressed in the white uniform you see in many of the photos! The one that looks like it's choking you. [only looks that way because it is!])

Originally posted by FourTDSean:

I love your website, who did it? how can I contact them?

I actually 'designed' the site. It's just a smugmug site with a bunch of customization that I stole from around the web and a custom header/logo.

JulietNN

Canon EOS R7

05/06/2008 10:38:20 PM · #6

My question is, where the heck have all these women been, they are all so tanned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CarpeLumen

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

05/06/2008 10:40:28 PM · #7

do you know if I already have a URL can i transfer it to smugmug, and do I get to set my own prices? I might do one of these sites for my non commisioned photo sales.

The prime lens idea isn't bad, just give your self more room before you settle. If they are small, they will have more background, but not much if your adjusted for height, and if it is still too much, crop crop crop away. Just worry about being too close when the big guys come up. Zoom is just one more variable to piss me off when shooting.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

05/06/2008 10:43:59 PM · #8

Originally posted by JulietNN:

My question is, where the heck have all these women been, they are all so tanned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heh, heh. South Carolina! You ought to see me these days, driving around in the convertible! :)

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

05/06/2008 10:44:36 PM · #9

Originally posted by JulietNN:

My question is, where the heck have all these women been, they are all so tanned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's just cause the guys are submariners - never see daylight for months and look so pale in contrast. Plus the women folk are always out partying on the beach while the boys are out underwater. ;-)

A cursory flip through the images and I think you did a really great job, EB. Some better than others, but a very good job overall and I would imagine the orders will continue to come in.

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

05/06/2008 10:49:07 PM · #10

Originally posted by FourTDSean:

Yes, Smugmug lets you set your own prices. (Of course I pay about $130 a year to get the full service thing. :)

You can redirect your domain name to point at your smugmug site as well. (

idnic is the first to come to mind among DPCers, but there are many more out there. You should check out her site. . . very impressive last time I was there!)

As for the big guys, I ran into one officer that was pushing 6'8"! Had to do some cloning on his shot to account for the backdrop being set too low! :)

JulietNN

Canon EOS R7

05/06/2008 10:52:01 PM · #11

I am so coming out to SC!!!

05/06/2008 10:52:42 PM · #12

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by JulietNN:
My question is, where the heck have all these women been, they are all so tanned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's just cause the guys are submariners - never see daylight for months and look so pale in contrast. Plus the women folk are always out partying on the beach while the boys are out underwater. ;-)

A cursory flip through the images and I think you did a really great job, EB. Some better than others, but a very good job overall and I would imagine the orders will continue to come in.

Thanks, Art. That actually means a lot coming from you! (There's an American Flag in the shots, so I trust there will be no burning here?) :)

I agree that some are just bad. Still, I worked with what I had in about 30 seconds and post processed some more than others. :)