From: bjs@uts.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Help shooting prom pics
Date: 5 Jan 93 20:19:24 GMT
Reply-To: bjs@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Followup-To: rec.photo
Distribution: na
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

Well, it's not really a prom, but I wasn't sure what the right term was ...
;-)

A friend who is a member of the National Guard is helping to plan a huge
dinner-dance that's coming up in April.  He's suggested that if I'm 
interested I can have the job of doing the posed portraits of couples.

You know, camera on a tripod, a couple of strobes and umbrellas and a 
backdrop of some type.  People lined up taking their turns in front of the
camera.  I've never done something like this before, being primarily a 
large-format fine-art type of photographer working in b/w and color
transparencies.  (Not that my photos are all that "fine" or, necessarily, all 
that great "art", but at least I try for that genre.  ;-)  So I'm hoping that 
someone out there may have done this type of job before and can offer answers 
to my specific questions and/or general advice or warnings.

This isn't my idea of recreational photography but it's pretty hard to pass
up a chance to make some money.

Equipment
---------

Since we're talking about a 5x7 print size here, with, possibly some
special request 8x10's, I'd probably plan on just using my 35mm EOS with
a 105mm lens rather than renting a medium format rig.  Ok?

I know that I can rent the lighting equipment.  Does anyone know if I can
also rent backdrops?  For those from the southern Bay Area, do you have 
recommendations for where to rent this stuff?  Preferably somewhere more 
helpful than the bloody arrogant snobs in the Keeble & Shuchatt pro department.
Ewerts?  Any rough ideas on how much such rentals cost?

Processing
----------

I have a Jobo and figure that since lighting will remain constant it
wouldn't be too terribly hard to determine printing exposure for one 
print and then, run off all the rest with the same exposure and filtration.  
But I'm not that crazy about the prospect of processing a couple of hundred 
5x7's in a Jobo so I'd probably prefer to have processing done commerecially.

My friend spoke of a previous dance where the photograher provided 2 5x7
prints for $14.  This somewhat stunned me as quality printing from a
local custom lab (Calypso in Santa Clara) run ~$8.00 each.  Not much
profit here.  Do such labs typically offer package rates for this type
of work?  Once again, once exposure and filtration are determined for 
the first print, the rest should be the same and the job should be
pretty quick and simple.

A related issue:  identification.  So I shoot 100 shots of various 
couples.  How do I keep straight who is who?  It seems natural that the
labs would have a system for this, something like a book of forms that
are filled out and kept in order and then the prints are delivered
in order or with a number stamped on the back or something like that.
Anyone know?

Prsentation
-----------

Does one typically deliver the prints in those little cardboard frames
with stand-up fold-outs on the back?  Or just lose in an envelope?

????

Payment
------

How is payment typically done?  At the dance?  (Seems awkward.)  Hmmmm. 
If it's done at the dance, it seems as if Visa and M/C accounts would
be required.  A bit much for a one-shot deal by an amateur.

And I have no idea what to charge.  Any ideas on standards?

Alternatives
------------

One alternative that occurs to me:  I do have a Polaroid back for my
view camera.  Seems that it'd be pretty simple to make polaroids and stick
them in cardboard frames and charge a cash price on the spot.  I'd certainly
never offer polaroids from the typical polaroid camera, but color polaroids
from the view camera look pretty good, even if they're a little small.
Anyone ever done this?

Thanks for any help offered,

Barry

-- 


|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Barry Sherman, Amdahl Corp. | "It's much easier to go to exotic places and | 
| bjs@uts.ccc.amdahl.com      |  capture spectacular scenes than to take a   |
|                             |  spectacular picture of a really boring      |
|                             |  green pepper". - Anthony Tse                |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Amdahl, being a corporation, is a legal fiction.  Therefore it is incapable|
| of holding, let alone expressing, opinions.  Unfortunately, this has been  |
| said of me as well. (I.e.  My statments are mine, not Amdahl's.)           |
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Newsgroups: rec.photo