What is Event Photography?
- Define Event Photography
- Event photography is different than rodeo. There is a single event or a couple very similar events going on for an extended period in one place.
- For example, barrel racing and maybe pole bending. Or breakaway and tie down. Or ranch sorting and team penning.
- In event photography you can start out small. There are week-nighters or weekend jackpots. These could be just a few hours or a day or two.
- Then, as you grow your business you can take on bigger events that last 3 days or more. These are where many photographers decide to go full time because these start to get profitable enough to replace their 9 to 5. These longer events also eat into their regular work schedule too.
- How is it different from other genres?
- Event photography you have partners and customers. In other genres like portraits, weddings, and commercial work you have clients.
- Clients are often paying a large sum of money, hundreds or thousands of dollars, for you to shoot for them. You might be taking pictures of them or of something they want you to do.
- Customers are a lower tier. Customers buy a product from you that you’ve created. They do not have much if any say in the product prior to purchase. An example is someone who browses your photos online or at your booth then chooses their favorite one.
- Partners on the other hand may or may not pay you directly but are potentially your biggest source of income albeit indirectly. I think of the event producers as partners, we are on the same team with goals and ambitions that work well together. For example, we both want their event to be as big and successful as possible. The better their event does, typically the better our business does too. We help each other succeed. Some partners will value us so much they insist on paying us and that’s ok.
- Event Photography you might have a different partner for each event or you might have a few partners that host several events. Both can be lead to great results.
- At each event you might have hundreds or thousands of customers depending on the size of the event. In other genres you might just have a one client a week. There is safety in numbers. Having thousands of customers makes it more likely that you’ll do well.
Pro’s of Event Photography
- Networking
- Having hundreds or thousands of customers viewing your photos helps you get known.
- The more times someone sees your photos and your branding the more likely they are to remember you.
- Customers who buy your event photos are potential future clients who might need portraits, or weddings, or maybe they have a product they are trying to market. Or, they might be your future partner because they have an event that needs a photographer.
- This is huge. You never know which event or which interaction could J-curve your business.
- So many times I’ve had producers at other events come through my system and then ask me to shoot their event. They are often so impressed with my workflow and quality of work that they will wait around after an event is done just to meet me and discuss the possibility of doing this for them.
- Income
- Money shouldn’t be taboo, let’s talk about it.
- It shouldn’t be a secret that shooting events can be quite profitable if you do it well.
- My first calendar year with an entry level camera, lens, and printer I broke through the 6-figure mark. There are very few of you listening who have lesser gear that what I was using to bring in more than $100k annually.
- Of course, I didn’t stop there. From there I grew my business to $200k then well over $300k annually. Yes, event photography lead me to shooting some other types of photography which helped in the beginning but by the time I was over a quarter million a year I wasn’t doing any other types of photography very much. The riches are in the niches.
- Shooting the same thing consistently makes you really good at that one thing. As you gain skills and expertise your income will grow too. Getting really good at your nice will help you land those big dream gigs which will help you work less and earn more. WIN-WIN
- You’ll get good at managing people
- Hire a good crew, train them well, and watch your profits skyrocket.
- Managing people is a huge part of the job. It could make or break your business depending on how well you execute.
- Hire quickly and fire faster. When someone isn’t performing well and they clearly don’t want to be there or they don’t have what it takes, let them go and find a replacement. Don’t think that all people are the same. There are people out there that can and will do a great job for you. Treat those people well so they keep coming back.
- Better Gear
- With more income it’s easier to afford and easier to justify buying better camera gear. Then you make better pictures, your income goes up, and the positive enforcement loop builds upon itself.
- Are you like me and you like to shoot other things? Wildlife, landscapes, macro, astrophotography, trick photography, portraits, and more? Well, it’s possible to make a viable income from anyone of those if you have the will and dedication but personally I don’t. They are just a fun thing to do for me. But, it’s more fun with better gear. It’s less frustrating and easier too.
- Travel
- This could be a con for some of you listening to this. But for me, it was a huge Pro. Traveling was a huge reason why I liked event photography so much.
- At first you won’t be traveling far from home but eventually your name and reputation will reach far beyond your local area. That’s when traveling becomes fun. For me, I traveled full time for 6.5 out of the 7 years I did event photography. I sold everything that didn’t fit, bought an RV my truck could handle and hit the road.
- For me, traveling full time meant I could show up early and stay late. I could explore new places and use that gear of mine to capture photos all over the western US. I would spend days and days exploring new place and finding interesting things to photograph. All the while adding new skills and gear to my kit.
- When you travel to a new place look around the map, see what’s out there. Then hop in your truck, grab your camera, and venture out there.
- Make new friends. I would often post on social to see if anyone was nearby or meet someone while out on a hike. You never know who might be a great new friend.
- Lots of time thinking
- Thinking about your business, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, taking notes and more all while shooting and driving.
- Airpod Pros with noise cancelling were my favorites when shooting. I could still hear the announcer but almost nothing else. It was peaceful and I learned so much from the audio programs I was listening to.
Con’s of Event Photography
- Long Days
- It’s not easy to endure those long days. When you first get started those small events don’t last all day and night but eventually you’ll land those big gigs that require 18-24 or more hours straight with little time for bathroom breaks much less a lunch break.
- Hire a good crew, include someone who can operate a camera for you when you need them.
- Travel
- Yes, this is a pro and a con depending on your perspective.
- Some of you might have family or livestock at home that needs you there. I get it. I was single and I sold everything that didn’t fit in my little trailer. But, that’s not for everyone. Some of you will limit yourselves to local shows and that’s ok. Be the best local photog that you can be. That will still lead to bigger and better things. Be open to opportunity.
- Traveling is hard and it will take a tole on you, your gear, and your vehicle. I wore out several trucks, RV’s and pretty much everything else. I knew that I couldn’t afford to be broke down so I always drove a new truck and pulled a new RV. At the first sign of problems, I would trade off the old and upgrade to bigger and better. That burned a bunch of cash but I was never broke down. Being broke down on the road to an event could cost $10-$50k or more.
- People Suck
- Stolen pics, help that doesn’t show, stolen money, rude customers, the list goes on.
- In summary, people suck and in event photography you deal with a ton of people.
- Hard on your body
- Between sitting for long hours at events, sitting for long hours driving to events, hustling to setup and tear down, shooting events is exhausting. Sometimes it isn’t as profitable as we would like it to be. Lots of things could go wrong.
- Repetitive stress and injury is common place. My right elbow and wrist and knuckles would either have dull aches or sharp pin point pains all day and night. I would often wear the fingerprints off my fingers and dumb on my left hand from zooming in and out so much.
- I would spend all week between events just healing up from the previous one. I would wear compression elbow and wrist wraps while I shot. I had arthritis gloves on too just to lesson the pain.
How to get started in Event Photography
- Find your local arenas
- Check their website or social media for upcoming events
- Find our who is producing those events and reach out to them
- Be prepared to hear ‘No” often that’s ok.
- Browse niche publications
- The Wrangler, Team Roping Journal, Barrel Racing Report, etc.
- Small events have small ads typically
- Join FB groups
- There might be a FB group for your local area where producers advertise their events.
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Thank you for listening to this episode. My hope is that it inspired you to try your hand at shooting events if you haven’t already. If you have, then I hope this inspires you to keep going and improve your skills. Get creative and enjoy the process.. Happy Shooting!
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