Halloween Portrait to Raise Funds - Again

anonymouscuban

So some of you may remember that last year this time, I setup a "photo station" and took photos employees and their family members during our Fall Festival here at work. I charged $5 per photo for a digital copy, which then donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Here is the post I made with some of the photos:

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=181518

Well, I was asked to do it again this year. I plan on changing a few things... I will be bringing in my own background since last year, I was told they would have "something" which turned out to be a few corn stalks - distracting to say the least.

I can't decide between a white or black BG. The white will be much easier to deal with in this type of setup. I don't want to spend a lot of time adjusting each shot... more of a "have a seat, smile, bam, next" kind of thing. However, will the black be more in theme with Halloween? I'm just afraid of having to fuss with making sure the person and BG have adequate separation.

Also, this year I am thing of charging a little more, maybe $10 for the first photo and $5 for each additional but providing the employee with a 5x7 print. They can then order more from the gallery if they choose. I will deduct cost of printing and donate the rest of the funds. Last year some people asked if they could get prints instead of a digital copy. You guys think this is reasonable? I think so but not sure. There were some people that balked when they found out it wasn't free but there were also many that "paid" much more when they found out it was going to the JDRF.

Lastly, as far as props, I was just planning to have few hay bails for the to sit on and nothing else. You think that's enough? I will probably watermark the photos with the event name and year. What do you guys think?

Hope to hear some suggestions.

Alex

reyvee61

I'll be doing something like this next weekend but I'll have the Nikon tethered to the Mac via LR3 so I can print Johnny on the spot. I'll be using a white seamless paper for ease of use though it's not really conducive to Halloween. I think it's all in the props which you seem yo be on the right track with but might I suggest using some gels for the lights on the backdrop to add a more festive appeal?

Hope all is well with ya...

anonymouscuban

Rey.

I thought of gels... maybe yellow and orange or something like that. Have to see. I don't have any gels so I will have to buy some. Also, like I said, the white, high-key setup will be a lot easier to control with very minor tweaking between shots.

reyvee61

Agreed...that's why I'm going with white and high key as well.....

divamum

Gels are cheap and easy. Even free (Rosco sample swatch books). Easy to get hold of in LA where lighting companies are all over!!!! You don't need special "camera" gels - any theatrical gel sheets will work fine (although you might want to order gel holders for your lights, just because it's easier to handle that way)

RyanS

Alex,

Did any of your charity work lead to paid sessions later in the year? Meaning, apart from the great satisfaction helping the JDRF (a great cause) - was there anything else that came your way to help offset your time/costs?

anonymouscuban

Ryan,

No but only because I wasn't really ready/setup to accept such work. I did get people asking last year though. This year, I'm more prepared to take on some work. Last year, I emailed the photos to each person. This year, I plan on setting up a gallery and handing out business cards. I now have my cart setup so they can order more prints direct from my site at a profit for me. I als have a contact page and will be putting up a price/service page before then so they know I am available to do paid shoots.

Although this is still more of a hobby for me, it has been nice to make some extra cash to pay for more gear and I'm also more comfortable doing paid shoots. I've had quite a few in the recent months and it's been very nice. Actually, I still have money left over that I really don't know what gear to use it on. Never thought that would happen. :confused

zoomer

Aren't most halloween costumes darkish....so yeah sounds like white is the way to go.
Sounds like a fun project...hope you get lots of takers.

anonymouscuban

Yeah Zoom... that's what I thought as well. Besides, these are kids mostly and they have more fun costumes than the dark and scary.

Tinstafl

I agree with the white background and if you get some gels then use orange or a light orange on the white paper.