I’ve recently photographed a few events in Montreal where I delivered instant onsite prints during the event. While setting up a photo booth and managing the process adds a layer of complexity and costs to an event, in all cases where I’ve done this the client – and especially the event guests were thrilled with the results. Even though we live in an age of photographic image saturation, fewer and fewer people ever get a good old fashioned photographic print in their hands anymore but when they do, they are delighted. Here’s the brief pros and cons list from an event photographer in Montreal’s point of view:
Pros:
- Makes event more memorable for your guests
- Branding opportunity – the photo can have your logo as well as the date and place of the event helping keep your organization in mind long after the event is done.
- Happier guests – most people get dressed up for events (especially gala functions or fundraisers) and enjoy seeing themselves in a photo looking their best
- Adds excitement – posing for the photos and have a real (albeit improvised) studio set up as part of your event adds a little pizazz and excitement. After a drink or two, almost everyone loves to get in front of the camera for a shot.
Cons:
- Raises cost of event to cover additional cost of prints
- Requires a little extra space in venue
- Best achieved with two photographers on site rather than just one which is often otherwise sufficient
In short, if you are running an event on a tight budget and only want the minimal coverage to have a few photos to distribute after the event in newsletters or on a website, then you probably don’t need to add onsite prints to your event. If, however, you are looking to make an impression (no pun intended) with your event and want an additional way to keep your organization top-of-mind for your guests, giving them a small print of themselves to take home with them is a value-adding activity that has a big impact for a marginal increase in costs.
