Shooting for a Sponsor or an Event

Article and Photos by Diana De Rosa
So, you’ve been hired to shoot an event with one or more sponsors. Seems easy, but is it really? Have you organized a check list? The first thing you need to do is find out what’s important to the organizer. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are shooting an event:
Is getting sponsor names as backdrops or somewhere in the photo important? Is getting the name of the event important? In the case of a sponsor, you want to be sure that you can give them what they need to justify their investment. Whether your event is indoors or outdoors, walk around to see ways that you can get sponsor and/or event signage as a backdrop in your images.

If there is more than one sponsor, then figure out ways to share the wealth and include different sponsors in different images. This is one of the reasons why step & repeats can be the best addition to your event. The name of the event and the sponsors can all be included on that backdrop and then any time you take a photo all of that becomes part of the image.

What about sponsored in-kind items? Is a garden company sponsoring the flowers or a local restaurant sponsoring the food? If so, does the organizer want you to get pictures of anything that can show the sponsor how their product or service was showcased? For instance, if there is a step & repeat and a local flower shop donated the flowers, try adding some of their flowers so that they end up in some of your pictures. If someone donated the food, capture some cool shots of tight images of the food, people taking the food or a display at a table.

You may also want to network with them in various ways to maximize their sponsorship dollars. Think of ways that you can do that so their images will be in the photos you shoot. Other things that come to mind are any VIP opportunities such as cocktail parties where you can take pictures of the various sponsor representatives with some of the organizers or celebrities. Presentations are also a good opportunity, if and when organizers and/or sponsors are part of the presentation.
The key is to network with the organizers to find out what and who is most important to them. Don’t hesitate to offer your suggestions as well because the more opportunities you have when taking pictures, the happier your host will be.
Do you have other examples of how you’ve included the key players in your photos? Feel free to pass along your suggestions and how they worked for you.
You can check out the author’s site below, and follow Printique.com’s blog for more tips.
About the author
Diana De Rosa has been a journalist for over 30 years (writer and photographer) and recently just got back from covering her 8th Olympic Games. She has a passion for shooting horses but likes to take her camera wherever she goes. She is one of the organizers of the annual EQUUS Film Festival, a festival of only horse movies that this year takes place November 17-20 in New York City.
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