How many times have you eagerly grabbed your packet of freshly developed photos of your son’s birthday party or a friend’s wedding and been disappointed to find that they are all blurry or tilted? This happens to people’s memories all the time, because they choose to preserve their own memories when hiring a pro would have been a more reliable choice. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to make money, these tips show you how you can capture the moment and some cash.

There are hundreds of special events in the world; weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, just to name a few. Then we have the bigger events, like the Strawberry Festival, or a local celebration.  How we preserve these times means a lot down the road.

You can tap into this lucrative market without spending a heap of cash. All you need is a simple editing program, a VCR, and a digital camera.  With DVD becoming so popular, I suggest having a burner in your computer. Your job will be recording events, everything from Jimmy’s first birthday to Great Aunt June’s last one. These are valuable memories to the families you are working for, so make sure you are up to the job. Practice first. Since you can erase innumerable times, feel free to record and erase as often as you wish until you feel your skills are up to par. www.aboutvideoediting.com is a good website to learn the basics about how to actually turn your footage into a video.

Make a demo or two and hit the streets. You can put up notices in venues that host special events, run ads in the paper and hand out flyers. But your best marketing campaign will be a professional presentation and great videos. Remember that simpler is better, you don’t need a lot of fancy cuts and effects. Simple fades and snappy cuts are fine.

When you first meet a client, give him or her a quote based on how many hours the event will last, including prep time, plus the amount of time to edit. If you have practiced enough, you should have a pretty good idea as to how long it will take.

You need to have a schedule of the event, especially for weddings. It is a bonus if you have a second camera that you can set up at the side or back of the room to capture all the action which you might miss. Later, splice the two together for a very professional video. If you have a friend with a camera, you might consider borrowing or renting it just for this purpose for large events.

Make a time line of the important moments at the event, for example:

Jimmy’s 1st party

10:00 am – Guests arrive – Front door
10:15 – Pin the Tail on the Donkey – Back yard
10:30 – Pinata – Back yard
11:00 – Cake and Ice Cream – Kitchen
11:30 – Opening Presents – Living Room

Using this as a guide, you can figure out where you need to be for each moment. Set up a few minutes ahead of time to allow yourself time to choose the best location and to be out of the way of small children who are rushing to eat cake.

Your client will also ask for a timeline, when they can expect the video. You should have the video for them within a week or so of the event. If you think this isn’t possible, due to overbooking or other circumstances, let the client know in advance.

Print up a nice label for the video so it won’t be tossed in a box somewhere and remember to break off the tabs so no one will erase it.  It might be a good idea to keep a copy for your archives, at least for a few weeks.  Giving your clients an option between DVD and VHS will increase your business.

A final note, remember to bring extra batteries and memory chips, even if there will be electrical outlets.  You never know what might happen!  To borrow the Boy Scout motto, “be prepared.”

Resources:

www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=3/38/39&pq-locale=en_US

www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htm

www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/composition.mspx

homepage.ntlworld.com/philipg/viewpoint.html

www.hooverwebdesign.com/business/pages/video-taping-service.php