Making Photo Buttons at Events
I run a photography company in addition to Button Makers. However, I'd never put the two together until a very sweet lady came into my store and asked if I knew anyone who does photo buttons for parties. "Well..." I thought to myself "I can do that..."
The only piece of equipment I needed to buy was a portable photo printer. I settled on a Canon Selphy 740. I choose the Selphy because it's small, portable, and fast. It's not the battery operated model, but I need power for my lighting setup anyway. I went with Canon because I can connect my camera directly to the printer without going through a laptop. However, while on the job, I quickly discovered that you cannot shoot while the printer is printing from the camera! Yeah, uh, probably should have tested that one ahead of time! It was tough explaining to a bunch of exuberant party-goers "Sorry! I can't take your photo for another minute and a half..."
I've heard other photographers say that they bring several memory cards and shoot with one while printing from the other. I wouldn't want to go that route though because at the job I did, people kept coming up to me asking for a duplicate of a button I'd made 30 minutes ago, and I would not want to have to rummage through all my cards using the tiny LCD on the printer trying to find that persons particular shot.
I would recommend bringing a laptop. My canon 5D has a remote capture feature that dumps the image directly on to the computer hard drive (instead of the memory card). This is really draining on the battery though, so I would also need the DC coupler to plug the camera in to a power source.
Exchanging the cards between each shot so you can print while shooting, seems really cumbersome to me (and potentially dangerous too. Removing the card before the camera is done saving is sure path to irrecoverable image corruption!) So remote capture software is definitely the way to go. But if you had no other choice, I'm sure card swapping is doable.
My full equipment list looked (or would look, had I brought a laptop) something like this:
laptop
laptop power supply
mouse
camera body
lenses
compact flash cards
DC coupler
spare battery
flash (back up in case remote transmitter fails)
spare flash batteries
remote flash transmitter
remote flash receiver
spare remote transmitter battery
tripod
tripod quick release
back up sync cables (in case remote transmitter fails)
strobe 1 (I use Alien Bees)
strobe 2
2 umbrellas
2 strobe bells
2 strobe cables
2 light stands
extension cord
power strip
spare flash bulbs
2 backdrop stands
1 backdrop extension pole
backdrop (s)
4-6 sandbags
gaff tape
clamps
printer
extra paper/ink packs (500 total)
paper cartridge
power supply
mini to standard USB cable
standard printer USB cable
USB extension cable
trash bag
Model 350 Photo Button Maker
Model 4000 Graphic Punch
500 Complete Button Sets
500 Easel Back Add Ons
table (this was provided by the party planners)
folding hand truck
Miraculously, I was able to get all of it onto the cart and/or my person for carrying. I didn't have any time to shoot a proper photo of my setup, but I managed to snag a couple of snaps during a slower moment - which was rare!
The event was a total success and the buttons were a major hit. The party was for teens around 12-16 years old. They couldn't get enough of the buttons!! Many of the kids were so into the button machine they wanted to press their own photo buttons. One kid in particular made so
many buttons, I slipped him a 20 at the end of the night!! I needed his help for sure.
If I were to get another job like this, I'd definitely bring an assistant.
The packages I offer for event photo buttons are as follows:
$685.00 for up to 100 buttons
or
$850.00 for up to 500 buttons
I usually commit to 5 hours at your standard party. My fees cover my take home pay, an assistant, and materials. If you had to buy all of the gear I listed, it would probably run you $5,000 - $6,000. Essentially you'd break even after 12 events or thereabouts. But you could always start with a stripped down setup: on-camera flash instead of strobes, a cheaper camera, no backdrop and no computer for example. You could also get a battery powered printer and just show up at street fairs, selling photo buttons for $5-$7 a pop. My mother in law is doing pretty well making photo buttons at dog shows with her little point and shoot camera and a battery powered Selphy.
In Seattle there are more photographers than I care to count. The competition is cutthroat and every one needs a niche. Photo buttons are a great niche for events, sports, and kids photography.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here!!
The only piece of equipment I needed to buy was a portable photo printer. I settled on a Canon Selphy 740. I choose the Selphy because it's small, portable, and fast. It's not the battery operated model, but I need power for my lighting setup anyway. I went with Canon because I can connect my camera directly to the printer without going through a laptop. However, while on the job, I quickly discovered that you cannot shoot while the printer is printing from the camera! Yeah, uh, probably should have tested that one ahead of time! It was tough explaining to a bunch of exuberant party-goers "Sorry! I can't take your photo for another minute and a half..."I've heard other photographers say that they bring several memory cards and shoot with one while printing from the other. I wouldn't want to go that route though because at the job I did, people kept coming up to me asking for a duplicate of a button I'd made 30 minutes ago, and I would not want to have to rummage through all my cards using the tiny LCD on the printer trying to find that persons particular shot.
I would recommend bringing a laptop. My canon 5D has a remote capture feature that dumps the image directly on to the computer hard drive (instead of the memory card). This is really draining on the battery though, so I would also need the DC coupler to plug the camera in to a power source.
Exchanging the cards between each shot so you can print while shooting, seems really cumbersome to me (and potentially dangerous too. Removing the card before the camera is done saving is sure path to irrecoverable image corruption!) So remote capture software is definitely the way to go. But if you had no other choice, I'm sure card swapping is doable.
My full equipment list looked (or would look, had I brought a laptop) something like this:
laptop
laptop power supply
mouse
camera body
lenses
compact flash cards
DC coupler
spare battery
flash (back up in case remote transmitter fails)
spare flash batteries
remote flash transmitter
remote flash receiver
spare remote transmitter battery
tripod
tripod quick release
back up sync cables (in case remote transmitter fails)
strobe 1 (I use Alien Bees)
strobe 2
2 umbrellas
2 strobe bells
2 strobe cables
2 light stands
extension cord
power strip
spare flash bulbs
2 backdrop stands
1 backdrop extension pole
backdrop (s)
4-6 sandbags
gaff tape
clamps
printer
extra paper/ink packs (500 total)
paper cartridge
power supply
mini to standard USB cable
standard printer USB cable
USB extension cable
trash bag
Model 350 Photo Button Maker
Model 4000 Graphic Punch
500 Complete Button Sets
500 Easel Back Add Ons
table (this was provided by the party planners)
folding hand truck
Miraculously, I was able to get all of it onto the cart and/or my person for carrying. I didn't have any time to shoot a proper photo of my setup, but I managed to snag a couple of snaps during a slower moment - which was rare!The event was a total success and the buttons were a major hit. The party was for teens around 12-16 years old. They couldn't get enough of the buttons!! Many of the kids were so into the button machine they wanted to press their own photo buttons. One kid in particular made so
many buttons, I slipped him a 20 at the end of the night!! I needed his help for sure.If I were to get another job like this, I'd definitely bring an assistant.
The packages I offer for event photo buttons are as follows:
$685.00 for up to 100 buttons
or
$850.00 for up to 500 buttons
I usually commit to 5 hours at your standard party. My fees cover my take home pay, an assistant, and materials. If you had to buy all of the gear I listed, it would probably run you $5,000 - $6,000. Essentially you'd break even after 12 events or thereabouts. But you could always start with a stripped down setup: on-camera flash instead of strobes, a cheaper camera, no backdrop and no computer for example. You could also get a battery powered printer and just show up at street fairs, selling photo buttons for $5-$7 a pop. My mother in law is doing pretty well making photo buttons at dog shows with her little point and shoot camera and a battery powered Selphy.
In Seattle there are more photographers than I care to count. The competition is cutthroat and every one needs a niche. Photo buttons are a great niche for events, sports, and kids photography.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here!!
5 comments:
Great Website, I love it thank you for sharing all this info.
Would you be able to share marketing strategies on this type of events?
Thank you in advance for the reply.
Luis
Great party idea! Question - how do you know how big of a picture to take so that the face of the person fits correctly inside the button? Like if you are making 2.25 buttons, then how do you determine how much to zoom into the subject, to make it work? Thanks!
Hi Colorful Face Art,
This conundrum is specifically why I chose a 4x6 printer and a 3-1/2 inch button machine. The 3-1/2 inch machine needs a 4 inch circle, so I set the camera on horizontal and eye-balled a little space around the edges.
But, if you're using a 2-1/4 inch machine, it's a bit of a different story.
OPTION 1:
----------------------
If you have the ability to setup a background and tripod, you can mark the floor with tape or use a stool and just trial an error yourself to the proper distance between camera and subject. Then you just make sure that the people are all standing where the need to be and the camera never moves.
The problem with this, of course, is that some people want buttons of themselves and others want 20 people in the shot. If you setup enough room for 20 people, the one person who comes by after, will look tiny all by themselves.
OPTION 2:
----------------------
Back in 'the day' photographers used to draw up layouts on pieces of transparencies and plop them into their viewfinders. This is a tad more difficult now, depending on the camera you're using.
Though, if you're using a point-and-shoot with a live video LCD (as in, you use the LCD to compose and not the viewfinder) then you could draw up a template on the transparency and tape it over the LCD.
It might take you a couple tries or some math skills (that I clearly do not posses!) to get it right, but it could work really well.
OPTION 3:
----------------------
Practice, Practice, Practice and then Wing It!
Once you get the hang on cutting out pictures, and seeing what works and what doesn't, you'll get a feel for how much room you need for your button.
You can always reshoot a picture if it doesn't work out the first time.
OPTION 4:
----------------------
Fancy photoshoping on the fly. The last time I went out to do this, I sold the 2x3 inch photo magnets. I had my computer set up with Photoshop open and I wrote an Action that would take the photo, size it to 2x3, paste my copyright and contact info on it, and gang up 2 photos on one 4x6 print. I sold them 1 for $5.00 or 2 for $7.00 each at a street fair.
This worked out really well for me, and I'd be happy to share my Action if anyone is interested. But in general, this is an advanced operation that requires some strong photoshop skills.
Hope that helps!!!
Hi Rebecca!
Greetings from Merida, Venezuela!
Loved your article! Great Tips!!!
I'm thinking of getting the Epson PictureMate Dash Compact Photo Printer. Any thoughts?
Also, what would you recommend me getting as far as a digital camera goes for point-and-shoot? I was also thinking about what you said on the shooting while printing went. Is there any kind of SD Card out there that can send the pictures via Bluetooth to the printer while taking them?
I'll call during the week since I'm also planning on buying a 1 1/4" button making machine!
Cheers,
Alex Level
Hi Alex Level,
I don't have any experience with the Epson PictureMate Dash, but I do have experience with other Epson printers and have a lot of faith in the brand. It looks like it would be great for on-location photo buttons. It definitely looks like it would require the "Photo" button machine though.
Really, the camera you get is not all that important. Whats most important is the lens. All Point and Shoot cameras have small consumer-grade lenses, so there's really not much difference there either. Just get a camera that you feel comfortable with, that has easy access to the controls and that you feel most comfortable using.
I've not heard of a card with bluetooth that can communicate with a printer. I have heard of a wireless file transmitter for pro cameras like this.
But again, that is for a pro camera and only uploads to a computer or server, not to a printer. However, I'm sure a wireless camera to printer option is not too far off in the future. :)
All the best to you!
Rebecca
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