Do you ever feel like trying to win photography jobs is like climbing Everest? Whilst carrying a sack of bricks on your back? In a hurricane?
There’s no doubt that the world of event photography is both a competitive and crazy-busy one, with a whole host of important components needing your attention.
Also: you’re a creative – you do your best work with a camera. Writing a boring proposal should be the last thing on your list, right?
Think again.
To beat the sea of competitors ready to grab those potential clients, it’s important that you have the tools in place to make yourself stand out.
An event photography proposal is there to persuade. To grab the attention of potential clients and say hey, I’m the person for the job.
It will showcase your qualities as well as give an insight into how you work, giving you the chance to get across your ethos, process and terms, whilst managing expectations all in one go.
Simply put, it’s your best friend.
So, how do you get started? What are the must-haves to include? How do you showcase yourself in the best way?
Let’s break it down.
From the perfect, shiny wedding day to a corporate charity gig, the beauty of event photography is that no one job is the same. However, the essential elements section of your event photography proposal template should be easily adaptable, making sure that you cover all the bases.
This section is your first impression. But avoid diving straight in with a hard-hitting sales pitch about why you’re so great. That will come later. For now, focus on showing that you understand the client’s needs and concerns.
Put yourself in their shoes. What do they need from your photography services at this event? What do they want to hear?
Now comes your time to shine. Time for you to make them take a step back and think WOW. Introduce your team, give a brief overview of previous various events and successes, highlighting your expertise. But make sure your passion is on display. People warm to a company who loves what they do.
As you work in the field of photography, it makes logical sense to include photos of your past work. Give the details as well as giving a well-rounded view of what you can achieve, focussing on tailoring it to the important events in question.
Here you can lay out the way that you want to work in detail, leaving no room for ambiguity. It’s better to spend time covering all bases – it will avoid disagreements later!
To write a persuasive proposal, you need to understand your client. This means you need a pretty firm grasp on exactly how they want to remember their event.
You need to make sure your proposal meets every teeny little expectation they have. That means delving into the details of their event planning.
An events photography proposal that doesn’t quite hit the mark is undoubtedly going to cost you the job. It’s a tough market and you are one of many talented companies out there.
You may have flawless professionalism, artistic creativity and great communication. But your client doesn’t know that yet. So tell them.
Don’t make one of (many) trip-ups along the way.
Imagine it’s your wedding day. The whole day is about you. You want your events photographer to be an extension of your wedding party. It need to be personal. To touch on all the cherries on the cake that will make your day the best of your life.
A proposal that’s clearly a well-touted template isn’t going to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
It’s human nature; if you can picture your day it’s going to go a long way in making your decision.
Now, this is a common one for the more technically minded out there. It’s easy to overlook the fact that not everyone understands your industry’s jargon. Not everyone knows the difference between a DSLR and a HDSLR.
Keep language accessible, steer clear of complicated language and make sure you break anything technical down. You can even run it by a non-techie friend to make sure it makes sense for best results.
This YouTube video from Business Success Coach, Beate, takes you through the five basic elements of a professional proposal. Acquiring all-important knowledge from the pros will help you nail every proposal.
Photo release forms from Docsketch, will help you take care of the legal side (just as important as selling your services).
This Photo Swarm blog has digestible, bitesize bits on exactly how much detail you need to include in your proposal. This will make sure you don’t overload your client with info, or be too vague (as we mentioned earlier as a major pitfall).
This blog post by copywriting agency, The Creative Copywriter, will help you master the art of hypnotic sales writing and storytelling. Remember, you’re telling a story of success, not just giving a boring cost estimate.
Lastly, remember just because you’re writing a proposal doesn’t mean you can’t let your creative qualities shine through. Be different, be bold and be understanding. Your proposals will convert to clients quicker than you can say winner.
{client_name} requires high-quality photographs to capture all the key moments from its upcoming [the event].
Specifically, {client_name} needs photographs that capture the moments leading up to [the event] and [the event] itself. {client_name} requires a mixture of candid and posed shots from a variety of angles to achieve its vision, as well as shots to accommodate any special requests.
{my_company} can meet {client_name}’s needs by making its photography expertise and equipment available for the terms set out in this proposal. {my_company}’s team, consisting of a head photographer and an assistant, will spend 10 hours capturing all the key moments of [the event] and post-process the images using computer software. {my_company} will then release between 1,000 and 1,200 digital photographs for {client_name} to print, enjoy, and share with family, friends, and colleagues.
Following the photo shoot, {my_company} will provide {client_name} with the following:
Within 4-6 weeks of the photography session, {my_company} will provide {client_name} access to the digital proofs via a password protected client portal website. {my_company} will also mail a DVD copy of the digital negatives to {client_name} at that time. {client_name} is free to use any and all of the photographs.
To achieve {client_name}’s needs, as outlined above, we recommend the following services as part of this project:
Pre-Event Photography Consultation
{my_company}’s photographers will set up a time to speak with {client_name} 4 to 6 weeks before [the event]. This meeting will allow {my_company} to understand {client_name}’s vision for the day and offer input to help {client_name} achieve it. {client_name} and {my_company} will work together to determine the structure of the shots, along with any special requests.
Photo Session of [the event]
After consulting with {client_name}, {my_company}’s photographer and assistant will meet {client_name} on the day of [the_event] to begin the photography session. {my_company}’s head photographer and assistant will spend 10 hours capturing key moments from a variety of angles, distances, and resolutions. {my_company} will provide professional lighting equipment.
Post-Production
{my_company} will analyze the results from the photo shoot. Then {my_company}’s post-production specialists will use software like Photoshop and Lightroom to ensure every photo has the proper exposure and color, polishing every image to a professional level. Once post-production is complete, {my_company} will make between 1,000 and 1,2000 digital proofs available to {client_name} via a client portal website.
{my_company} gives {client_name} unlimited license to use the photographs in the package purchased. Usage rights include {client_name}’s website, online promotional materials, e-mail, and print media.
Unforgettable Event Photos Solution
|
$5230.0 |
{client_name} needs unforgettable photos to capture memories on the day of [the event]. High-quality event photography is an investment, and {client_name} can’t afford to not have everything just right. Hiring a company like {my_company} removes that anxiety; we obsess over creating beautiful, unforgettable photos that match {client_name}’s vision. We’ll bring the following strengths in our work for {client_name}:
Should {client_name} choose {my_company} to execute this solution as proposed, our timeline for this project is as follows:
| Phase | Activities | Completion |
| Pre-Event Photo Consultation | Meeting between {client_name} and {my_company}; discussion of {client_name}’s vision; recommendations delivered by {my_company}; finalizing details for photo shoot. | 06/30/XX |
| Event Photo Shoot | 10-hour photography session by {my_company}’s photographers on the day of {client_name}’s event; a mix of shots that capture the key moments and accommodate {client_name}’s special requests. | 08/15/XX |
| Post-Production | Post-production by {my_company}’s experts to ensure perfect exposure and color for every one of {client_name}’s photos. | 09/30/XX |
| Release of Photos | Release of between 1,000 and 1,200 digital photographs to {client_name} via a password-protected client portal website; mailing DVD copy of digital photo negatives to {client_name}. | 09/30/XX |
To take advantage of this proposal and proceed with the project as outlined, {client_name}’s next steps must be to:
Once completed, {my_company} will contact {client_name} to schedule a project launch meeting to make introductions and gather information before beginning the work.
We’re happy to make changes to project scope on {client_name}’s request at any time, but may be subject to additional billing.
Once project fee is paid in full to {my_company}, any elements of text, graphics, photos, contents, trademarks, or other artwork furnished to {client_name} for inclusion in website are owned by {client_name}.
{my_company} assumes {client_name} has permission from the rightful owner to use any code, scripts, data, and reports are provided by {client_name} for inclusion in its materials, and will hold harmless, protect, and defend {my_company} from any claim or suit arising from the use of such work.
{my_company} retains the right to display graphics and other web content elements as examples of their work in their portfolio and as content features in other projects.
This agreement becomes effective only when signed by agents of {client_name} and {my_company}. Regardless of the place of signing of this agreement, {client_name} agrees that for purposes of venue, this contract was entered into in [STATE] and any dispute will be litigated or arbitrated in [STATE].
The agreement contained in this contract constitutes the sole agreement between {client_name} and the {my_company} regarding all items included in this agreement.