Plan your event photography · The Picture Booth
Plan your event photography: style, hours and a useful brief
Plan photography around the moments you want covered: arrivals, speeches, group portraits and time with your guests. Decide how much direction you want from the photographer, then share the programme, venue details and a short list of essential photos. A photo booth gives guests a place to pose; a photographer covers the activity elsewhere. Book the hours and services that match those needs.
01 / Plan your event photography
Choose the balance of candid and posed photos
Candid, or documentary, photography follows the event as it happens. It suits conversations, reactions to speeches and people enjoying the celebration. Posed photography gives the photographer time to arrange a group and direct where everyone stands. You can ask for both in the same brief.
For a birthday, you might want relaxed photos of guests together, a group portrait and the cake cutting. For a wedding reception, list the family groups alongside speeches and time on the dance floor. Allow a gap in the programme for anyone who needs help gathering the groups.
Ask to see examples from a similar setting. A bright daytime room and a dim evening reception present different lighting conditions. Tell the photographer about any venue restrictions on flash and the parts of the event where you would prefer them to work discreetly.
02 / Plan your event photography
Choose coverage hours from your programme
Write down the first and last moments you want photographed. Then check what happens between them. Arrivals, speeches and a later cake cutting may be several hours apart, even when each activity is brief. Share the actual timings before choosing a package.
A shorter booking can suit a focused part of an event, such as arrivals and group photos. Longer coverage gives room for several stages of the programme. Avoid treating the guest count alone as a guide to the hours needed: the schedule, number of groups and movement between rooms also matter.
Give the photographer your preferred start and finish times, and flag anything likely to change. Confirm what happens if the programme runs late before booking extra coverage.
03 / Plan your event photography
Compare photography options
| Coverage | Price |
|---|---|
| One hour | $350 |
| Two hours | $630 |
| Three hours | $910 |
| Half day (4 hours) | $1,160 |
| Full day (8 hours) | $1,800 |
Keep photography, booth hire and optional extras clear in your quote. Ask which services and delivery options are included. Travel within a 10 km radius of our base is included at no extra charge. Beyond this, travel is charged per kilometre. Your quote confirms the travel charge for your venue.
View event photography packages and add-ons04 / Plan your event photography
Plan the booth and photographer together
A booth gives guests a place to make their own posed photos and collect prints. A photographer can move around the event to cover speeches, reactions and activity away from that spot. If you want both, include both services in the enquiry so their hours can match the programme.
For a reception or party, place the booth where guests can find it without blocking a doorway or serving area. Choose its operating time around when guests will be free to use it. Booth setup and pack-down happen outside the booked operating hours.
Decide whether a backdrop, custom photo strip or guest book belongs in your plan. Put those choices in the brief so you can compare the full cost and the space required.
05 / Plan your event photography
Send a short brief with the important details
- Event date, venue, room and preferred photography start and finish times.
- The programme, including arrivals, speeches, cake cutting, awards or other moments you want covered.
- A short list of essential groups and the person who can help gather them.
- Your preferred balance of candid coverage and posed photos.
- Access, parking, lighting and any venue restrictions the photographer needs to plan for.
- Anyone who should not be photographed, and any restrictions on sharing images.
- The intended use of the photos and any delivery deadline.
For a corporate event, also identify speakers, award recipients and required branding. Tell the photographer about confidential presentations and the person who can approve images. These details help the coverage fit your event without making every photograph a formal portrait.
06 / Plan your event photography
Confirm delivery and how you will use the photos
The Picture Booth’s event photography packages include an online gallery delivered within 72 hours. A faster gallery is an optional add-on. Discuss a deadline for a particular announcement or event follow-up before booking.
Confirm gallery access, download arrangements and intended image use. Personal keepsakes, public social posts and company marketing have different requirements. Raise any restrictions in the brief and check the booking terms before sharing or reusing images.
Download and back up your delivered files. If you want printed copies later, check that the gallery is still available before requesting reprints.
07 / Plan your event photography
Plan the rest of your event
The Picture Booth · Wellington
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