<p>You might look into the services offered by The Main Event.</p>
<p>I think that a quinceanera might be similar to a bat mitzvah, in that you’ve gathered your extended family and want to get nice pictures of them, but also you want some “event” photography of the party itself?</p>
<p>What we did was to hire a photographer to do a family photo shoot separate from the party. This was only about an hour or so, and we WERE able to find a wonderful pro who did the photo shoot and sold us the high-res images on disk for a reasonable price. It was reasonable because it didn’t take a lot of his time and we booked it on a Friday afternoon, when it didn’t compete with weddings or whatever else he normally shoots. (I’d recommend him but we’re not in NY.)</p>
<p>We then had The Main Event at the party. They set up a photo favor booth where all the guests could pose for pictures in whatever groups they wanted, as many times as they wanted, and could take home their pictures in frames, keychains, snowglobes, whatever. We received high-res files of every picture taken and they were very festive pictures because they people are having a good time when they pose. But unlike shots that are “action shots” at a party, everyone is looking at the camera, no one is in the background, etc. We thought it captured the party feel adequately to have those pictures. However, in case there are specific things going on during your party, like a candle-lighting or speeches, I believe the ME photographers (who are, I believe, college kids–at least they are in this area) will shoot those for you.</p>
<p>They are priced by the hour and they do a terrific job. We had our MC exhort all of our guests, young and old, to be sure to go and pose for pictures so that we (as well as they) would have them. (They actually will just send you an event photographer for the party and give you an online album and a DVD…that’s one of the packages they offer as well, separate from the photo favors.)</p>
<p>You bring up an interesting point that I had not considered because I’m assuming that the PHOTOGRAPHER would process any photos he would use in portfolio.</p>
<p>I’m not saying I’m seeking a “camera man” for my event because I still think of the person taking photos as a “photographer”, even if someone else later edits their photos. Perhaps “camera man” is more accurate in professional circles, so it’s good to keep that in mind.</p>
<p>DeskPotato - I quickly checked out The Main Event website. I will definitely investigate further, but I sense the price will be more than I want to spend. But those photo party favors do look enticing . . .</p>
<p>Are you in the Bay Area? My D is just starting her business as an event photographer, and her prices are very reasonable. PM me if you’d like the link to her website.</p>
<p>Same here. We hired a woman who worked at a local newspaper to take a bunch of pictures and then give us the rolls of film. She shot five rolls. When we got the film developed, there were 20 good pictures. That’s it. The rest were out of focus, too dark, or off-center. I think my six-year-old could have done a better job! We complained and got a refund after returning the negatives.</p>
<p>“Heres what Id like: A photographer to spend about four hours taking pictures and then give me the digital images. Since photography is a bit of hobby for me, I would prefer to edit the images and produce any prints or album myself.”</p>
<p>Any student who wants to freelance in photography will probably not do this for you. If their name is tied to something YOU are going to select from and edit…then if you produce bad results…it will reflect on them.</p>
<p>I have a degree in photograpy and have done a lot of weddings, portraits, etc. I don’t do it full time and I do photograph for trade and for friends. I will select the images I feel are acceptable, retouch them myself and give them out so that what I produced can not be altered. They are free to make prints and have the copyrights (because I do not have a business nor do I want to open one to keep their images archived). </p>
<p>I did a lot of work when I was a student, I still use students today for things that I am a part of and want to have images made of. I just used a student earlier this year for my daughter to get some shots of her swim meet because I was recording it and wanted some shots of her events. They own the copyright, I bought the prints. They did a decent job for what I needed.</p>
<p>Most students today (high school and college) who are into photography will have webpages with their work that you can view to see if you like their “style”. No one is going to come to your home…do a photo shoot of your child and then show you that…just to see if you like their style. One is portraiture photography, the other is candid or event work…not the same thing at all. Plus, you have just doubled their work for one event that you want for cheap anyways!</p>
<p>Find a student, ask to see their flickr account and make sure to get a contract on what you want and what they will be expected to do. It’s not uncommon and as long as you see some of their work beforehand…you should both get a good deal. Stuff like this is just my pet peeve that somehow photographers have less ownership rights to their work than other artists. As someone else stated, it is how they make a living. I go to event all the time just as a parent and always seem to help arranging the groups for photos so that things move quickly, everyone can be seen and so on and so forth. I stopped telling people a long time ago that I was a photographer because I would never be allowed to just watch and enjoy and event and I would have 3 or 4 cameras in my lap that other people expected me to take photo with for them with their cameras. Yes really!</p>
<p>From BluePoodle and others I’ve learned a lot about what I may be getting into. Thank you all! After reading your comments I did a little more Googling and educated myself further on this topic.</p>
<p>Like many areas, the wedding photography business has been affected by technology and the distressed economy. Giving up printing rights right after the shoot (not waiting a year or more) has apparently become more common, and sharing or even giving up copyrights is a topic of discussion. (Maybe it always has been.)</p>
<p>I now know that some/most amateur photographers may feel their reputation might be at risk if I’m allowed to edit their photos, afraid I’ll do a lousy processing job. I also know some of the pitfalls in writing up a contract, including making sure I specify printing and processing rights if I want that.</p>
<p>Any more insights and recommendations are certainly welcome.</p>
<p>There are various creative services and photogaphers at [Thumbtack</a> - Book a local service professional with confidence](<a href=“http://www.thumbtack.com%5DThumbtack”>http://www.thumbtack.com) - a bulletin board of freelancers.</p>