Some helpful hints for photographing a birthday party
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1. Arrive Early. It’s important to start off well with any client and arriving early can set the tone for the day. It shows that you respect their time and that you are a professional who came to create fantastic images for them and their family. Arriving early is like signing your name on the SAT’s: you automatically score points.
2. Be accommodating. No two birthday parties are the same, so you can never be sure what the atmosphere is going to be. Being accommodating of the party goers and whatever requests they may have for you will make you a more effective photographer. You will still find time to get any images you have in your mind, but allow yourself to be pulled in a direction you may not have planned for.
3. Be light on your feet. Speed is important as a photographer in general, but definitely at a party you want to be able to move to where the host needs you to be as quickly as possible. Moving swiftly but carefully from area to area in the party lets everyone know that you came to work. You don’t want to be casually doing anything. Having fun while you’re working is a bonus of being a photographer, but you never want to appear lazy because that leads to a poor referral.
4. Keep the camera in your hand. In between posed shots of family members you want to capture any candid moments that are going on around the party. You never want to miss a moment of joy between siblings who haven’t seen each other for years or a relative returned from a long trip. With a camera in your hand at all times you will stay sharp and focused on the scene in front of you.
5. Put your candid camera on silent. I photograph birthday parties with two cameras, just as I do a wedding, because I want to move between lens focal lengths quickly. When I’m taking candid’s I find that the sound of my shutter makes the party guests tense up, because they are strongly aware that their picture is being taken. I want people to feel relaxed so they can wear their emotions on their sleeves, and not freeze their looks for a photo.
6. Match the energy. Whatever the energy of the party is dictates how you should behave. Always be courteous and cheerful, but if it’s a roaring party then get out there and dance, or in my case at least move around with the attempt at dancing. A big part of what you bring to the table as a photographer is making the people around you feel good about their experience with you and matching energy is a great way to do that.
Thank you, kindly.
-Tarver Petersen
