This is arguably only worth doing for medium to large size companies. Moreover, as I write this article, we are in a global recession so office parties may not be flavour of the day. But keep it mind for future reference as I found it to be a good earner particularly around Christmas and New Year.

The type of deal that I used work on was that I would photograph each couple (or single) arriving at the Christmas Party assuming they wanted to be photographed. This would be based upon an agreed number of attendees so should the number rise, the fee would too.  I must confess, however, I didn’t shout too loudly if the numbers fell short of the original estimate.

The period when you were actually working would usually be brief and would generally last no more than an hour including set up and clearing away time. But before the event, you need to check what facilities are being set aside for the photography as you don’t want to end up working in an area that is more like Piccadilly Circus in the rush hour than a photographic studio (albeit a portable one). 

You will have to accept that photographing a large number of people in a limited period of time is a bit like operating a conveyer belt. In a sense, it's not dissimilar in that respect to school photography.

Tip : Keep-It-Simple as time will be short. Use the “wrap-around” lighting approach described in the portraiture section as this reduces time. Generally take no more than three or four shots per couple before shouting “NEXT”.

A typical Office Party shot

Tip : Be prepared for people to come up to you and say, can you take a shot of our little group. The largest group I call recall doing was around 7 in one shot. The size of your backdrop and the size of the area you have to work in will largely dictate how many subjects you can comfortably get into a shot.

The preferred format would be to take shots of guests arriving for which you might have a 30 minute window. For this I would take a canvass back-drop, at least two cameras (belt and bracers) and my Coutenay studio lighting set which packed neatly away into its carrying case.

I usually enlisted the support of one of the event organiser's to shepherd people through the photographic set and this would keep up a steady flow of guests.

Sometimes you may be asked to also take photographs of guests while sitting at their tables.

Tip : When taking shots of the guests sitting at their tables, try and avoid doing it when they are eating as it does not generate very flattering results – which can affect final sales.

Always have some business cards and any appropriate publicity material that you have somewhere convenient where guests can easily pick them up.

A mounted copy of each couple would be sent to the party coordinator who would distribute them to the attendees. Make sure that each carries a unique reference number to make re-ordering simple.

If extra prints were required, which often happened, these would be extra and paid for by the individuals rather than the company. Try and agree that the party coordinator to act as the interface between you and the guests.

I would also give the party coordinator a framed photograph as a little thank you.

Finally, I always made sure that the Studio name and contact details were included with each photograph and this did often lead to follow-up business.