Planning Photography For the School Prom

After all the planning, the dress fittings, the limos, flowers and finding the prom partner; you are going to want to make sure you have a professional photos as a reminder of the evening. Today's prom photographers offer a truly professional setup and photo experience. The photographer for the prom is most likely to have a full portable studio with studio lighting and most will also offer printing on the night as well so the photos can be taken away at the end of the evening.

So what should you check for when looking for a Prom photographer?

• An experienced photographer


• A professional portable studio setup with backdrop and studio lighting


• Prints to be available on the night or from a website afterwards

First off check the photographer's website to see the quality of the photographs they can provide. The website is the photographer's window and the images should represent the quality of the images that the photographer will provide. Check that the photographs on the website are taken by the photographer that will provide the services for your prom. Some of the bigger photography firms work as agencies and will allocated a photographer to an event, not necessarily the same person whose images are on the website.

The studio setup will most likely consist of a full length backdrop, usually large enough to provide a background for a small group. The backdrop is there to provide a clean picture where the subject of the image, the student, is the full focus. There should also be a full studio lighting setup, most likely consisting of at least a three light setup. The lighting is the most important aspect of the studio, it can make or break the photographs that are available to the students. If a studio type setup is used then there is no reason why the photographer can't provide photographs that are of equal quality to any High street studio. You should expect the photographer to take a number of shots of every student and/or couple and they should work quickly and in a relaxed manner to get those images of the students that they are going to be proud of. The last thing any student would want is to be presented with a choice of two images that are awful, in other words no choice at all. Remember, this is one of the biggest nights on the school calendar, the quality of the photos should reflect the importance of the prom night.

Next there is the question of getting the photographs. Most modern prom photographers will shoot on a digital setup and this enables the students to view the photos almost immediately on TV screens. The student should then expect to be able to purchase these photos on the evening if they wish, this is a great feature for the night. A quality print is going to be one that is based on dye-sublimation technology, this is the same as used in modern day printing kiosks. Inkjet just doesn't cut it when it comes to producing quality prints on-site in a short time frame. The photographer should also make the images available after the event from their website, this is for the parents/grandparents. Mum and Grandma are going to want copies of those photos for the extended family.

Prom night is a very important night in any student's life. A good prom photographer will provide images that can be treasured for years to come, you will want to pick a photographer that will provide those images in a professional and friendly way.