How many Dallas event photographers do I need?

Your next great event is coming up, and it is going to be spectacular! There are going to be so many great things going on, and your attendees are going to absolutely love it. Naturally you have a Dallas event photographer on hand to capture all of the amazing moments to come, but now you are wondering if one photographer will be enough.

Not to worry! Below are a few thoughts to help you figure out just how many photographers will be enough to find that balance between not enough coverage and total overkill.

Bear in mind that one experienced event photographer can move very quickly and efficiently through even large crowds, which means that they may cost more than less experienced photographers, but can also do the same or more work of two event photographers that don’t have as much training or skill. Event photographers with a photojournalism background are particularly quick, as they have been trained early on to work quickly to capture moments.

However, even with an experienced photographer, there are times when you need to have multiple photographers on hand to get all the coverage you or your client needs.

Four questions to ask yourself when figuring out the best number of photographers for your next event:

1. How many people are going to be there?

You probably don’t need three photographers to cover a dinner with fifteen people in attendance, unless you are going for that paparazzi feel. But, three might be just enough, or not enough for your convention in Dallas with fifteen thousand attendees.

Generally, experienced event photographers can cover events with several hundred people comfortably, unless you physically need someone in two places at once, which I’ll cover next. Once you get in to the thousands, and tens of thousands, you are going to need to look at putting together an event photography team out to cover the event.

2. How many locations do I need coverage in?

As most event photographers have not yet mastered the art of time travel, myself included unfortunately, events that are going on at the same time within your event and requiring coverage will require multiple photographers.

This can range from awards ceremonies or presentations going on in different rooms or buildings to a particular group going offsite to kick back and relax a bit one evening while other activities are going on at the hotel. In that case, you will need a photographer for each particular area.

3. Depth of coverage

How extensively do you need the event covered? Are you trying to get most of the people captured in photos that are there, or are you looking for more of the overall feel and flavor? I’ve shot at events where there is a list of must-have persons to be photographed, and the only way to get them all taken is with two photographers. In other instances, you may need someone to be dedicated to the stage during an awards ceremony while having another photographer capturing crowd and recipient reactions.

Or, you have a thousand people in an over the top anniversary celebration and only need one Dallas event photographer to get overall shots along with candid and posed photographs. Look over how much depth you need in your event photography to help determine how many photographers you need.

4. Different jobs

Finally, do you have different jobs that need to be handled at the same time? You may need candid shots during a reception, while also needing a photographer to cover the step and repeat area. You can have one photographer run back and forth, but the best way to ensure proper coverage would be to have two.

I’ve even had a photographer dedicated to covering the guest of honor for the evening while I handled a photo experience where I photographed and made prints for guests, while yet another photographer was stationed down at the entrance to grab shots of guests at a step and repeat. You may need one photographer to capture party pics while another is dedicated to candids. 

In looking at the number of event photographers you will need for your event, make sure to factor in the number of people, number of locations, depth of coverage and different jobs you need performed.

This will give you a good idea of how many shooters you need, and help you to have the best photographic coverage possible!