HI! I recently was able to work out a deal with a local store to come in for a few days and set-up shop and turn out a bunch of family portraits for their customers. Basically I will need to use a space in their store (most likely the garden center b.c. the lighting is better and I like it much more!) and set up some kind of area for shooting (I was thinking some hay bales, pumpkins etc..., you get the idea) and offer special packages while giving the store a percentage of the sales or profit (haven't gotten into those details yet).

The store will run some ads drawing people in for this event and hopefully increasing sales for them too as well as getting my name out there! Yay!

So I am trying to work out all of the little things that I will need to know beforehand and was wondering if any one has ever done this sort of thing.

If so, I would love some advice of what not to do or easier ways to do things. I would really love this to flow well---get them in, snap their pics, get them on their way. This could turn into another event for Christmas and an annual event if it goes well. I am even working on a layout that would direct traffic back into the store again instead of people ducking out the garden center exit.

So far here are the things I may need help with:

1. How to get them to order without seeing the picture first? (I do this every year with school pics, but will this turn people off)?

2. Should I offer specials other than the discounted packages?

3. Should I have a pick-up day so they can return to the store or just mail them to their homes?

4. What other ideas to get people in to get their pictures taken?

I really appreciate your help!

Thanks!

I assisted a friend of mine with a Halloween bash that he was having at the local Chamber of Commerce and we had a setup with hay bales and pumpkins and back drops. We also had someone greeting the clients as they came in and had them fill out an information card with name address Email Etc... on this card we also wrote down the image number so we knew who it was on the image we had 4 photogs ( 2 shooting 2 writing image numbers) and 2 assistants keeping order and moving things along. I believe we shoot 500 kids that day. It will work well if you plan it. You will need some help of course. Good Luck!!

Use a online hosting company, Collages.net, Pictage or whatever and print out business cards with the password information on it, and let them buy from there. Don't do it buy your self. Get someone to help you out. You don't want to be trying to do everything. Concentrate on shooting, and making people happy. I would say give the store some money. In the end you will probably get future buisness out of it from their clients, and they are the ones paying for the advertizing. As said above, get everyones information, so if you do any online specials or mail outs, you have their addresses. Good luck.