Do you really need two photographers to cover an event?

Well, you do if you want to keep your customers happy! We managed ok with charity balls and school proms as most of work is done in the portable studio. When we are shooting Hi Key, Green Screen or Black Screen the guests come to us, aided and abetted by announcements from the DJ, adverts in the program, and a mention on any social networking sites set up for the event.

When we get a quiet moment (doesn't always happen) or when the evening is getting towards the end, we switch the SB-900 on the D700 off commander mode (it controls all our studio lights) and into manual back curtain mode with a diffuser. Then with a f1.4 lens and lots of creamy high ISO we hit the dance floor:)

We have usually managed a semi reportage style as well as the formal poses, but now the Spring has sprung and the Summer is coming, it was finally time to get more cameras. We have magaed with a mixture of Nikon and Canon semi pro cameras, but needed long range wireless.

We have a lot of bookings for Cricket tournaments, Football seven a sides, and Aquathlon/Biathlon/Triathlon evemts that definitely need two or sometimes three photographers as the action is on multiple pitches or spread over different venues.

The Nikon D-700 was favourite, but then we realised as it was mainly sporting events we were covering the extra range of a crop factor sensor would be a benefit in costs and coverage so added some D300's with 70-300mm VR lenses. This gives us a reach of 480mm, almost the same as the Sigma 150-500mm we use on the full frame cameras.

A sneaky purchase of some 1.4 extenders takes that even higher on all the cameras, in fact the Sigma 150-500mm on the D300 with a 1.4 extender gives us over 1000mm reach, and we still get sharp f8 apertures with 1/500th shutters in reasonable light with no noise!

So now we can field a team of three photographers, all with WT-4 wireless transmitters fitted with www.byteitcornwall.co.uk directional antennas sending back to a highly boosted receiver (cheers matthew)!

All of this is controlled by the excellent Event Pro software running on three viewing stations supplied by Graham Russell at www.emmalexsolutions.com

I will write a separate blog about this amazing software soon, it has made a huge difference to how we work and how our customers choose their photos. Brilliant!

So yes you need more than one photographer if you have multiple areas that need coverage. And no, it need not cost a fortune to kit them out or train them! In fact if there are any photography students out there who fancy a (paid!) summer job and don't mind long hours and travel, get in touch!