Planning the gala
How many photographers does a gala need?
That depends on the guest list. Up to 100 guests, one photographer covers it. Over 100, two photographers can cover up to 500 guests at one venue, and a bigger gala gets the full team: four photographers and the lighting package. A cocktail hour or an auction in a second room can add one more photographer.
What do you need from us before the gala?
A planning call about the rooms, the run of the evening, the guest count and the photos you need most. Send the honorees, sponsors and speakers who have to be in the photos, and tell me when the speeches, the honoree presentations and the auction happen, so we're in position.
How much does gala photography cost?
Gala photography is booked as an SLP Media package priced by guest count, and every package includes the SelfSearch AI gallery and a custom branded photo template. The prices, extra hours, extra photographers and the lighting package are on the SLP Media packages page.
What holds our date?
Half up front: a 50% deposit, invoiced when you book, holds the gala date, and the balance is due 7 days before the event.
Do you photograph galas in Jackson, MS?
Yes. I work from Madison, MS as well as Oxford, so SLP Media covers charity and nonprofit galas and fundraisers in Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood and Brandon, and in Oxford, on the Ole Miss campus and across Lafayette County. A venue more than about 30 miles from either city gets a travel quote.
On the night
SLP Media does roaming event photography: at a gala, we move through the whole evening, from the arrivals and cocktail hour to the program, the auction and the sponsor moments, instead of staying parked at one backdrop. We're high energy, so we hype up groups, pull donors and guests into shots and keep the room going between speeches. Coverage is planned ahead so no part of the night is left out. Over 100 guests, I add second shooters I hire and brief myself, all working from one coverage plan, and the lighting package adds a posed backdrop station alongside the roaming coverage.
What do you photograph at a gala?
The arrivals, the room, the details you planned, the speeches, the auction and the people you'll want to thank afterward. SLP Media does roaming event photography, so we keep moving all evening and catch the candids as they happen. We stop for the group shots on your list, like the honorees and the sponsors.
Can you set up a photo station?
Yes, with the lighting package. Professional lights go up at your backdrop or a spot we pick together, so the posed photos stay consistent from the first arrivals to the last. It's part of the full team package and an add-on for the two smaller ones, and one photographer stays on the station while the others cover the room.
Can you film a recap of the gala?
Yes. I shoot recap films myself, as Samuel Long Productions, and a gala film can be booked with the photos and quoted on its own. As an FAA Part 107 pilot, I can add drone aerials where the airspace and the venue allow it, never over the crowd.
What if the program runs long?
We stay with it. Every extra hour is billed for each photographer, so if the program is likely to run late, add the time to the quote up front.
After the gala
After the gala, guests and sponsors find their photos in the SelfSearch AI gallery, and the photos they save carry your organization's logo on a custom branded photo template. If your board asks how guest photos and selfies are handled, the answers are below.
When will the photos be ready?
Within 2 days of the gala, or 3 days if it's on a Monday to Thursday, the edited gallery is ready to send to guests and sponsors. Your quote gives the exact date, and later you get a summary with the numbers from your gallery.
How do guests and sponsors get their photos?
Guests and sponsors get their photos on their phones through SLP Media's SelfSearch AI gallery, which uses facial recognition to find each person's photos. You share one private link with your guests and sponsors. Each person opens it in their phone's browser, takes one selfie and sees the photos they're in, with no app or account needed. The gallery may ask for an email before the first download. Anyone who signs up with the QR code at the door gets the link by email.
Can the gala's name go on the photos?
Yes. Every SLP Media package includes a custom branded photo template, a border or overlay that puts your organization's logo on the photos guests save, plus up to three lines of text, like the gala's name, its theme or the date, beside the SLP Media mark.
Is the facial recognition gallery private?
The selfies are. Each selfie is matched once, only against your gala's gallery, and is never saved. SelfSearch AI is SLP Media's own gallery, built in house by Samuel Long Productions rather than a third-party photo app, with privacy designed in. Anyone can opt out of matching or ask for a photo to come down. The gallery stays up for a year with free downloads and an optional PIN, and photos and face data are deleted 30 days after it closes, once any print orders are filled. More on privacy is in my event photographer answers.
