Planning the party
How many photographers does our holiday party need?
It goes by head count. For an office party of up to 100 guests, one photographer is enough. Over 100, two photographers cover a company party of up to 500 guests at one venue. Past 500, the full team brings four photographers and the lighting package. If the party spreads into a second room, add one more photographer.
Can we get posed photos at a backdrop?
Yes. Add the lighting package and we set up professional lights at your backdrop or a spot we pick together, so the group photos from late in the night match the ones from the start. The full team package already includes it, and it's an add-on for the one and two photographer packages.
Can our company logo go on the photos?
Yes. Every SLP Media package includes a custom branded photo template, a border or overlay that puts your company logo on each photo a guest saves, plus up to three lines of text, such as the party name, the date or your party theme, beside the SLP Media mark.
How much does holiday party photography cost?
A holiday party books as an SLP Media package, priced by guest count with one, two or four photographers, and each package includes the SelfSearch AI gallery and a custom branded photo template. The prices, extra hours and the lighting package are on the SLP Media packages page.
When should we book?
As soon as you have the date, since two or four photographers all have to be free the same night. A 50% deposit holds it, and the balance is due 7 days before the party.
What do you need from us before the party?
One planning call: where the party is, the schedule, the head count, who has to be in the photos and the group shots you want, like the whole company together. If there's a toast or a presentation, tell me when, so we're in position.
The night of the party
What do you photograph at a holiday party?
Candids and posed photos. We cover people arriving, the decorations and details you planned, the toasts and the dance floor, and we stop for every group shot on your list. With the lighting package, we add a lit backdrop station for posed photos alongside the roaming coverage.
Do your photographers roam the whole party?
Yes. SLP Media does roaming event photography: our photographers move through the whole party instead of staying at one backdrop, so coworkers across the room get photographed, not only the ones in line. We're high energy, so we pull people into shots and keep the room going, and on the planning call we map where the moments happen, so no part of the night is left out.
What if the party runs long?
We can stay past the booked hours, billed by the hour for each photographer. If you already know the party will run late, build the extra time into the quote.
Can you film the party too?
Yes. I shoot recap films myself as Samuel Long Productions, so a holiday party video can go in the same booking as the photos, quoted on its own.
Jackson, MS and Oxford
Do you photograph holiday parties in Jackson, MS?
Yes. SLP Media serves the Jackson metro, covering corporate holiday parties and Christmas parties in Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood and Brandon.
And in Oxford?
Yes. SLP Media serves Oxford too, covering Christmas parties on the Square, on the Ole Miss campus and out in Lafayette County.
Do you travel farther?
Yes, anywhere in Mississippi. If the party is more than about 30 miles from Oxford or Jackson, the quote includes the travel.
After the party
When do we get the photos?
Your team gets the edited gallery within 2 days of the party, or 3 days if the party falls Monday to Thursday, and your quote gives the exact date. Later on, you also get a summary with the numbers from your gallery.
How do guests find their photos?
Guests find their photos on their phones through SelfSearch AI, SLP Media's gallery that uses facial recognition. You share one private link with your guests. Each person opens it in their phone's browser, takes one selfie and sees the photos they're in, with no app to download and no account. The gallery may ask for an email before the first download, and guests who sign up with the QR code at the door get the link by email.
Is the facial recognition gallery private?
The selfies are. 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. Each selfie is matched once, only against your party's gallery, and never saved. Photos and face data are deleted 30 days after the gallery closes, once any print orders are filled. Anyone can opt out of matching or ask for a photo to come down. The gallery stays up for a year with free downloads for anyone with the link, and you can add a PIN to keep it to your guests. My event photographer answers cover the rest of the privacy details.
