International Special Events Society - Benefits & Challenges

Last month, I had a the distinct honor to photograph for the San Diego Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES).  The event was held at the San Diego Botanical Garden, to most of you this was formerly known as the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas.  ISES topic of the evening was: Nonprofits- the Benefits and Challenges.  The meeting focus how vendors and planners can work together to help one another out when the event is for a non-profit organization.

More After the Jump...

As a photographer, I have been asked several times to photograph for a non-profit organization, for little or no pay.  What do you do in such cases?  Take the job?  Refer to someone else? Or politely decline the job?  And to tell you the truth you have to take each on a case by case basis.  I always want to help out any organization when it comes to pictures.  But I do keep in mind the following: 1) If I available on the day of the event?  2) How far in advance was I asked? 3) Where and How many hours of photography? And 4) What is the final product going to be?  I used the answers to these questions as a guideline to determine if I can help out.  And I also go with my "gut" and 9 times out of 10, my gut has saved and rewarded me.  And in the event  that I can not do the event, I will usually see if I can refer it to one of my fellow photographer, and I just politely and nicely decline the gig.

Here are some more photos from the event.