Photoshoots

I've been running meets for 3 years, and no, pro photos are not expected. Just make sure to include everyone, be flexible, and work with whatever characters show up, and you'll be fine. Meetup pics are more for fun than showing off.

>>9062668
You have to contact one. You should have a dedicated photographer. preferably one you've paid. Just ask what their fee is and how many people. Shooting 3-4 people is chaos enough, throw in 30 and forget it

As a photographer I don't go to gatherings anymore because it's a cluster fuck as the other poster hinted at (and they aren't worth much artistically). There will always be a random taking photos do you could try asking one of them. If you've got any friends willing to help who also have a decent camera ask them too because you can bug them for the photos

>>9062867
Yea I was gonna have a friend take the photos with a regular camera too

Is it a gathering of cosplayers/fans of a certain series, or is it a small group of your own friends?

For the former, usually due to the size and space limitations, you shouldn't expect professional grade photographers to attend, nor would it really be worth it to solicit folks yourself. Though if you have a friend with a decent camera who doesn't mind spending an hour taking basic shots, it may be nice to bribe them to help, so you can ensure pictures get posted somewhere after.

I don't know the context of the meet-up, but if you're expecting any more than 10 people, you larger concern would be making sure you have adequate space and can organize a bunch of hyperactive teenagers. I know some folks from the Homestuck fandom wrote some nice guides on how to handle large cosplay gatherings back in the fandom's clusterfuck heyday, might be worth it to Google around to see if they're still up anywhere.

But generally, meet-ups of that caliber consist of getting various group shots (entire group, particular characters, etc), and socializing.

>>9062913
Well it's a scheduled meet up/Photoshoot at a convention. Like it's all official and whatnot the area is reserved

As someone who ended up running a photoshoot like this on the spot back at AMKE, I'd suggest planning out which shots you want to set up, like what >>9062913 said. You're going to want to pay attention to who shows up because that will dictate the general flow of the meetup. You'll want to call up each specific character, any obvious groups (for example, for Homestuck people will usually call up any trolls present, or any family groupings, etc.), and ships. Be open to suggestions, but definitely do your research and know the most common ones.

Depending on if you're inside or outside, you may want a bullhorn or something so that people can actually hear you calling up the groups. A physical checklist is a good idea (I had to make everything up on the spot but it would have been nice to have a concrete list so I knew I wasn't missing anything). You need to be loud, but screaming is ineffective.

>>9062668
If you want a professional photographer to shoot your event, pay one to be there.

Fuck. Simple shit.