Our Team Welcome Guide for Photographers
Welcome to our Welcome Guide!
We have built this guide for all of our photographers and videographers to understand what it is to be a Cloud X Media artist! If you are at the start of your creative journey or are looking for some extra inspiration, we hope you find this helpful too!
Vision
Our vision is to set an industry standard for photographers and videographers in the Australian creative industry.
Mission
Our mission is to bring heart into the creative industry at every photoshoot and change the working landscape for photographers.
Values
The values of our team are highly important to us.
Have spirit and be kind. We enable a culture that allows us to bring a vibrant energy to everything we do.
Communication is important. We strive to have open and honest communication within the team and with our clients. This allows for a healthy working environment and a better customer experience!
Make an impact with every photoshoot (a percentage of all shoots goes to charity)
Develop yourself and be a team player.
We aim to surround ourselves with honest, hard-working, reliable, engaged and vibrant creatives and love that a percentage of all profits from each shoot goes to charity!
Be Reliable!
Get Engaged! Bring some life to the party, ask clients if they would like a photo!
Be Punctual! Our clients have put a lot of effort into their events, be ON TIME! You must be there early to scout the venue and set up your gear so you are ready to start 5 minutes before the photoshoot begins. Your punctuality and client support can be the difference between a one time shoot and a return shoot for a client!
Be Prepared! Please remember to bring all of your gear.
Remember: every time you go to a photoshoot, you are representing Cloud X Media to the client and many future clients.
Your Checklist
Pre-Departure Checklist for PhotographersAA Batteries
Spare Camera Batteries
SD Card with Space
Wide angle lens
85mm lens or similar
Full frame camera
Tested beauty light and extension cord (if you need this for the shoot)
Contact Details of Client (Phone Number, Email etc)
Details of the Event
-
Pre-Departure Checklist for Videographers
Spare Camera Batteries
Gimbal
Tri-pod
SD Card with Space
The right lenses
Full frame camera
Tested beauty light and extension cord (if you need this for the shoot)
Contact Details of Client
The Photographer Process from Start to Finish
Accept the Photoshoot
Accept the photoshoot and write all of the information into your preferred calendar.
Confirmation Call
Call your client to let them know you will be the photographer for the event.
You need to run your client through the plan for the event and ask if you have missed anything.
Organise Parking
Cloud X Media photographers organise their own transport and parking within Brisbane
We recommend doing some research before the photoshoot
We recommend booking online with Wilson Parking when working in the city
If you finish late, you may want to have a friend you can call as you walk to your car
Check all of your equipment is in your bag.
Please refer to above photographer and videographer checklist.
Confirmation Text
Message the organiser of the event when you leave with your arrival time.
Arrival
Photographers must arrive 15 minutes early to the photoshoot to scout the location and set up equipment.
Videographers must arrive at least 30-45 minutes early to scout the area and set up equipment.
Cloud X Media runs a punctuality guarantee which means you will get 5% of your photoshoot back if you the photographer is not more than 10 minutes early.
Greet the Organiser and Run Them Through the Plan
Greet your event organiser and run them through the plan.
Remember to ask if there is anything you have missed or any special extra events they would like captured!
General Photographer’s Guide
Socials
Candids
Details of the event (cake, food, canapes, drinks)
Wide shot of the room
Speeches
Check if there is anything special happening that you should be aware of
After the Photoshoot
Upload your photos to your computer as soon as you get home and create a backup (can put them on a hard drive)
All albums must be edited within 3-4 days and uploaded to the server (unless they are a wedding or have a priority edit)
Grace will review the photos before sending them to the clients
The Cloud X Media team will usually message the client to ask them to provide feedback on how you went through the photoshoot
What Makes a Cloud X Media Photo?
Your chemistry with the client
Being highly engaging with your clients and helping them feel comfortable and confident in the way they look will help you create photos that are vibrant and fun.
Understanding Human Interaction
Taking a photograph after someone breathes out or when someone lets out a laugh is when you will capture the best essence of the person. If you're taking a candid of someone, it can involve some patience waiting for them to laugh but it's worth it.
Composition
Lighting
Editing
Being Open to Improving
Pictured: Gracie is used as a model for the photos to show the effect chemistry, composition, lighting and editing can have an effect on how she is portrayed through a photo.
Album Review Process
After the photographer completes the album, another photographer will review the album for imperfections before it is sent to the client.
These are the kinds of questions the reviewing photographer may ask themselves before the album is sent to the client to be shared:
Editing style
Do they have an unfavourable expression?
Will they repost the photo
Is it an unflattering angle
Is their mouth open in a weird way
Do they look bored?
Do they look uninterested in the conversation
Do participants look too intoxicated
Are corporate clients pictured actively drinking alcohol
What is going on in the background of the photo
Is the photo accurately exposed
Is the photo too warm?
Has the candid been taken with flash
Level of culling (I will look at how you have captured facial expressions and cropped all of the photos)
FAQs
I’ve had an emergency before the photoshoot, what do I do?
You need to find an immediate replacement who can deliver the same level of creative quality as you. Contact your team members immediately and we will find a replacement for you. Our team has an extensive contact base to contact a myriad of talented artists in cases of emergencies.
I’ve had an emergency and will need some extra time to deliver the photos, what do I do?
Deliver the photographs within 3 days on the platform we use, please let the head photographer know if something has come up as we do have some buffers in place. Our team members have great internal editors we can rely on in times of emergencies.
I’ve had an emergency and have to arrive late, what do I do?
Contact your client immediately to communicate the issue with them. Although we would love for all artists to be on time, sometimes life can get in the way! We run a punctuality guarantee for all events which means we will give you a portion of your photoshoot back if one of our artists is late!