[Mateasi]

Hi!

I am asking for professional help.
I have been added a task to shoot product photography for casino. Company is currently redesigning their site and asked me to shoot casino games for their content. For example they made article about roulette and they want photos from me. They have told me that I could do anything I want to, whether its gonna be something completely made in photoshop or photography from some casino. I am in charge and they trust me. But, it's an online casino and I have no idea what to come up with, it's like I am completely empty on ideas. Any suggestions? Check out their site - Honest casino reviews | Casino.Guru I was thinking about something connected to India or like that, coz its a guru and it makes sense to me, but like I don't know.. Maybe a photo with Indian overtone?

Interesting problem. I can see "real" casinoes prohibiting photography in support of a competitor, and I'd think most people who are gambling wouldn't want their picture taken in that context. But assuming you can get past such objections, I'd ditch the "Indian guru" angle and go for the "big money!". Best thing is to get the viewers to identify with people who are happy because they're winning at whatever game they're playing. If it were me, I'd try to get permission from existing casino owners to show up just to take pictures (paying whatever admission fee is required). Or you could go to one of those big hotels that has a casino (Atlantic City, Los Vegas, Charles Town?), pay to stay overnight, and just wander down to the casino with your camera (fully prepared for the risk of violent interruption by hotel security). This job would have to pay the really big bucks for me to take it, because I think the photography would be simple and straightforward, but access is not.

[Wingincamera]

I am not an attorney, but if the photos are for commercial use with people in the picture you will probably need a signed released from each person and maybe the business. For people, you could bring in friends & relatives to pose for you, that would make it easy for the signed releases.

[Joe Dusel]

I was taking pictures of an event that was taking place in a hall in a casino in California. I was hired by the organization having the event which included casino employees, and since I was there early I figured I would wander down to the casino to just take a few fun shots without people that could be used by the organization to show that it was a great place to have the event next year. LOL, I was greeted by a few security people who asked me who I was, where was my ID (not the event photographer badge I was given), why I was photographing in the casino and detained me until the manager told them to let me go. Yeah, you definitely need to contact the casino and get permission to do photography anywhere near the casino. The casino manager was very nice to me after the incident.

[RonHendriks1966]

Stage all scenes. If there is no money to do such things.....well it isn't worth the efford.

[Kerrowdown]

Here's my 2 cents... I'd also not go the "Indian Guru" route, perhaps IMHO your overthinking this.

You are getting paid for this right?

If so... I'd get access (with all the required permissions) to a casino venue. Preferably when closed to the punters, so you can take your time and get the images you need without upsetting folk.

Photograph only the things people first think of when they hear the word casino. It's for online promotional usage, so you've only about three seconds or so when people first click on the site to hold the attention of the site visitor.

The images therefore must be visually fast, very colourful and eye catching, conveying immediately what they are, otherwise folk will click off to another site.

So I would treat this assignment as full commercial product shoot, meaning well lit, super sharp with clean backgrounds, with perhaps maybe just a few soft bokeh ish backgrounds of a casino environment to give a sense of place.

My suggestions to you as to the type of shots required would be... I'd get in real tight (macro lens?) and close, low angle, a visually striking different viewpoint... of say a roulette wheel, card shoe, craps table and the like.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I am not an attorney, but if the photos are for commercial use with people in the picture you will probably need a signed released from each person and maybe the business. For people, you could bring in friends & relatives to pose for you, that would make it easy for the signed releases.

Generally, in the U.S., photographing people who are "in public" (i.e., visible from a public place, even if they're on their own property) and who don't have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" can be photographed without permission from anyone. If you take their picture and then use their "name or likeness" to be used to advance commercial purposes (i.e., to promote a product, as opposed to supplying content which can then be sold, e.g., a telephone directory), that requires permission. However, written permission is not required (there is no statute of frauds as to permission to photograph); but it's best and advisable to have written permission if you do intend to, or even think you might, want to use the picture to promote a product, just so you'll have better evidence in your defense than, "But she said it was ok...".

[Mateasi]

Thanks so much!! I was thinking either I would stay at casino and do some sneaky photos, but then like it wouldnt be easy with such a bg camera.. And then I thought about studio shooting of games.

[Wheatfield]

Thanks so much!! I was thinking either I would stay at casino and do some sneaky photos, but then like it wouldnt be easy with such a bg camera.. And then I thought about studio shooting of games.

Studio shooting is the obvious solution. Rather than trying to set up an ersatz casino, why not do a "lifestyle" series. Show people around a table playing poker, show people blowing on dice for luck, that sort of thing, but limit the imagery to that. Forget about the environment, just show people having fun doing the sort of things that they might fo in a casino.

---------- Post added Jul 11th, 2019 at 08:25 AM ----------

I was taking pictures of an event that was taking place in a hall in a casino in California. I was hired by the organization having the event which included casino employees, and since I was there early I figured I would wander down to the casino to just take a few fun shots without people that could be used by the organization to show that it was a great place to have the event next year. LOL, I was greeted by a few security people who asked me who I was, where was my ID (not the event photographer badge I was given), why I was photographing in the casino and detained me until the manager told them to let me go. Yeah, you definitely need to contact the casino and get permission to do photography anywhere near the casino. The casino manager was very nice to me after the incident.

I was hired years ago to photograph the new at the time casino in the city I live in. I arrived at the set time, got in touch with my contact, who was the the manager of the casino, and was shown to the location I was to shoot from, and was given pretty specific instructions regarding where and when to point my camera. Pretty much, she gave me a 15 minute window to shoot in but no other hard instruction.
Anyway, I had just started working and I was approached by a security goon who pointed vaguely in the direction of the floor (we were on a balcony overlooking the gaming room) and told me to not get a particular woman in my pictures as she worked for the CIA.
My response was that he should tell her to go to the bathroom if she didn't want to be photographed and that I didn't take my orders from foreigners with an inflated sense of self importance, I took my orders from the casino manager, and if he had an issue, he should talk to her, and in the meanwhile he was wasting my time, I was hired to be there, and it wasn't my fault he didn't get the memo.
Amazingly, he walked away and left me alone.

[Mateasi]

I am not an attorney, but if the photos are for commercial use with people in the picture you will probably need a signed released from each person and maybe the business. For people, you could bring in friends & relatives to pose for you, that would make it easy for the signed releases.

yes, youre right, I was thinking about that the other day, I would have to somehow not show their faces..

---------- Post added 07-12-19 at 05:56 AM ----------

Here's my 2 cents... I'd also not go the "Indian Guru" route, perhaps IMHO your overthinking this.

You are getting paid for this right?

If so... I'd get access (with all the required permissions) to a casino venue. Preferably when closed to the punters, so you can take your time and get the images you need without upsetting folk.

Photograph only the things people first think of when they hear the word casino. It's for online promotional usage, so you've only about three seconds or so when people first click on the site to hold the attention of the site visitor.

The images therefore must be visually fast, very colourful and eye catching, conveying immediately what they are, otherwise folk will click off to another site.

So I would treat this assignment as full commercial product shoot, meaning well lit, super sharp with clean backgrounds, with perhaps maybe just a few soft bokeh ish backgrounds of a casino environment to give a sense of place.

My suggestions to you as to the type of shots required would be... I'd get in real tight (macro lens?) and close, low angle, a visually striking different viewpoint... of say a roulette wheel, card shoe, craps table and the like.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

That's actually very helpfull, thanks so much for the response.

---------- Post added 07-12-19 at 05:58 AM ----------

Studio shooting is the obvious solution. Rather than trying to set up an ersatz casino, why not do a "lifestyle" series. Show people around a table playing poker, show people blowing on dice for luck, that sort of thing, but limit the imagery to that. Forget about the environment, just show people having fun doing the sort of things that they might fo in a casino.

---------- Post added Jul 11th, 2019 at 08:25 AM ----------



I was hired years ago to photograph the new at the time casino in the city I live in. I arrived at the set time, got in touch with my contact, who was the the manager of the casino, and was shown to the location I was to shoot from, and was given pretty specific instructions regarding where and when to point my camera. Pretty much, she gave me a 15 minute window to shoot in but no other hard instruction.
Anyway, I had just started working and I was approached by a security goon who pointed vaguely in the direction of the floor (we were on a balcony overlooking the gaming room) and told me to not get a particular woman in my pictures as she worked for the CIA.
My response was that he should tell her to go to the bathroom if she didn't want to be photographed and that I didn't take my orders from foreigners with an inflated sense of self importance, I took my orders from the casino manager, and if he had an issue, he should talk to her, and in the meanwhile he was wasting my time, I was hired to be there, and it wasn't my fault he didn't get the memo.
Amazingly, he walked away and left me alone.

wow! you were lucky, did you realise that? haaha, anywys, very interesting. I hope nothing bad will help me, I am not very talkative and I dont know how would I defend myself if they catched me taking pics inside of a casino without any permission. :/

[Wheatfield]

If you shoot inside a casino and get caught in the act, expect to be in a world of hurtin. If you don’t get caught, and publish the pictures you took and the casino catches wind of it, expect the previous world of hurtin to be like kisses from your momma compared to what they will put you through.
Either get permission or figure something out that doesn’t involve what you appear to be planning.

[mikeSF]

This may not be of much help to you, but here is a link to a small local casino I shot once to give you an idea of the types of images I set up to support the casinos games and services.

https://www.mikeoria.com/p1027422461

I cannot permit you to use any of these, unfortunately, but perhaps they will help you create a concise shot list if you decide to visit a physical Casino to grab some content.

Good luck and as others have said, I hope you are being paid for this work.

[Kerrowdown]

That's actually very helpful, thanks so much for the response

Your welcome.

[biz-engineer]

Stage all scenes. If there is no money to do such things.....well it isn't worth the efford.

You make a package offer for $2000 (USD) for 20 hours of work, if they accept, then you start working. Otherwise you still go take pictures, show them the pictures on a tablet and keep the pictures with you, even delete the pictures in front of them

[Kerrowdown]

$2000 (USD) for 20 hours of work

Really... your under selling yourself, need to raise your prices ASAP.