High-quality event photography is now a well-established aspect of the May Week experience but, speaking to Varsity, student photographers highlighted the difficulties of their work, arguing that the full scope of their efforts can often go unrecognised by both committees and ball-goers.

The photographers spoke on the condition of anonymity, so as not to affect their chances of getting further jobs.

May Ball photographers are usually hired either through pitching their portfolio and rates to the organising committee, or through being directly approached.

Photographers’ rates, as well as how the rates are calculated , differ between balls. Varsity reached out to all 2019 May Ball committees. Of those that replied, Peterhouse May Ball committee noted that they will directly accept prices quoted by photographers, while other committees said that they negotiate an hourly rate or a lump sum for the evening. Downing May Ball committee noted that they allocate 0.3% of their budget for photography and that rates are set on a case-by-case basis at approximately £25 per hour, with extra payment for editing time. Darwin May Ball committee replied that they estimate they will be paying between £125-£210 for the nights. Meanwhile, Homerton May Ball committee emphasised that they will list photographers as “contract workers” to ensure that they are “paid a fair wage”.

However, multiple student photographers said that, in their experience, May Ball committees often choose the photographer who offers or accepts the lowest rate in what they perceive as a effect to save costs. One photographer felt that this tendency, and the willingness of some photographers to accept lower pay, “drives down prices for everyone else and devalues the service”. Another told Varsity that they have found themselves lowering their rates in order to compete for jobs, even though they believe that their professional skill level a larger salary.

While some student photographers agreed that generally photographers start out with lower rates or even free assignments, they argued that their skill level and experience, as well as the expectation of professional-level photography which differentiates them from amateur photographers, leaves them underpaid in student events.

Another photographer argued that even though they are not professionals, the fact that they are students and “know how balls work” means that they can take better pictures because they are able to blend into the crowd, thus rendering them more valuable than just amateur photographers. Various photographers argued that, because high-quality photography is now a common expectation among ball goers, committees must hire photographers based on skill rather than cost in order to ensure that ball goers truly “get their money’s worth”.

Some photographers also highlighted the hefty hidden costs of providing their services. One has spent over £150 per year to insure video equipment which costs over £4,000. Another had to spend £2,000 to replace a stolen camera. Some others talk of spending as much as £25 to replace a small piece of protection equipment.

The student photographers felt that May Ball committees and ball goers demonstrate a “huge lack of recognition” for all these costs which are fundamental to the quality of a photographer’s service.

Furthermore, editing is often necessary before the pictures can be posted online, but it is not common practice to include editing time in photographers’ payment. Editing can take days and involves more than simply retouching the photos: the photographer needs to exercise judgement in deleting bad or repetitive shots, as well as checking that all photos are up to standard before sharing them. The sheer amount of photos that need to be processed, which may go up to thousands for a May Ball, and pressure arising from the common expectation that the photos be published within “a few days” can mean that photographers are forced to edit extremely quickly.

The situation for video is even more time-consuming: it can take multiple days to edit a two to three minute video. Besides time commitment, editing software is rarely free, and further contributes to the cost of the videographers’ work.

The time and monetary cost of editing thins out the payment for May Ball photographers and videographers. One videographer explained that, in a job which they rejected, £300 payment for a video can be thinned out into £12.50 per hour, similar to May Ball supervisors, if eight hours of filming and around sixteen hours of editing are counted.

The calculation of payment also generates various concerns. One photographer told Varsity that in a contract where they were allowed one thirty-minute break across a nine-hour shooting period, they were told that the break time would be subtracted from the overall pay. Some photographers have experienced instances in which organising committees tried to “change the number of hours” or “recalculate” the number of hours to reduce overall pay after the ball. Another photographer argued that hourly payment encourages them to work longer hours for reasonable pay when, for a lump sum payment, they could have taken enough photos in a few hours.

Looking beyond the frustration on payment and treatment, the perceived lack of understanding of reasonable pricing and expectations can contribute to the undervaluing of photographers and videographers. One photographer suggested that the current situation stems from students not knowing what to charge, and thus charging at rates they see on Facebook photography groups, and committees not fully comprehending the process of event photography, as well as an underestimation of their budget. Another pointed out that both sides are “learning how to handle these situations [negotiating payment]”, but “inconsistency across both photographers’ rates and student society budgets”, where some more established societies have larger budgets, and “a lack of proper guidelines” complicates the landscape.

“People forget that you are a sole operator, you have nothing to fall back on; it’s your business that runs alongside your studies. [...] A lot of it is communication – you respect me and I respect you,” one photographer concluded.