Direct requests from the end client during an agency commission

At an agency event, two groups can give instructions: the agency, which commissioned the photographer, and the end client, who is paying for the event. Most of the time they agree. When they do not, or when the client asks for something new, the photographer is caught in the middle.

This page is part of our guide to agency and recurring event-photography commissions. It deals with one practical problem: how on-site requests reach the right decision-maker.

Why do on-site requests happen?

Clients see the event as it unfolds and think of things they want. A senior guest arrives and the client wants a portrait. A product moment appears that was not on the run sheet. A speaker adds a segment. These are natural and often reasonable.

The difficulty is that each request may use time, crew or attention that was planned for something else. It may also change what the agency has promised in its own agreement. Our guide to approving extra photography work during an event explains why approval matters.

Who may approve a change?

Decide this in writing before the event. The simplest rule has three parts:

1. One named approver at the agency, with a back-up.
2. The photographer takes requests from the client politely and passes them to the approver.
3. Approved changes are confirmed by a short written message.

The rule protects everyone. The client knows their request is being handled. The agency stays in control of scope and cost. The photographer is not left guessing.

What can the photographer do without asking?

Some flexibility keeps the day pleasant. Agree a small allowance in advance, for example a quick extra photograph of a person already in the room, as long as it does not displace a must-have moment. Everything beyond that goes to the approver.

Examples that normally need approval:

• Additional coverage hours.
• A second location or a separate session.
• A new deliverable, such as a set of portraits or a rapid-turnaround batch.
• A change in who may receive images.

Our photography scope change log gives a simple way to record each change as it happens.

A worked example

For example, an agency organises a 300-guest corporate conference. During the lunch break, a senior member of the client's team asks the photographer to take a portrait session with ten board members, which was not in the brief.

The photographer thanks the client, explains that scope changes go through the agency's event manager, and sends a short message to that person. The event manager checks the schedule and the budget, agrees with the client, and replies. If approved, the photographer confirms the new request in writing and adjusts coverage. If not, the photographer carries on with the agreed brief.

When the run sheet and the request collide

A request may clash with a planned moment. Our page on choosing between planned activities that overlap explains how to rank priorities. The approver, not the photographer, decides which moment gives way.

The same applies to cues during the programme. If the agency has a show caller, requests should reach the photographer through that route. Our page on coordinating the photographer through the agency's show caller covers this.

After the event

Review the log of requests. Anything approved becomes part of the final scope and invoice. Anything declined is simply recorded. If there is a disagreement about what was agreed, the log and the written quotation are the starting point. Our guide to a client and photographer disagreeing about the agreed scope explains the usual steps.

Keep the client relationship warm

Declining or deferring a request does not need to feel like a refusal. A photographer can say that the request has been passed to the agency contact and will be answered shortly. Clients usually accept a clear, courteous route, and it protects the working relationship between all three parties.

What we confirm with you

Before the event, we confirm in writing the named approver, the contact method, the allowance for small requests and how scope changes are recorded and priced. Then everyone on site knows how a request will be handled.