Hardin County Agricultural Society DBA the Hardin County Fair

Purpose

The Hardin County Agricultural Society, DBA the Hardin County Fair, is seeking proposals from professional photographers to serve as the exclusive photographer for the 2025 Hardin County Fair. The successful candidate will be responsible for capturing a wide range of activities and moments throughout the event, with a focus on both official and candid photography.

Scope of Work

The selected photographer will be responsible for providing exclusive photography services for the full duration of the Hardin County Fair, which is scheduled for September 1 – 7, 2025. The scope of work includes, but is not limited to:

• Comprehensive Event Coverage: The photographer must be available for all seven days of the fair and willing to cover all major fair activities, events, and entertainment, not just livestock shows.
• Livestock Show Expertise: Proposals must demonstrate an understanding and experience with photographing livestock shows, including capturing key moments, animal details, and exhibitor interactions.
• Broad Fair Activities: Coverage should extend to a variety of subjects, including carnival rides, fair food, grandstand events, concerts, 4-H and FFA activities, vendor booths, fairgoers, and general atmosphere shots.
• Digital Photo Delivery: The photographer must provide a full copy of all digital photos to the Hardin County Fair for promotional purposes. This includes the fair’s right to use, reproduce, and distribute the images for marketing, website, social media, and other promotional materials without additional compensation to the photographer.
• 24-Hour Turnaround: A key requirement is a 24-hour turnaround time for a selection of daily photos. The photographer must deliver a set of high-quality, edited images from each day’s events within 24 hours to be used for timely social media and promotional posts.

Pricing and Photo Sales

The Hardin County Fair is committed to providing photos to exhibitors and fair attendees at no cost. Therefore, the pricing model must reflect a single, comprehensive fee for the photography services and the complete set of digital images. The successful bidder will not be permitted to sell photos to exhibitors or the general public. Instead, the fair will make the photos available free of charge.

Proposal Requirements

Interested photographers should submit a proposal that includes the following information:

1. A brief cover letter introducing your photography business and your interest in this project.
2. Your proposed comprehensive fee for exclusive photography services for the entire week of the fair. Advertising trades are available.
3. Confirmation of your availability for the full dates of September 1 – 7, 2025.
4. A portfolio or links to examples of your work, particularly showcasing event photography and, if available, livestock or fair photography.
5. A summary of your experience photographing similar events and your understanding of the unique aspects of a county fair.
6. An outline of your workflow, including your plan to meet the 24-hour turnaround requirement.

Submission Instructions

All proposals must be submitted via the web form available below.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 15th at 5pm. Late submissions will not be considered.

Questions

Any questions regarding this Request for Proposal should be directed to 419-675-2396.