What's it like to work with us?

We're actually a pretty laid back group - good sense of humor and fun, and we do our best to have a good time at tournaments with lots of jokes and laughter.

However, these tournaments represent our main income opportunities for the five month club volleyball season, so we take them very seriously and do what it takes to get our jobs done. It's not been uncommon for the core group of us to work 20 hour days during tournaments - my personal record is a 42 hour shift between arriving at the convention center on day one of the tournament and not leaving until 2am after the second day. It's not a record I am interested in breaking!

However, over the years, as we have refined and improved things, this is now a very rare occurance.

Party Time? No, not really.
While we consider it fun and want you to have a good time, this is foremost a business and our livelihood. We know that, particularly for staff members who have just started (or are just about to start) college, the idea of traveling to work at a volleyball tournament with us on an all expense paid ticket is exciting and they sometimes get the idea that it's a chance to party.

We mention this specifically because we have had help out in the past that - in spite of the long hours of the tournament - took the occassion of being out of town, away from home, as a chance to kick up their heels after hours by staying up until 4am when they were expected to start work again at 7:30am that same morning.

We don't have a problem with any one enjoying themselves, but we do expect that the primary focus of all staff to put work performance at the top of the list of their priorities for the duration of the tournament.

Basically, if an activity is going to impact your performance when working with us (by keeping you up extra late, or impairing your ability to think the next day, etc.), we ask that you do not engage in it while you are with us. We expect staff to take every opportunity to remain well rested and well fed and able to work energetically.

A staff member that is tired or hungover is a liability that we can't afford.

Staff Conduct & Behavior

We operate a family photography business which - for a good portion of the year - specializes in photographing female athletes who are also minors.

For this reason, we have always been (and will continue to be) very careful in regards to who we invite to work with us. We expect staff to be courteous, friendly and helpful at all times, regardless of the circumstances.

This is a family business and we have come to consider many of the people we have met loosely extended family and are therefore very protective of them and of our reputation as photographers.

As our staff members, we require you to be at all times respectful and courteous to the tournament attendees and participants. At no time is it acceptable to get embroiled in a conflict with parents, referees or other staff. Egos are left at the door.

One important piece of information to always keep in mind is that tournaments are not put on for our benefit, we are there for the benefit of the families and athletes and we behave accordingly.

The following items are cause for immediate termination:

• Verbal or Physical conflict with anyone at the tournament - fellow staff, parent, athlete, official, etc.
• Improper advances to athletes or tournament attendees, overly flirtatious behavior or behavior considered sexual harassment.
• Promotion of your own personal photography business - you are attending as a representative of Micheal Hall Photography. It is expected that any inquiries regarding images or work be referred to the photography booth.
• Repeated failure to perform as a photographer to the standards required for our work (consistently poor composition, exposure, timing, focus, failure to photograph assigned teams/athletes).
• Excessive lateness or failure to show for work.
• Any form of fraud, falsification or records, theft, etc.
• Negligence in caring for or intentional damage to company property.
• Illegal drug use or alcohol consumption.

Transportation to and from Events

If the event is within driving distance, you can either drive yourself or let us know and we can try to arrange a carpool.

For long distance events, we will have you flown to the city of the event. Our goal is always to stay in hotels that are close enough to the event venue so that we can walk in every morning and back at night. In cases where we cannot, we will arrange transportation to the convention center and back.

Accomodations

For tournaments requiring travel and hotel, we will pay for a hotel room for you.

We expect staff to double bunk (in rooms with two beds) with staff members of the same gender. If you would prefer to have a room to yourself, let us know well in advance and expect to pay 1/2 the cost of the room.

Our goal is to stay in comfortable hotels within easy walking distance of the event. However, some events require a short drive in to and out of the event each day.

Food and Meals

For local events, expect to brown-bag or purchase your own from the available facilities onsite.

For out of town events, we provide meals either in the form of food, or a per diem (a daily meal allowance). We require only that you keep track of your expenditures, and return the change and receipts.

Uniforms and Dresscode

We provide a very simple uniform - a t-shirt or sweatshirt which color coordinates with the rest of the staff and includes our company logo to identify you as a Micheal Hall Photography staff member. Uniform shirts should be returned at the end of an event. (We launder them prior to the next event.)

In addition to this simple uniform, we ask that staff members be well groomed and showered daily and that men be shaved (a moustache, beard or goatee is fine, but don't choose to start growing one while at the tournament).

We ask that staff dress conservatively - slacks or well kept jeans are fine. Shorts are fine as long as they aren't too short (mid thigh).

We also recommend that you wear very comfortable shoes - convention center flooring is often bare cement.