GARF Photo & Video Program
Help Us Capture the Story.
Every festival day is made up of thousands of moments — performances, faces, details, crowds, costumes, architecture, light, movement and interactions that disappear almost as quickly as they happen.
We work with photographers and videographers who can help preserve those moments at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, just south of Atlanta, and turn them into images people want to experience for themselves.
What We're Looking For
Show Us What It Felt Like.
There is no single GARF photography style. We want a broad visual library created by people who notice different things.
- People & genuine emotion
- Performances & entertainment
- Guest interaction
- Festival fashion & costuming
- Food & drink
- Artisans & craftsmanship
- Architecture & village details
- Crowds & atmosphere
- Wide environmental scenes
- Quiet moments between the spectacle
- Movement, light & weather
- Nighttime experiences & special events
Portraits matter. So does the world around them.
We need both intimate human moments and photographs that establish where those moments happened.
Opportunities
Ways to Work With GARF
Hosted Coverage
For photographers and videographers interested in covering GARF while helping build our seasonal visual library.
Hosted opportunities may include festival access in exchange for an agreed collection of finished work.
The assignment, access and expected delivery are confirmed before the visit.
Commissioned Assignments
GARF also hires photographers and videographers for specific creative needs.
Assignments may focus on a particular event, performance, campaign, location, experience or visual brief.
Paid work is scoped individually based on the assignment, deliverables and usage needs.
Strong hosted contributors may also be considered for future commissioned or recurring seasonal work.
How to Work Inside the Festival
Capture the Experience. Don't Interrupt It.
The best festival photography happens inside the experience without becoming the experience.
Photographers and videographers should work around guests, performers and operations rather than stopping or redirecting them unless a specific assignment calls for it.
-
Finished Work
We generally expect edited, finished photography or video rather than unprocessed files.
-
RAW Files
RAW files are only required when specifically included in an assignment brief.
-
Delivery
For many hosted photography assignments, we may request an initial selection of approximately 10 finished images within one week, with the remainder delivered afterward.
Exact expectations will be confirmed for each assignment.
-
Access
A GARF photo/video credential does not automatically grant backstage, stage, restricted-area, drone or unrestricted commercial access. Any special access must be approved in advance. See our Photography & Filming Policy.
Your Work + Our Use
Your Work Still Belongs to You.
Contributors retain ownership of their original work.
For photography or video delivered as part of a GARF hosted or commissioned assignment, GARF receives permission to use the delivered assets broadly for festival marketing, advertising, websites, social media, email, public relations and related promotional purposes.
Contributors may continue displaying and using their own work, including portfolio use and independent sales, provided that use does not misrepresent the festival, event or season.
Small photographer watermarks may be acceptable on hosted work when agreed in advance.
GARF will provide creator credit when practical, but placement and format cannot be guaranteed in every use.
Social posting by the photographer is not automatically required unless it is part of the agreed assignment.
Final terms for commissioned work may vary by project.
Is This the Right Program?
Photo & Video Program
You primarily want to create strong finished photography or video assets, participate in hosted coverage or be considered for assignment-based work.
Content Creators
You primarily create Reels, TikToks, social storytelling or audience-driven promotional content.
Press & Editorial
You are a photographer or videographer on assignment for an established publication, news outlet or editorial platform.
Apply
Show Us How You See GARF.
Tell us about your work, your experience and what you would be interested in capturing.
Follower count is not the primary consideration for this program. We are much more interested in visual quality, storytelling, reliability and your ability to capture the festival without disrupting it.
Apply to the Photo & Video Program