The Town of Dillon is accepting proposals from professional photographers to capture still images and/or video during concerts at the Dillon Amphitheater, edit the images and provide all assets with full usage rights to the Town of Dillon.

Proposals must be submitted by Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. for consideration. 

Click here to submit photographer proposal

The Dillon Amphitheater sits on the shores of Dillon Reservoir with residential on the street side. The Dillon Amphitheater was renovated in 2017-2018 and has a capacity of 3,656. The Town produces a variety of programming including community performances produced in-house to partnering with third-party promoters. Performers range from local acts to nationally-known acts and Grammy-award winners. The season typically runs mid-June to mid-September with approximately 30-40 shows. Operational funding for the amphitheater concerts comes from concession revenues, facility rental fees, ticketing fees and sales tax. Capital projects are funded using sales tax.

The scope of work will include:

• Most concerts start between 5 and 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. Most bands allow the house photographer access to the pit for the first three songs, so photographer must be available at the beginning of each opening and headlining act. Photographer is then usually given permission to take photos from other areas of the venue for the remainder of the performance. Please note, stage access is rarely granted to the photographer.

• Photographer must use their own photography equipment, personal computer and editing software. Town of Dillon will provide a Dropbox account for uploading and archiving photos.

• Photographer shall capture a variety of creative images at each show, to include images of the band, plus an emphasis on fun/engaging shots of the overall atmosphere and experience (i.e., crowd, vendors, staff, volunteers, bar, ticketing, wide shots of amphitheater, lawn, etc.). A variety of horizontal and vertical shots shall be provided, as well as a mixture of close-up, standard and wide-angle shots.

• Photographer must be able to turn the photos around quickly. We ask that 3-5 photos are sent to the town by noon the day after the show. The remaining photos shall be culled, edited and uploaded to the Town’s Dropbox within 72 hours after the end of the show.

• Photographer will provide all images from the event in one Dropbox folder, and also select up to 20 of the best photos from each event and place them in a “Best of” folder. Town of Dillon will provide this Dropbox account and organization system to photographer.

• Photographer will provide the Town of Dillon copies of all work product prepared under the agreement, including photographs, negatives, video footage, images, renderings, and other related materials created or produced by contractor in whatever form or medium, electronic or otherwise (“Work Product”). The contractor will grant to the town a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use the Work Product for any lawful purpose, including without limitation commercial uses and the right to sublicense use of the Work Product to any person or entity.

• Photographer shall not sell or attempt to sell any Work Product taken for the Town of Dillon under this scope of work.

• Town of Dillon is looking to have approximately 15-20 performances captured this summer, possibly more as budget allows.

Dates & Times:

The Dillon Amphitheater summer season will begin on/around mid-June and end mid-September. The season consists of about 38 concerts (free and paid). The free Mountain Music Monday concert series will begin on June 15 and end mid-September. Full schedule TBA.

Photographer will not need to be available for all concert dates, a schedule will be worked out during the contract phase.

Evaluation of Proposals:

The Town of Dillon will evaluate all proposals on the basis of the evaluation criteria noted herein. The Town reserves the right to make an award based directly on the proposals or to negotiate further with one or more photographer, all in its sole discretion. The person selected for the award will be chosen on the basis of the apparent greatest benefit to the Town, and not necessarily on the basis of the lowest price. The anticipated contractual start date is around June 8, 2026. 

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals shall be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• The degree to which the proposal meets or exceeds the terms of the Request for Proposal.

• The quality and creativity of photographer’s portfolio.

• The breadth of photographer’s past concert shooting experience and professional photography expertise.

• Responsiveness to the needs of the Town, both in the ability to meet the outlined calendar of availability and to meet the scope of services.

• Results of optional reference checks and past performance for other clients.

• The proposing individual’s or firm's fee structure based on the services to be provided. General Requirements of the Successful Individual or Firm

• The successful photographer shall be expected to enter into a contract by and between the Town. Such contract shall incorporate terms of the proposal as accepted.

• The successful photographer shall be prohibited from assigning or subcontracting the whole or any part of the contract without the prior written consent of the Town.

• The successful photographer will operate as an independent contractor and will not be considered an employee of the Town.

• Submittal of a proposal shall be taken as prima facia evidence that the proposing entity has full knowledge of the scope, nature, quality, and quantity of the work to be performed, and the detailed requirements and conditions under which the work is to be performed.

Inquiries and Corrections:

Any questions or clarifications should be directed to:

Suzanne Phillipson

Marketing and Communications Manager

Town of Dillon

suzannep@townofdillon.com

(970) 262-3409