Scary Fast Photos Jobs

We are currently hiring for the 2021 haunt season. Ideally, we'd like people who can be available every day that the haunted houses are open (see the schedule for more info), but we also need part-timers who can lend some extra help during busy days and fill in when nobody else is available.

MOST IMPORTANTLY

We need passionate people who want to be here. Skills can be developed on site. We'd much rather have someone who is excited with no skills than someone with all of them who's just seeking a paycheck. Loyalty and passion are the reasons people keep coming back to work for these haunted houses and it's what we're looking for.

Scary Fast Photo

Our Positions

We have two main position types that need to be filled:

Regardless of the role you're considering, here's some important things to consider:

  • Late nights: We have a lot of late nights. We routinely work until 2am toward the end of the season and we've been known to work as late as 4am (though that's pretty rare). Photographers can leave when the last group has passed them. Cashiers will need to work until the haunts are empty or you're relieved.
  • Weather: We are fully indoors now, but there is no air conditioning nor consistent heating in the building. Whatever it's like outside, it will be like inside. Rain, snow, and wind are not factors, though.
  • Customers: Like all jobs that work with the public, you will have good groups you interact with and you will have bad groups. You will see drunk people, stoned people, and all the stereotypical people. There's a huge variety of people you come across while working here. Fortunately, the bad groups are typically dramatically outnumbered by the good groups.
  • Noise: The haunted houses can get loud, depending on where you're setup. You'll likely hear chainsaws, screaming, laughing, and repetetive music on a loop. You get used to it pretty quickly, but if you need a quiet environment to operate, this is not it.
  • Covid-19: The haunted houses are taking precautions because of Covid, so we will be mirroring what they are doing as well. It's going to be tedious, but it's not going to be anything too different than what you're already used to.
  • 18+: We are primarily looking for people 18 or older. We don't want to interfere with any schooling nor deal with parents who are furious about the late hour you're getting home.
  • Fast-paced: This job moves very quickly. We may have as many as 1500 people come through the haunted house in a single night. We sometimes take upwards of a thousand photos in a single night.

Scary Fast Photo

Sales/Cashier

Job Description

We are looking for people to operate the photo booth. This primarily means you will be responsible for dealing with customers as they walk by, showing off the photos of the group, and attempting to make a sale. Once they've confirmed they want to buy, you'll be responsible for selecting the images to be printed and then packaging their prints in a folder or frame. You'll be using the Square app to enter the sales and do the calculations and taking in cash as it comes in.

Skills

  • Technology - There will be some technology that you will be using as part of this job. Primarily, you will be using a computer that's hooked up to a couple monitors that's used for displaying and printing photos. You'll also be doing payment processing using the Square app, which will be installed on a tablet.
  • Sales - You'll be the person responsible for making sales. We want to sell as many photos as possible, and it will be your responsibility to encourage groups, to engage groups as they exit the haunt, and to encourage them to buy photos (in multiples when possible). This obviously will require customer service and sales skills.
  • Cashier - You'll be doing some simple cashier services. Some customers pay cash, so you'll be responsible for taking in cash and giving change, where appropriate. All the other processing will be done on the tablets.
  • See Above

Schedule

We will need a minimum of one cashier per haunt per night. On some nights we may need a floater who will help when the lines become long or things get crazy. Weeknights are typically calmer and won't require a second cashier/floater.

Because we have 2 haunted houses we're working, we need a minimum of two cashiers on any given night.

See the schedule for what days we operate.

Pay

See Below

Apply Below

Scary Fast Photo

Photographer

Job Description

We need someone who can take the heat, sometimes quite literally. Historically, our photographer has dressed up in costumes and hidden in the room and jumped out at customers so that we can get a close-up scare photo. We've used a full ghillie suit and a full gorilla suit in the past, which made for very warm days when the weather outside was hot.

We don't necessarily need a master photographer for this role. There is very little time to think when doing scare photos. You have to be able to read the room and make your best guess on who will get scared and WHEN they will get scared. Then you have to reset for the next group coming in. There's a LOT of intuition that's involved with scare photos, and timing is everything. Using the camera is easy, but it's mastering capturing the photos that just comes with time and experience.

All that being said, our primary goal is to sell photos. If you can take masterfully-executed photos and turn them out at a rate that nets us a lot of photo sales, then we're all for it. Use what you're comfortable with. We like ingenuity. Scare photos have been what have worked for us in the past. Maybe posed photos are the future. There's only one way to find out.

Skills

  • Flexibility / Adaptability - Sometimes what worked perfectly the last 3 weekends just stops working. The actors working the rooms can and sometimes do vary day to day, or even hour to hour.

    You need to be able to adapt and try different strategies based on how things are going. We're in the business of selling photo prints, and if the technique you're using isn't working, you need to be able to find something that does.

  • Technology - You need to be able to use a digital camera. We have a couple DLSRs available that we can provide. If you feel the need to use a personal camera, you can. Just understand that it may get damaged and we won't pay for it if it breaks.

    You'll also need to have basic understanding of using a computer. You'll be uploading photos regularly as the night goes on (so that the cashiers can sell them).

  • Timing - As mentioned before, timing is everything with the scare photos. You need to be able to read the room and work out when people will have the best reaction that you can catch on film.

  • Patience - Sometimes people get so scared that they don't want to move. The average group will be in the room for one minute or less and some groups stay for up to five. You need to be be patient enough to allow them to come to you when you're taking scare photos. It will pay off.

  • Tenacity - This job can be hard. Sometimes people just don't get scared. And sometimes there are lots of groups in a row that don't get scared. The key is to keep doing what you're doing and look for ways to adapt your strategy. If you can't scare them, then make them laugh. They're at the haunted house to have a good time. Do what you can to give it to them.

  • Consistency - You'll also be amazed at the photos that people will buy. Sometimes the best photos get overlooked because the person didn't like how they looked while they were screaming. But people like having a memento of their trip, so they will often buy mediocre photos as proof and as a takeaway. It's not important to always get the best photos, but much more to get consistently decent photos.

  • See Above

Schedule

We need one photographer to be working in each haunt so long as there are people coming through it. If one photographer is only available for 2 hours, we need to have another photographer to cover the remaining shift. We are looking to have multiple photographers in the rotation so that we don't need the photographer to work every hour of every day.

Because we have 2 haunted houses we're working, we need a minimum of two photographers on any given night.

See the schedule for what days we operate.

Pay

See Below

Apply Below

Scary Fast Photo

How We Pay

We will be paying a fixed hourly rate this year for employees. Rates start at $10/hr. We will be offering a bonus to employees this year based upon the number of photos that are sold and whether we hit our sales goals. So, the more photos we sell, the more money everybody makes.

We calculate employee payouts using a payment strategy we developed ourselves, but it tends to benefit everyone. There are 3 different totals calculated per day, and whichever number is highest for you, you take home (so long as you work at least half a night). Those 3 calculations are:

  • Flat Rate: For short work days (typically weekdays or opening/closing weekend), we pay $30. For normal days, we pay $40. This is the minimum you should walk away with, assuming you worked at least half the night.
  • Hours Worked: We pay $7.50/hour for hours worked. For example, if you can only be there for 2/5 hours that night, we'll pay an hourly rate, or $15 for that evening. This applies to cashiers and photographers alike.
  • Commission: We pay $1 per photo sold to the people involved. $1 to the cashier and $1 to the photographer

Ideally, we want to sell as many photos as possible in a night, as it benefits everyone. But, we understand that slow days are going to happen, so that's why we've implemented some alternative payment methods to make sure that you're getting something for your effort and for showing up. Covid-19 certainly has the potential to throw a monkey wrench in the success of this year's haunt season, so be aware of it.

To help you visualize things a bit more, here's a table of possible scenarios and the payouts that go along with them:

Day Type (Rate) Hours Worked Photos Sold Your Take Home
Short ($30) 3 ($22.50) 50 ($50.00) $50.00
Short ($30) 3 ($22.50) 15 ($15.00) $30.00
Short ($30) 6 ($45.00) 35 ($35.00) $45.00
Normal ($40) 6 ($45.00) 100 ($100.00) $100.00
Normal ($40) 1 ($7.50) 25 ($25.00) $25.00
Normal ($40) 7 ($52.50) 45 ($45.00) $52.50
Normal ($40) 4 ($30.00) 10 ($10.00) $40.00

So, to recap, the more photos we sell, the more money everybody makes.

Scary Fast Photo

If any of these positions sounds like it's up your alley, then we want to hear from you.

I'm In, Apply Now
If you are on the fence, or if you just want some more information, then Contact Us and let us know what you want to know.