Securing a pass to photograph an event???

Not being a professional photographer working for a company, how does one go
about securing a pass to photograph an event? I know there is no one
definitive answer to this question, but I see there are photographers in
here from all over the world who can provide their personal howto's and life
experiences.

Thanks in advance.

--
CoolAzzRob***

www.rollingbluethunder.com/
Rolling Blue Thunder Productions, Inc.
Still Doing What It Do!

 

What 'event' are you talking about?

Press credentials are necessary to photograph events that require press
credentials. (DUH!)

If no press credentials are required, you don't need a pass!

 

Contact the promoter of the event and ask for the credentialling requirements.
If they are not warm to the prospect of getting credentials to you, offer your
services to them. Many will simply have you fill in their paperwork, while
others will ask to see your "tear sheets," and portfolio.

Beyond that, find someone, who has an "in" with the promoter and work that
way.

Hunt

 

You need to find out what their requirements are. Often a pass can be
obtained by calling a magazine and telling them you will cover the event for
them, and usually you might get the credentials but you won't get paid
unless they actually use something.

I got credentials to cover a Grand Prix from Car and Driver, based on my
portfolio, but a friend of mine who was there got his credentials through
Women's Wear Daily, or something like that. He was definitely there to get
picture of the cars, but said all he had to do was take some photos of a few
beautiful women who were dressed well to fulfill his obligations -- not hard
to find at an international race.

BTW, Car and Driver paid something like $30 a picture at the time. They
said wealthy people with nothing else to do travel all over the world and
supply them with all the photos they need, in return for credentials.

Never hurts to ask.

 

Typical intelligent informative answer

Do we expect anymore?

 

Thanks. I really appreciate you guys dealing with my questions. Even
though the answers may seem obvious to some of you, I am new to this and
still learning. I will be prone to asking questions which may seem beneath
you or just plain dumb. Sometimes I am asking because I do not know and
other times I will be asking to make sure what I think to be correct
actually is.
--

CoolAzzRob***

www.rollingbluethunder.com/
Rolling Blue Thunder Productions, Inc.
Still Doing What It Do!

 

FFS, wealthy people with nothing else to do? Sod off you wealthy
people and let us pro photographers get on with doing our job and
earning our living.

It's idiots like this who 'do it for not much money' that are stopping
us from earning our living.

Scum !!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah! Why not do some orthodontia to get even?

 

You can earn your living by being better than those 'idiots' and if you
can't then try another trade.

 

I AM better than those idiots, my point is editors get images from
those idiots cheap because the idiots just like to see their images in
print and do not really have the requirement to be paid that much.

Editors then either beleive they can pay everyone lower rates or rely
on the stream of free pics from the idiots.

Either way, the poor guy/gal who is better than the idiots but is
trying to make a living taking photographs, suffers.

I wonder what would happen to the idiots businessis if us pro
photographers had a go at setting up in their business and doing it
cheap/free?

Maybe we have a go at being a lawyer or dentist or plastic surgeon or
property developer. We have no qualifications or experience in those
trades, but what the hell, we'll do it mega cheap then every punter
will expect every lawyer to charge £/$5.00 an hour.

 

Bad analogy. People are willing to pay more if they get more. If your
work was superior then it would attract more money. Why would anyone
pay megabucks to you if someone else did just as well for less? Market
value ya know!

 

So explain why the BBC and Sky TV and newspapers like the Daily
Telegraph openly ask members of the public to send in their mobile
cameraphone pics. They will not pay for these pics, they will assume
that they can do with them as they like without asking you and if they
get sued in any way in connection with the oics then the person who
took them is liable NOT the BBC or Sky TV pr the Daily Telegraph.

In other words, we want your pics free.

Strangly enough, freelance photography rates at many british newspapers
have not increased in the last 10 years. Why? maybe the pic desks are
getting pics for free and see no need to have to raise freelance rates.

Look at the London bombings in 2005. There were syuperb quality por
photographer shots taken but TV stations and newspapers chose to go
with images taken on cameraphones by the 'idiots' free of course.

 

What photographers do can usually be done quite well by amateurs with
half a brain.

 

And that applies to lawyers and dentists and property developers as
well. But I bet they'd close ranks if this type of thing happened in
thier industry!


BTW, are you pulling down the brains of photographers in a photographic
newsgroup? That'll be popular

 

Because the people with their cell phones are there, on the scene,
when the action happens. It's unreasonable to expect pros to be there,
isn't it?

On other words, they want the pics that are available.
If a bomb goes off, a pro who gets there 15 minutes *after* it goes
off can't get the pics immediately after it goes off.

But those "idiots" where there when the bombings happened. They got
the pics immediately, and their pics showed what the people who were
there saw.
*That's* what the papers wanted, it's what they got, and the people
who gave away their pics were happy to see their names in the papers.

 

Really? You want *me* to look after your teeth? Or defend you in a
felony case? Or sell your property?
Why?

 

What brains?

You cannot be serious...

I could have more interesting conversations with plankton...

 

I think that you missed the point that [email protected] made.
If amautures started doing these other fields of work, then the existing
qualified people and their professional bodies would "close ranks" and
not give them the time of day or give them access to any part of the
business that they control.
My hypothetical example is extreme, but apt:
Newspapers using snapshots by non-professionals is like the British
Medical Journal accepting articles from Joe Public because the are so
much cheaper than paying for the rights to an article by trained medical
professionals.
Also:
Would you trust Joe Public with his cellphone to take pictures at your
wedding?

 

You really have to ask this question???? Since when do pro
photographers just happen to be on the scene setup to photograph
unplanned sudden events? Even amature photographs aren't usually there
with their camera gear. But there are people with camera phones.

Do you happen to know about these unplanned events such as the London
subway bombing in advance and have all your equipment setup? CNN asked
for viewers to send in their camera pics because THEY WERE THERE!!

 

If a skilled dentist charged less or was free then they would have
plenty of business. You have yet to explain to me why anyone should pay
you if someone else did what I needed for less? What you are telling me
is that your pics are not of superior quality to warrent a higher price.
You want more money, then deliver a better product thats needed and
you'll get it.