fyi...attending pro sporting events

[seemaya]

i'm posting this in hopes of saving someone else the sweaty palms
i went through....you may already know this stuff or maybe
the topic was posted before.

i was given tickets, at the last minute, to a Boston Bruins
Professional Hockey game the other night....being last minute
i didnt have time to check out the policy for bringing cameras
into the game...uh-oh!

i took my camera and a couple lenses in my bag, they checked my bag at the gate and told me i could not bring it in
because i had "extendable lenses", as they called them...
i only had 'prosumer' lenses.

we had taken Public Transportation to the game, so there
was no car to go and put my bag in...they took me up to
Customer Service where i had to leave my equipment for
the duration of the game...they wrote down my name and
gave me a tag so i could pick up my bag after the game.
i didnt like this arrangement but my only other option was
to leave, which wasnt so cool because i was with the guy
who invited me and that would have ruined it for him because
he would have left too.

Customer Service assured me my equipment would be fine,
and it was. i picked it up after the game, but worried about it
during the game....

i've been to many other Pro games and this was the first time
i dealt with this...i heard about it from other photog's and
read a bit about it online...
the reason they gave me was that the Press did not like
people without credentials shooting pics.
i can kinda understand their point, i guess...

anyway, check the policies before you bring your equipment.

cheers

[Dandaman_24]

Not being from the US, i kinds knew this already from reading many other posts on here. This is also being enforced in the UK with football and music concerts.

[milleker]

Take it as a compliment I guess. The press gets preferred locations to shoot from and you're in the stands.. If they're that worried about you getting better shots than them maybe they're in the wrong business.

Oh well, did you have any lenses in the bag that were not 'extendable' as they called them? If not I guess I would've either put my body cap on my camera and kept that with me at all times or carried around my most expensive lens without body. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't have left my bag, glad it turned out ok for you!

If you go or may go often, send an e-mail or call their PR person and let them know you're a photographer who would like to be able to come in and take photos the next time you are in attendance. The worst they can say is no.

[tsaraleksi]

My 70-200 doesn't extend... does that mean that it would have gotten through? That's rather silly.

[calicokat]

Thanks for the heads up, I would be nervous about leaving my bag in customer service too

[NickSimcheck]

Yeah, here it's "Zoom lenses above 58mm" kinda silly, as I could walk in with a 300mm prime and tell'em it isn't a zoom.

Which, my P&S has such a crazy crop factor that 58mm is like a super-tele!

[seemaya]

first, sorry i posted in the wrong forum (sports) and thanks
for moving this and not deleting it...

milleker- that was an option i considered and probly should a done
feel kinda dumb that i didnt, but it turned out ok. plus, there was what
looked to be a 5D with a honker of a lens on it sitting on the shelf with a
tag on it...guess i wasnt the only one.
CS said they never lost anything in 11 years....that was a tad of comfort.

tsaraleksi- ha!...i never thought about that with the 70-200. good point!

i had a 100-300 Canon 4.5-5.6 cheapo, 24-70 sigma and my 85 with me
and my rebel....only the 100-300 TRUELY extends.

they really didnt know what they were talking about photography wise,
they were just honoring the press' wishes...p&s cams were ok though...lol
yeh right, a P&S from the balcony???...i dont think so.

[ilovemycamera]

This happened to me last year at a PBR rodeo. Luckily, i only had about a 1/4 mile walk back to the car, but then worried about leaving my euipment in the questionable neighborhood. Fortunately, everything worked out well, and i learned a lesson the, well, not so hard way! It could have been much worse

[milleker]

Hmmmm, sounds like a basic L zoom (17-85?), a camera with a cropped sensor and an extender would be the way to go for some good distance. Go in the gate with the extender on the camera and the zoom in your pocket.

Its not good to argue with them, and not like they'd care anyway (I doubt you can convince them otherwise) but it'd be interesting to tell them "But this isnt a pro camera, its a 20d and only has 8.2 megapixels... Most point and shoots today are 10mp! I'll be lucky if I can get a 4x6" print done with this piece of crap". Of course though, if you got through you would have to find a quiet place and silently apologize to your camera.

[Wsman2]

Check the website for the venue (or at least contact them). Some of them will state what you can take inside.
Last time I went to a Sharks game at HP Pavilion in San Jose, I was allowed to take in my Pro 1 inside a small Lowepro bag.

[dlpasco]

I attended a Bruins game in early December. It stated on my ticket 'no cameras'.

I found this on the TD Banknorth web site:

Guests are also reminded that bags, backpacks, luggage, coolers, parcels, briefcases and like articles will be strictly prohibited from the facility. All guests will be subject to search, at TD Banknorth Garden's discretion, of their person and/or possessions (including women's handbags of normal size that may be allowed entry after such search). Patrons with prohibited articles will be turned away at the entrances and no storage or "check area" will be provided for such items. Enforcement will be without exceptions.

And this in their FAQ's:
Q: Can I bring video or still cameras into the arena?
A: For most events, at the request of the artists and/or leagues, video cameras and flash photography are not permitted.

and this in the Bruins FAQ:
Can I bring a camera to the Bruins game?
Flash photography is permitted at all Bruins games, however, video recorders are not.


There appears to be some confusion here!

Dan

[seemaya]

whoa! dlpasco...thats very interesting. and confusing.

like i mentioned, i got the invite and tix just before the game
so i didnt check out the web or the ticket.
it would have only confused me...lol

red sox and patriots had no problem with me and my stuff...


and milleker, this TRUELY made me LOL!
hahahaha, but its true.

"But this isnt a pro camera, its a 20d and only has 8.2 megapixels... Most point and shoots today are 10mp! I'll be lucky if I can get a 4x6" print done with this piece of crap". Of course though, if you got through you would have to find a quiet place and silently apologize to your camera.

:lol:

[dlpasco]

Hi seemaya,

Didn't mean to confuse you more ;) Sorry about that...

I wrote an email to the Bruins fan relations office. Their answers are even more confusing to me. I work from home (in Wyoming) for a company based in Cambridge and I occasionally go to a Bruins game when I'm back there. I wanted to take my camera in so I checked after reading your post.

Dan,

The policy listed on the web site and quoted below is
official.

Can I bring a camera to the Bruins game?
Flash photography is permitted at all Bruins games, however, video recorders are not.

You can bring a normal camera to a Boston Bruins game.


Fan Relations
617-624-BEAR
fanrelations@bostonbruins.com

Then I asked what do they mean by 'normal camera' and does that definition include telephoto lenses? Their response...


Dan,

A normal camera is a film or digital camera that does not take
motion clips or mini-movie clips. The NHL forbids the recording
of a game via VHS or digital motion recording.

Fan Relations
617-624-BEAR
fanrelations@bostonbruins.com

I also checked on the NHL website and did not see any posted regulations. That does not mean there isn't one...

sorry to muddy the waters,
Dan

[kgauger30]

Well to fix this what about taking a print out of what they wrote to you. Say hey this is a "regular" camera. It does not take video.. I would print out hte email that you got from them and take it with you as confirmation. Think that would work?

[tsaraleksi]

Well to fix this what about taking a print out of what they wrote to you. Say hey this is a "regular" camera. It does not take video.. I would print out hte email that you got from them and take it with you as confirmation. Think that would work?

If the security guard decides that your camera does not meet their standards, it pretty much doesn't matter what you have with you to prove your case. I suspect that your average person wouldn't believe that a dSLR doesn't take video, also.

[ilovemycamera]

If the security guard decides that your camera does not meet their standards, it pretty much doesn't matter what you have with you to prove your case. I suspect that your average person wouldn't believe that a dSLR doesn't take video, also.


And for the price of them, my dad and mom can't believe it, either.

[HammerCope]

As for the PBR event I know that they and the PRCA own all pictures taken atan event. Its in the contract you sign to be a photographer for them. Yes you do still have the right to sell them as you wish. An they pay you for using them but they have first shot at them From what I understand.

[FerNie]

This happened to me at a Lakers game in the Staples center, I had to go back and leave my lens in the car. I had my 75-300 with me, and was told I couldn't bring that one in, but I was able to bring in the 18-55. After that I was bummed out so I just left it all in my car. I have no problem bringing it in Dodgers stadium t hough.:eyes