"Press accreditation"....

Ok who's gonna tell me how this works?? LOL!! As some of you may know, or may not know, The Eagles are playing here in Moncton in August, and I want to get "press accreditation".... So I've contact a few people here in town that are dealing with this and I was told that the press info will be released about 6 weeks before the actual concert. So I have to keep checking back to see what's going on.

Now, what I need to know is....

What are they gonna ask for?? Some sort of resume or something?? A portfolio ? Any ideas on how this works?? If someone could shed a little light on this that would be great.... Someone here must have shot a big event like this before??? I want to be ready so that all my ducks are in a nice little row....

Encase anyone is wondering all the other "major" events that I've done, I've never needed my pass for really... I just show up and start shooting and no one askes any questions... I think once I was asked at an outdoor Canada Day Party if I had a press pass and I showed the guy my pass that I had from NYI of Photography ( which is a really crappy looking one) and he said, ok go ahead....

Thanks in advance for any info that you could be provide....

Generally speaking, "Credentials" are given to shooters working for a legitimate publication.

Now, if you're lacking an actual employer paying you to shoot the gig but you have the "Golden Gift of BS" and can convince someone with either the band or the venue (or both) that you have a legitimate reason to be there, then hey, go for it...

And by all means, please keep us up to date with your progress...

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #5467449
Generally speaking, "Credentials" are given to shooters working for a legitimate publication.

Now, if you're lacking an actual employer paying you to shoot the gig but you have the "Golden Gift of BS" and can convince someone with either the band or the venue (or both) that you have a legitimate reason to be there, then hey, go for it...

And by all means, please keep us up to date with your progress...

Thanks for the advice....

I do kinda have a legitimate reason to be there.... I'm still taking some courses with NYI and it's part of our course to do something like this for extra credit... LOL!! Don't know if it'll work or not, but I'll give it a try...

I'll keep you updated as time goes on......

Thanks again for the advice....

Ya know, in a way, this is exactly why they're so suspicious of people with big professional-looking (D)SLRs. LOL!

The thing is with a show like this (assuming they're playing a major venue) is that the minimum wage-esque security folk are gonna deny you access with "pro gear" before you even get anywhere near the door.

As you wrote in title already, it's PRESS accreditation. I guess we know what press means. So it's pretty simple to get those things.... all you need to do is to work for agency or newspaper
If you don't, then you have no reason to have press accreditation. Yes I know, in reality this is not true, and there's normally bunch of people with accreditations who have nothing to do with press. So other option is to have some connections with right people. Personally I hate such people, since most of them have no idea how to behave, and in reality they really make our life harder, but I guess there will always be at least some of them, so it's useless to worry about.
So you pick any of those 3 options and go with it

I have done work for the local paper here before, mostly sports though... If they can't make it to a football game or to the local race track, they normally call to see if I'm gonna be there and get me to send in a few photos and the stats from the game or who won the race....

And it is a huge venue..... Well for a city the size of Moncton, it's a huge venue.

Connections with the right people? Yeah, no not really....

Thanks for the comments....

Kiddo wrote in post #5471892
I have done work for the local paper here before, mostly sports though...

Sport or or something else, it doesn't really matter. Try to go through them for this concert too. I have no idea about concerts, especially big ones, but at least in sport, there's too many "I'm journalist, I write my blog" people, so things are getting more strict. This means less options for accreditations, and sometimes even for legitimate media. So try to go through newspaper, I'm pretty sure it will be easier then trying to go on your own.
I don't mean it bad way, but consider being organizer, who gets 100s or even 1000s of request from all sort of people, where most of them are just trying to get free pass and save few $ which they would need to pay for ticket otherwise.

primoz wrote in post #5472744
Sport or or something else, it doesn't really matter. Try to go through them for this concert too. I have no idea about concerts, especially big ones, but at least in sport, there's too many "I'm journalist, I write my blog" people, so things are getting more strict. This means less options for accreditations, and sometimes even for legitimate media. So try to go through newspaper, I'm pretty sure it will be easier then trying to go on your own.
I don't mean it bad way, but consider being organizer, who gets 100s or even 1000s of request from all sort of people, where most of them are just trying to get free pass and save few $ which they would need to pay for ticket otherwise.

I've already put together a letter for the guy I deal with at the local paper and am sending it out tonight.

I do realize that there are probably gonna be 1000s of photographers trying to get the same press pass as everyone else, I already have a ticket just like everyone else, but I just wanted to try shooting a big concert and boosting my experience and portfolio from the "pro" side of things.

The way I look at it is, asked the questions, find out what is needed, how things work and give it a try to see what happens.... If you doesn't work out, then I can at least be proud enough to say that I tried and it didn't work this time, but maybe next time.... And some day with any luck, I'll get the chance to do the big concerts....

You are right about one thing, there will be many vying for theses spots. Normally you get a group of shooters that will follow these types of groups to most of their concerts. I have no idea if they would go to Moncton. I can just see someone at a magazine head office saying "Where the h... is Moncton". That could actually work in your advantage.

This is really all secondary to the reasoning that you want to be there. Extra credit for a NYIP course hardly justifies it in my mind. Lots of papers have freelancers that they will use when their full time shooters are unavailable. Should every last one of these people be granted access.

I shoot a handful of events each year where I must have accreditation and the people that are using dubious methods to gain this are making it harder for everyone else, not only in getting the pass but in doing the job at the event.

PS- You might want to fix the spelling mistake in your website...

ssim wrote in post #5474348
You are right about one thing, there will be many vying for theses spots. Normally you get a group of shooters that will follow these types of groups to most of their concerts. I have no idea if they would go to Moncton. I can just see someone at a magazine head office saying "Where the h... is Moncton". That could actually work in your advantage.

This is really all secondary to the reasoning that you want to be there. Extra credit for a NYIP course hardly justifies it in my mind. Lots of papers have freelancers that they will use when their full time shooters are unavailable. Should every last one of these people be granted access.

I shoot a handful of events each year where I must have accreditation and the people that are using dubious methods to gain this are making it harder for everyone else, not only in getting the pass but in doing the job at the event.

PS- You might want to fix the spelling mistake in your website...

I do realize how hard this is to get into, and do I think that everyone should get access, no probably not... Depends on the quality of their work and why they are actually there...

And thanks, I'll fix that up... That's what happens when you update things at 3 in the morning sometimes....

Another way of looking at it perhaps is why do the Band want you there, so when applying ask yourself what the advantage is for them.

We had a concert here recently - nothing like as big - and a pal of mine took his camera. He isn't a professional Tog and doesn't want to be, he got some very good shots and thought he would offer them to the group.

The Groups reaction was - who are you why are you taking photos and marketting them (even to us); we have a profile and a style we are trying to maintain and enhance and you don't seem to be helping.

Being a sensible chap he told the Groups management that he was just trying to be helpful and to make everyone happy he would delete the photos, which he did. The Group calmed down and said thank you by sending him some merchanise.

So where as I see your desire to get in and the need to move forward, perhaps the way to approach it is to bring benefit to the band (even indirectly) rather than focusing on getting in for your own benefit.

There are 100's of local gigs each Saturday night and the bands there will be very VERY happy with someone offering the help them promote themselves - just remember to charge them .... but that's a different thread

Cheers Dave

Picturesports wrote in post #5487988
Another way of looking at it perhaps is why do the Band want you there, so when applying ask yourself what the advantage is for them.

We had a concert here recently - nothing like as big - and a pal of mine took his camera. He isn't a professional Tog and doesn't want to be, he got some very good shots and thought he would offer them to the group.

The Groups reaction was - who are you why are you taking photos and marketting them (even to us); we have a profile and a style we are trying to maintain and enhance and you don't seem to be helping.

Being a sensible chap he told the Groups management that he was just trying to be helpful and to make everyone happy he would delete the photos, which he did. The Group calmed down and said thank you by sending him some merchanise.

So where as I see your desire to get in and the need to move forward, perhaps the way to approach it is to bring benefit to the band (even indirectly) rather than focusing on getting in for your own benefit.

There are 100's of local gigs each Saturday night and the bands there will be very VERY happy with someone offering the help them promote themselves - just remember to charge them .... but that's a different thread

Cheers Dave

Thank you Dave!! That's some great advice too.....

You could join the International Freelance Photographer's Organization (IFPO) at www.aipress.com
They will actually write a letter to them asking for credentials for you and say you work for their publication (they do put out a bi monthly magazine). They got me into some major gymnastics championships in the past..I do weddings now so I haven't used them in quite a while but I'm still a member.

Shooting wrote in post #5518618
You could join the International Freelance Photographer's Organization (IFPO) at www.aipress.com
They will actually write a letter to them asking for credentials for you and say you work for their publication (they do put out a bi monthly magazine). They got me into some major gymnastics championships in the past..I do weddings now so I haven't used them in quite a while but I'm still a member.

That is great to know!! Thanks for the link!! I'm gonna check it out right now!!