How damn hard is it too get photo passes for concerts? Do magazine's like Rolling Stone print pictures from freelance photographers, or do they have regularly paid photographers to go to indoor/outdoor shows at take pictures?
I'm not 100% positive on this but I can give you my thoughts. To get a photographer's pass you would probably have to have some association with either the venue, the band, promotion co, radio station, television station, or magazine. Not just anyone can get those passes. If they were available to everyone that said they were a photographer everyone would have one. They don't give them to just anyone because they could make money off it. The photographers hired that have passes probably have signed lots of papers saying these photos belong to so and so, and these are the rights of the images. So if you want to get into photographing musicians, start at small venues, talk to local bands. Then contact radio stations to possibly see if they need a photographer. You may end up shooting without pay- but at least you gain experience. I believe most music magazines have staff photographers to document the events. |
