The Perennial Chase For The Elusive Photopass

The first pro-shoot pass I got was for The Angels last November. I knew the band was in town and scheduled to play a gig at Melbourne’s gorgeous Forum theatre. I tracked down the manager’s details and shot off an email not really even expecting any sort of response. A day later, the pass had been granted to me. I was surprised at how easy the process was.

Subsequently, that first request fooled me into a false sense of security because obtaining passes to other shows has proven to be an uphill battle of monumental proportions.

For one particular act, there was an email exchange of close to 40 mails back and forth trying to secure a pass. A massive paper chase of being hand-balled from one department to the other, it was proving to be an incredibly arduous and frustrating process. However, I was determined to see it through to the end and wasn’t going to give up. Finally, I was granted a pass and instructed that I could not use any of the photos I took… ANYWHERE but on the venue’s website.

I passed.

I felt pissed off that I wouldn’t be able to use any of the photos even in my own portfolio after the bitching effort of finally getting someone to listen to me – I decided I wasn’t going to be walked all over like that.

A day later, with no one scheduled to shoo the show for them, they approached me and granted me access to my own photos as long as they appeared on the venue’s website first. I was ok with that and eventually got to shoot the act I so desperately wanted to. (An act who I had given plenty of free publicity over at my blog for many years mind you).

In another situation, I have established a fruitful relationship with one venue promoter and he has never let me down whenever I have approached him for a pass. Going back to what I had previously mentioned in my last posting, it pays to be kind and courteous. After each and every show, if I don’t bump into him in the crowd, I will email him and thank him for the pass. I also send him a slab of the best photos for him to use on the venue website without fail.

And in another instance again, no matter how hard I tried – I couldn’t get a pass. Black Metal act Cradle of Filth are about to tour Australia. I have covered Cradle of Filth extensively on my blog over the years and felt justified in asking for a pass from the promoter.

When I found out about the tour several months ago, I approached the promoter who told me that I might be able to secure a pass but nothing had been set in stone. I also put in a request to my FasterLouder editor months ago and requested this gig. Unfortunately he gave the show to another photographer (no hard feelings, them’s the breaks) so I went through the promoter one more time.

The pass was not provided. I had missed out.

I decided to get in touch with the band’s record label. After a couple of bounced emails, I finally got a phone number and an alternate email address. Contacting the email addy that had been provided, I received a mail back informing me that they had forwarded my request to the promotions department.

Cool! Things were looking up!

Several days later, I received an email that if I wanted any pass, I would have to contact the promoter. The very promoter who had knocked me back.

The vicious circle continued. The pass was not forthcoming. I don’t get to shoot the band on any capacity.

As you can see, it is a frustrating hit & miss process but one that pays off when you do get granted access.

There are no sure-fire method and what I have outlined above is based solely on my (limited) experience in this field. My one piece of advice at this stage, even if you are a rookie – is to always present yourself as professional as you possibly can and always, always be kind, courteous and respectful.