Haven't posted here in a long long time, but wanted to throw out a frustrating question. I repeatedly try and get photo passes as a freelance photographer to even smallish shows, and am met with constant rebuttals. Recently I was at a show in Chicago, and the venue had literally 30+ people looking out into the audience at various positions stopping people from shooting stills, or small camera video.

With the prevalence of Youtube and other sites so rampant with pretty much any song from any artist you'd want to see performed live, what makes a "still" photograph so taboo? It's not like you see web sites full of photos of artists selling "bootleg" stills from shows.

I get the whole ownership of an artist's image, but with 8mp phones out there now, really, why even try to stop photos at a show?

I'm the kind of person who probably wouldn't take photos of their two day old infant, but I'm still with you, man.

I would have you thrown out after I destroyed your camera...cause I'm a rockstar.

I can understand the frustration. At the same time I have gone to shows at small venues where they let whoever take pics and it has ended up where basically the whole front of the stage ends up people with cameras walking around and the people there to just enjoy the show are stuck behind them all. For me that kinda blows the atmosphere. But yeah, just a couple people taking pics and not hogging the stage areas seems pretty harmless.

1. Learn how to use Google (Images)

2. Leave your camera at home

3. Enjoy the rock show

The fact that you're freelance is messing you up. If you had an assignment from a mag/website/zine/etc then you'd probably have no problem.

Calling the band's management and saying you're a freelance photog just wanting to shoot the band sounds like you are trying to score a free ticket.

what venue had 30+ people looking to stop photographers? i don't know any venue with that many staff for a single show.

but it could be because of whoever's on the stage. some artists have absolutely insane photography policies. the contracts that photographers sign before shooting them are ridiculous and they try to put the kibbosh on anything else. and i agree with the rabbit that you need to be on assignment to have a reasonable shot at a photo pass.

there are a few chicago venues like metro and lincoln hall have taken big steps against filming, but allow still photography from just about anyone.

I always thought the bands hated all the flashes in their faces while they are trying to play.

I stopped trying to take good photos because it's always really dark and the photos on my crappy camera always end up blurry.

It was at the Rosemont Theater. They had 5 people across the front facing the crowd the whole time, and then 4 people every section outward into the audience. It was the worst I have ever seen.

I agree with you guys that I need a gig to shoot, but getting a gig is almost as hard as getting in a camera to a venue. I shoot professionally but not anything musical or related. Trying to show a portfolio filled with portraits, weddings, product and event photography to a music site is met with .....*crickets.

Yea, I dont use flash though. I'd be shooting with a Canon 5D and fast lenses. Higher ISO and some noise reduction goes along way.

Were you trying to shoot Dream Theater, or which show was it?

http://www.rosemont.com/event_calendar.php

I used to shoot a lot of shows in college (an 80's minolta x370 and fuji 1600 ISO film) and I would get in by either knowing the band, or knowing the people that worked at the venue. I say this because if your goal (or one of them, in the short term) is maybe to get some "band" shots, then it really wouldn't matter much what band it is, right? So any band you know someone in who plays in town, or your favorite dive bar that has music one night a week would do.

I remember having a rating in my head for every club in downtown athens, based on how bright their stage lighting was. GA Theater, you could roll at 1/60th of a second easy, sometimes even 1/100. 40 Watt, decent but never faster than 1/60. But the smaller places, a lot of them were so dark I could only get the pedal steel player without blurring (they never move).

QFT...I fucking hate people who have their damn cameras out the whole time...you are not Scorcese and this isn't the last fucking waltz.

I'm gonna say that they're thinking, "you steal my shit off the Internets, I'm gonna try & get $$ out of you however I can, be it pictures, our forthcoming DVD, whatever."

it don't get much more sig-worthy than this

yeah people who take photographs are fucking assholes

Not gonna say all the photogs at shows are jerks, but some of them are pretty snotty. At a show last year (or the year before, can't remember), my wife and I were on the rail at a show. This photog kept standing right in front of us on a platform. So, effectively he was blocking us completely. I kept tapping him on his back, he'd turn around and then keep shooting. I kept tapping. Finally, he turns around and yells "I've got a right to be here!". I motioned to security and they came and moved him. The thing is, I realize its a job and you generally only get 3 songs to get shots. I also realize the above is the exception and not the standard. But if it is between me paying for a ticket and being disrupted and you getting a shot--I'm gonna win out.

That said, last NYE in NYC for DBT, there was a photog shooting the show who was super cool to us. He made sure he wasn't blocking us, and before the show even was showing me his shot he took at Chuck Berry's NYE concert across town.

I would've fucking thrown him over the rail. Douche behavior is never ok.

Yea it was Dream Theater... It was an amazing show, with great photo possibilities... oh well...

Well, I imagine those guys are pretty self-serious and want to protect their public image, so they'd only allow photographers they've previously worked with.

FYI - don't try to shoot Odd Future, because those boys ain't having none of it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 0167.story

It's in the hands of the artist's publicist. Period.

If you want photo passes, my advice is go to clubs you know allow photography. Don't use a flash! Create a portfolio of 8-10 different shots/vantage points and different bands. Identify some local promoters and theaters (in-house), and send your stuff. That's what I did.

Truth-be-told, the big shows with passes suck! You typically get only the first three songs. Artist doesn't want to see a camera in front of stage, so you shoot from the sides. Crowd wants you to photograph them or tell you how to shoot. Big show; big stage; big lens; heavy bag. Generally, you have to work much faster, and you don't get what you want.