Thanks for the input and for sharing your story. It really sounds like that photog you mention had some attitude. It’s hard to imagine that she didn’t know that she was completely obstructing your view.

This really should go without saying, but the following story conveys that it really has to be said.

I was shooting a festival over the summer and managed to score a good position in the pit with an interesting angle. I noticed a smaller female photographer behind me. I offered to let her in front of me, the idea being being that I would be able to shoot over her head but not vice versa. She proceeds to get in front of me and stand on a ledge of the stage a half foot off of the ground, obviously and completely blocking my view. She stood there for the three songs so I had to find another angle.

This goes back to humility. Why on earth would she think I was letting her take over my spot and obstruct my view? She obviously thought she was hot stuff and I was bowing to her infinite superiority.

That’s my 2 cents!

:)

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to write up your blogs. I enjoy all of them.

I’ve been knocked out catching an elbow to the skull shooting an Agnostic Front show, I’ve seen photogs clock each other in the head with 70-200mm L lenses trying to move out of the way of wrestlers going over the top rope.

I’ve even gone through a wooden table after being pushed aside during a Legendary Shackshakers set and I’ve lost all my front teeth photographing a Bad Brains set.

It gets really violent really quick at some of these events we shoot, and the worst thing you can do if you accidentally hit a fellow camera person, or if they get hurt, is ignore it and keep shooting.

And if you get hit by accident with a stray lens, don’t immediately assume that the photog that hit you is a jerk, they might have just been shoved out of the way by a security guard, or pushed by a mosher.

Again, this is common sense, but I’ve been crushed, beaten, battered, and bruise too many times to not mention it to everyone.

Todd should segue this into a conversation about camera insurance, but that’s a tale for another day.

I think it’s just courteous and pretty obvious to follow the steps you listed — but I guess there are those people out there who may not realize or want to follow them. In which case, you bash their face in :P

Nice lead intro photo.

One thing I do is to include my portfolio on my iPhone, so it’s easily accessible. If I’m ever talking to fans about the show or where they can see the images, I can also show them the kind of work I do and what to expect.