If you’re attending Vans Warped Tour this year, it’s going to be sweaty, crowded, and a whole lot of fun. And all that’s without a camera.
For press covering the annual touring festival, you’re in for a whole new level of craziness. Here’s your guide to photographing Warped Tour.
Live Performances
A no brainer, right? For most publications, the live performances at Warped Tour are among the biggest draws and will probably be the lion’s share of your coverage of the tour. With low, small stages, Warped Tour is a killer chance to get up close and personal with dozens bands for live shots. Frankly, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.
Backstage Portraits
Whether you’re shooting posed band portraits or candids during an interview, exclusive photos of bands on the tour are always a fan-favorite. Whether you just hang in the press area or schedule portrait shoots ahead of time, Warped is a great opportunity to have bands mug for the camera.
Atmosphere
From the crowds and stages to the fans dressed to impress, there are countless opportunities to capture the “punk rock summer camp” atmosphere of Warped. No Warped Tour feature would be complete without a few shots of die-hard fans smashed against the barricade and rocking out to their favorite bands. Whether they’re wide-angle shots showing scale or details of merch or grip ‘n grins of fans, atmosphere shots are a key part of telling the Warped story.
Get There Early
Even though press have a separate entrance, I’d suggest arriving before doors so that you can check in with the tour press coordinator in the press area and get a copy of the day’s schedule so you can make your plan of attack for the festival.
The schedule is always changing from day to day, so if you arrive late, you might risk missing some great bands opening in the first slots.
Making Your Schedule
With multiple stages, simultaneous performances, and the potential for wading through large crowds in between stages, you’re going to have be to able to plan efficiently. If you know your bands, this is easy.
My advice is to make a list of the top 20 bands you want to see. When you get a copy of the schedule, go down your list and mark off bands in order. If there are competing time slots, make an executive decision based on your numbered list, and fill in the gaps as needed.
Draw A Map
Given that there are nearly a dozen stages at Warped Tour, I’d suggest drawing a map of the event grounds and detailing the various stages. Whether Warped Tour is coming to a parking lot, a dirt patch, or an amphitheater near you, a map of the various stages is going to save you some headache throughout the day.
Sunscreen
No Summer festival guide would be complete without the all-important suggestion to wear sunscreen, and Warped Tour is no exception. If you’re going to be running around covering the performances for eight hours, stock up on UV protection and make sure you’re covered.
Water
No Summer festival guide would be complete without the all-important suggestion to wear sunscreen drink water, and Warped Tour is no exception. If you’re going to be running around covering the performances for eight hours, stock up on UV protection water and make sure you’re covered hydrated.
Also, on the topic of H2O, bring a poncho or trashbag in case the forecast calls for rain, for yourself and also to protect your gear.
Memory Cards
For an all-day event liked Warped Tour, it’s always a good idea to bring plenty of memory cards. If you consider the number of images you make during a single concert and multiply it by a full day of shooting, you’ll get an idea of how much memory you’ll need for your images. Either stock up on memory cards or bring a portable harddrive to download your images throughout the day. Alternatively, you can use a laptop to download images, but you’re going to have to carry it thoughout the day.
Batteries
With a full day of shooting, you’re going to want to have your camera’s batteries fully charged for Warped Tour. Extra batteries are going to be key if you have a power-hungry camera, and especially so if you are going to be reviewing images throughout the day, which quickly drains battery life.
To conserve battery power, review images as little as possible, and shoot conservatively. The last thing you want is to have your camera die toward the end of the day, when many of the big guns come out.
First Three Songs
Like most tours and festivals, the “first three songs” rule is in effect for Warped Tour. What this means is that you’ll be able to photograph the first three songs of a band’s performance from the photo pit, located between the stage and the barricade at the front of the crowd.
For larger tour dates and for popular bands, it’s advised to get to the photo pit early if you want to scope out a prime shooting position. If you get to the stage at the start of the set time, you may well get stuck at the edges of a packed pit.
White Balance
Depending on the setup of the different stages at your venue, many might be positioned in open shade, which is going to have a different white balance than full sunlight.
Pre-setting your white balance for stages that are in shade can help warm up scenes that might otherwise come off as a little cool with auto WB. Using the “Cloudy” daylight preset or manually dialing in a K rating of between 6000-8000 should work in most instances.
What Lenses to Bring to Warped Tour
With low stages, plenty of daylight, and simple setups for bands, Warped Tour isn’t a terribly demanding event when it comes to camera equipment. This is good news.
While fast f/2.8 zooms are still nice, shooting with even a kit lens shouldn’t really be too trouble for most sunny days. I’d recommend a zoom range of roughly 17-55mm on APS cameras (or 24-70mm on full-frame), which should cover a lot of the action at Warped.
Due to the relatively low stages and friendliness of bands (like singing on the barricade), an ultra-wide angle lens can deliver some great shots as well. Last but not least, telephoto lenses can be useful for headshots and for picking up the drummer on the larger stages, but are probably overkill for most smaller stages.
Check out my Lens Guide for Concert Photography for more general suggestions on equipment. Want to know what I’ll be bringing to Warped Tour? Check out the Gear Guide.
Changing Lenses
As an outdoor event, Warped Tour can be a grimy place, so if you’re changing lenses, it’s best to do so as quickly as possible to minimize dust getting cozy in your camera’s mirror box and on the sensor. Here are a few tips for quick lens changes:
- Change lenses in between songs.
- Play “zone defense” with a single lens for a full song, then switch lenses for the next song.
- Take off the rear lens caps of the lenses in your bag.
You can minimize lens changes by limiting swapping to just once or twice during a three-song shoot. By shooting the first song or two with the midrange zoom and then switching to an ultra-wide or telephoto for the third song, you’ll dramatically cut down on lens changes. Then, for the next band, don’t change back to the midrange until the second song. This approach is in contrast to switching regularly throughout a set, which is going to increase your downtime in the pit.
Photo Pit Etiquette
The stages for Warped Tour are often relatively small given the large crowds, and especially so when you consider how many photographers are credentialed for any given date. The photo pits can quickly become crowded at Warped, so a little courtesy goes a long way.
Basically, the golden rule applies here. Just be nice, because in all likelihood, you’re going to be sharing photo pits with many of the same people all day long. No eye gouging, no hitting below the waist.
Be sure to check out the Concert Photography Etiquette Guide as well; for festivals, all the same rules still apply.
Pace Yourself
With any extended shooting, pacing yourself is critical, especially if you’re limited on battery power or memory cards. The last thing you want is to be out of juice or card-space at the end of the day comes and the larger bands of the tour are rocking it.
By all means, go crazy shooting, but not too crazy. My advice is to save a memory card or two for your top-bands.
Of course, this advice of pacing goes not only for conserving your memory cards and your camera’s battery, but for your own energy as well. If you have the chance to take some downtime and grab some shade or AC in the press area, do it.
If you’ve got the battery situation covered, deleting shots in between performances will not only free up space, but it will make editing after Warped Tour a lot easier, too. Otherwise, shoot conservatively and minimize image review to save your camera battery.
Any Questions?
Have questions or tips you want to share about photographing Warped Tour? As new questions and advice come up, I’ll be updating this article, so let those comments rip!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Photography Tutorials and tagged with 4fini, advice, credentials, job, media, pass, photographer, Photography Tutorials, pit reporter, press, tips, tour, vans, warped tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Welcome to ishootshows.com, the premier site for music photography featuring daily concert coverage, portrait features, and photo advice from professional music photographer Todd Owyoung.
My name is Todd, and I love the rock show. My work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, SPIN, the New York Times, Alternative Press, Metal Hammer, Entertainment Weekly, and Billboard Magazine. I'm available for worldwide travel for editorial and commercial assignments.
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I really enjoyed this. Thanks!
Hey Victoria, you’re welcome. Thanks for the comment.
Most photographers probably won’t want to do this, but I was shooting in RAW on CF cards and can’t afford as many cards as I know I need for Warped (6100-6500 images each day) and brought my 13″ MacBook to download them whenever they started filling up or when there was a 20 minute break between bands I wanted to shoot. I think I got in at least 2 full downloads of 32GB in cards during the course of the day.
I also managed to get 6500 shots on only 1 1/5 batteries by leaving image review off and only checking shots as necessary. Definitely, keep track of how much card space you have left going into a pit and whether your battery is about to give out, so you don’t get stuck with a full/dead camera nearing the end of three songs when something spectacular will no doubt happen right in front of you.
Thanks for adding your experience here. Any way to download images at a day-long fest is a good one. With a laptop, one just has to consider the weight and security issues, but aside from that, it’s a great option. With a little downtime, a laptop is a great way to get a jump on editing, too.
Hey Todd I just shot Warped Tour Pomona and all the things you said are true, however situations change, ESSPECILLY on the main stage during The Devil Wears Prada we got 1 and a half songs before they tried kicking us out, we bought some time by telling them to contact the supervisor but then we HAD to leave after 2 for safety reasons, same thing with Underoath, and Thrice. also another thing I would like to add is be aware of whats behind you, I saw a photog get nailed with an almost full monster can, she went down, and it looked like it hurt. I love this arrticle thanks!!
Hi Justin,
Thanks for adding your thoughts here. You’re right, the time photographers are allowed in the pit is ultimately decided by the people working venue security, just like any other event. For shows with heavy crowd surfing, security may cut the allotment short.
Hi Todd,
This guide is great. It summarizes most of your posts about the whole photog’s life during his job. Plus further tips. In order to improve it, I think I’d be interesting to write a summary of “What’s in your bag” or maybe a shot of it ?
BTW, because it’s my first comment and because I truly think it, congratulations for your whole work, it’s really magnificent.
(and sorry if my english’s bad, I’m belgian)
Hi Nicolas,
Thanks for the comment, I’m always happy to hear from first-time commenters. I hope you’ll stick around and join in future discussions. No need to apologize, your English is good and I understand you perfectly.
Your suggestion for “What’s in My Bag” is a good one and I think I might do a separate post on that – laying out my camera gear and then listing the different items.
Thanks again.
How would you suggest getting a hold of a photopass? I’ve emailed MSOPR with no luck, perhaps I’d need to try again? Also, have any tips on what to say in the email? I don’t think I’m terribly unprofessional sounding but a good tip or two would be helpful!
Thanks again, Todd!
Hi Heather,
MSO handles press for the tour, so they’re really your best bet if you’re on assignment. You need to request a press form to be considered through them; the form just details the publication and nature of the coverage you’d like to do. Hopefully everything will work out for you.
If there’s a chance that I become a concert photographer one day, I’d say ‘The photos better be worth it.’
It’s a hard job. :) Well there’s still good music. It depends though, whatever your tastes are.
Hey Lvynne,
When the photos aren’t worth it, that’s when it’s time to quite!
I have the same question as Heather (#6); with and exception:
DO you think that minors are able to get photo passes?
I love doing show photography, but I can never bring my good equipment because I never have photo passes!!!
Help?
Hi Haley,
The press form doesn’t have anything about the age of the people requesting credentials. The only thing that really matters to publicists with regard to photo passes is that you have a valid assignment for a publication. That’s the only real reason for them to grant such access. Reach out to local publications for backing and make pitches. Good luck.
great post man
while i was reading i found myself nodding at points going “yeah, that’s what i did when i was shooting voodoo fest last year”
and i think these rules are great to use for any festival or non-festival show you have to shoot :)
Hey Pat,
Thanks for the comment. Glad you to hear you agree with this. I might do another version of this for general festival photography as well – it’s the season, after all.
In the press area, do you have to pre-arrange (contact band’s publicist) to interview/take photos of the bands? Or is it set up where the band is there for an alloted amount of time and you just go ahead?
Norrel,
Basically bands have slots that they’re scheduled to show up for press, but these shift around and are sometimes canceled. Also, depending on the band, it might only be one or two members, not necessarily the full group.
You can always try and setup a specific time with a band, but the best thing to do is check in with the on-site press coordinator when you first arrive, confirm who you want to interview, and go from there.
Perfect timing, Todd… I’m off to Benicassim next week and this guide was just perfect on a couple of aspects. Though, Still trying to hire in a 70-200 and EVERYONE in London is out of stock… gutted :(
Sime
Have fun, Sime. Hope the lens situation works for you. If you have anything to add to this guide after you shoot the fest, let me know.
Good article Todd, it sort of branches off into something I wrote last summer for the Warped tour. http://www.skapunkphotos.com/2008/05/28/warped-tour-photography-tips-for-beginners/
My article is strictly for beginners, where as yours is more for intermediate photographers. Either way, expect A LOT of emails and comments asking for MSO’s contact and other Warped Tour info hahaha.
Hey Bryan,
Thanks for the comment. My guide is intended for folks who are already set with credentials, but who might not be used to photographing festivals like Warped. Bring on the pain!
Good article. I’m still on the fence about Warped this year but I’ll probably see you in the pit come the 3rd.
Thanks, Bryan. See you in the pit. If you see me bodyslam anyone to get a better shot, between us, it’s going to be an accident, OK?
Hey Todd!
Very help words here. I will take everything into consideration. Ive been to Warped Tour 2 years now and this will be my 3rd. Im finally getting to shoot in the pit! Do you have any suggestions on getting into the pit easier? I know the crowds are huge and packed tight and noone ever lets you through. Any tips on how to get through easier?
Thanks Todd :)
Hey Alex,
As far as how to get to the pit, the best way is to go along the sides of the stage (there’s often a fence), since that’s where you have to enter anyway. The edge of the crowd is going to be your best bet.
You’d be surprised how people part for photographers. Failing that, yell that you’re feeling nauseated and need to get through.
This is a great read Todd! Well thought out…super informative for anyone covering the event!
Hey Keith,
Thanks for the comment, let me know if you have any suggestions.
thanks todd!
i just have one more question. ive shot a lot of shows and i absolutely love photography but to tell the truth i dont know my camera or lenses like the back of my hand. i cant even go on ebay and look for certain things I need because I dont know enough to get be able to get the right item. So I have this Super Wide Angel .42X Af lens thats a fisheye and it came with a macro lens that goes onto it and a 52mm-46mm adapter ring so that it can fit onto my 18mm-55mm lens. I really want to shoot without the macro lens but then my fisheye wont fit onto my 18-55mm. Im confused as how to get it to fit my lens without the macro. Can you help me?
Alex,
Can you elaborate on the macro accessory lens not “fitting” on the 18-55mm? If it threads into the macro lens, it sounds like the issue here is one of filter thread sizes. You’ll need a step-up filter that can connect the 46m size of your kit lens to the fisheye.
Nice guide todd
lol first festival i shot was with no more than 2gb and 1 battery
im usually pretty conservative but thatwastaking it to new levels :)
10hrs later and about 5 of those in uncovered flood worthy rain i made it to the end finish with deftones, being cheap sucks haha still only got barely 4gb 3 years later
4GB for a festival must keep you on your toes, Dan – but I think that can be a good thing. With careful shooting and on-site editing, I think that one can shoot with less and one would think.
Still, compact flash is cheap these days, especially if you don’t need the fastest write and read times.
“I need for Warped (6100-6500 images each day)” what….wow…. thats a lot of photographs to churn through.
I average around 70 shots per band at a festival and usally cover around 15-20 act’s depending on the size festival. After a few bands have been photographed I’ll head back to the press area and download/select/edit images to forward on to client.This saves me going through millions of images at the end of the night.
Todd keep up the good work.
i definitely forgot the sunblock last year, along with wearing a pair of unconfortable shoes, getting a sunburn on fresh tattoo, i had no money for water ect ect.. it was a long day haha
Sunblock is key if you’re focusing on the live performances. And good shoes are a must, too.
the macro lens is too small to connect to my 18-55mm lens without the 52-46mm ring. the 52mm-46mm ring is just a little to small to connect to my fisheye without the macro lens. i just want to shoot with just my fisheye and no macro lens attatched. do you know what size ring i should get to go onto my fisheye so that it will go onto my 18-55mm lens?
Alex,
I would take your gear to a camera store and ask them what you need. It sounds like you need a step-up filter to connect the fisheye to the lens.
Hey Todd…I only have one suggestion…as silly as it sounds: clothing.
Good shoes are clutch, lots of walking happening! While many photographers like to embrace a certain…rockstar “look”, I’m all about comfort! A nice lightweight athletic shirt and lightweight cargos are functional when you are out in the heat! Def part of the Essentials in my book!
Keith, I’m wearing cowboy boots and a neckerchief to Warped. Are you saying that this is going to be impractical?
yeah, i think thats what i’ll do.
thanks todd!
:)
what do the photo passes look like this year?
are they on a lanyard?
Photo/press/video passes for Warped Tour are usually just wristbands.
Most photo passes are cloth stickers. It’s very, very rare to have hard passes or laminants on a lanyard for photo with tours. Those are usually reserved for band and all-access passes.
Thanks for the tips Todd! I’m with Keith on the comfort issue. This year will be my first at Warped and I’m really looking forward to it. I was in an accident on the way to last year’s date here in STL. Hopefully this year will bring better luck!
I have three interviews set up and that alone is exciting for me. I LOL’d at the cowboy boots and neckerchief comment. ;)
Question! How do you manage to get a press pass to allow your camera in?
Charlie,
To photograph Warped, you must have an assignment for a publication. One has to contact the PR firm handling press for the tour, request a press form, fill out the form, and then wait for approval or denial.
Thank you for the help!
Ussually there is no denial just no conformation witch really sucks, but i can understand there busy, haha i Lol’d at the cowboy boot comment!
Hey Todd, just another question.
You said for the lenses, to take off the rear lens cap.
Isn’t that… a bad thing to do? Won’t it get some sort of damage?
Norrel,
In a normal camera bag where the lenses are individually buffered by dividers, there really isn’t threat to rear lens elements, assuming the lenses aren’t seeing sky. The whole point of this is approach is for speed, so you’re going to have to weigh dust on your sensor vs dust on your lenses in this regard, as that’s all that could really affect the lenses when they’re just in your bag.
If you’re worried about your lenses, you can always shoot with the rear caps on, just know that you’re going to be a little slower at lens changes.
Do you think I’ll have any problems getting my little Nikon D40 through the front gates without a photo pass? I want to take pics for fun, not for assignment or anything so I didnt look into getting one. Thank you.
You shouldn’t be allowed in with a DSLR, but there are always some folks who slip through security with a small camera like that.
This is my first year photographing Warped Tour. My question is this- where do photographers enter the venue? Is there like a separate line for photographers/press people, or do you go to will call, or what? Thank you :)
To those who asked about, about getting a photo pass if minor, you can. Just need to shoot for a publication. I’m a minor, and I got a pass. I’m shooting for my blog, which you can see if you click my link. The press people are nice, and are willing to help you out with whatever questions you have. I asked a lot. Also, Todd, thanks for this guide. I enjoyed it, even though I already said that on Twitter when you first posted it up! Looking forward to seeing your shots from Warped in the upcoming dates you are shooting.
Though, there is one question I have and it’s been bugging me. When I arrive at Warped Tour, what do I do, more so, do they have a tent/canopy thing for press to go to near the gates? If so, is it labeled? Also, is there a separate press room area for after you get your pass if you need to stop there or interviewing a band(which I am doing…), and if so, where is it generally located?
Thanks,
Ryan.
Ryan, the press area is different for every location. Some amphitheater venues use the artist dressing rooms backstage, others just have a tent. When you check in to get your press wristband, they can tell you where to go.
Do you know how to get photopasses for the vans warped tour?
or just a regular show in general?
thanks.
Cassandra, you must be on assignment for a publication for Warped Tour and shows in general. Good luck.
This was a great post! Unfortunately the publication I’m shooting for hasn’t answered my emails as to whether or not I have a pass yet. :\
Any tips on how to deal with rain and protecting gear?
Hey Amber,
If the weather forecast looks like there might be rain, I’d bring a trash bag and/or a poncho. Most bags should be pretty much OK for moderate rain, and a trash bag around them will keep everything inside dry.
If you have to shoot while it’s raining, you might have to rubberband plastic bags around your lens and body.
OK, I can add a tip now…If the band kicks security out of the pit, and encourages the crowd to rush the stage, get out as fast as you can before the crowd overtakes you (those kids move FAST) and you end up crushed against the barricade with a damaged camera, broken rib and your day is cut short.
[...] first festival shoot, I partially didn’t know what to expect. Aside from Todd Owyoung’s guide I went mostly on what I’ve learned in the last few months of [...]
On the topic of rain, here’s some advice: don’t change your lenses in a media tent packed with people while it’s pouring outside. I did. What a heartbreak it was to find out my camera was so humidified that the lens couldn’t communicate with the camera anymore. It was fine in the pouring rain, but once I exposed the insides to the humidity, it was done for the day. I had my digital Fuji point & shoot as backup, but I probably don’t have to tell you, the results are significantly less remarkable.
i was wondering when the best time would be to apply for a warped photo pass, how many months early?
Hey Marissa,
I would wait until your date is about three or four weeks out before starting to apply. Before that and it’s going to be a bit premature.
For reference, I’ve applied in as little as a week or so out and it worked out just fine. If you’re shooting for a legit publication, Warped Tour is very accommodating and it should be no problem to get set up.
Thanks Todd!
I was also wondering where you email for a warped photopass? I remember seeing something on warpedtour.com once but i’ve looked for it again and cannot seem to find it.
I’m curious as to who you might contact in order to be able to shoot warped tour (to obtain the press clearence). I’m a journalist and would love to do the show coming up this year.
This was great! I’m hoping to shoot Warped Tour this year and this was definitely very helpful. One question about press shots and such, does that just automatically come once you get the photo pass? (I mean that in the way that you automatically get to sign up for press photos individually with a band once you get a photo pass). I’m not entirely sure how that works. Someone tried to explain it to me but didn’t really know what they were talking about.
Thanks!
this was great, thanks so much. but i have a question for you. how do i get into the photo pit?