If you're starting on in the world of concert photography, you can get by bringing a camera to small venues without any special access. In fact, this is the best way to get into photographing live music, as there's no barrier to entry beyond the price of a ticket.
But at a certain point, if you want to photograph larger artists and at larger concert venues, you'll need a photo pass. This is a credential that might be as inform as a generic wristband all the way to a custom printed fabric sticker specific to a tour.
I want to give a couple examples for how to request a photo pass for different scenarios.
- Photography for yourself without a publication
- Photographing for a publication
Before we jump into the approaches, first some background on the purpose of a photo pass and expectations.
Why you need a photo pass to photograph a concert?
Photo passes are intended for press: editorial publications that are providing the value of publicity to their audience. The special access of a photo pass, especially for larger bands, is made in trade for this service. This trade of value — publicity for access — is the reason why photo passes exist.
So with all that said, let's get to how you can request a photo pass, both for yourself and as a contributor to a publication.
How do you find photo pass contacts?
How do you find the PR contact for photo passes? Google. The publicist for the artist is the main gatekeeper. You can google strings like ‘[artist name] + pr contact' or ‘[artist name + “press release”‘ or many different combinations. (Official press releases will include a PR contact.)
Learn how to use Boolean operators for searches to find info efficiently and exclude extraneous information.
What a publicist wants to know in a photo pass request
The publicist for a band or artist is generally the one point of contact who is in charge of approving credentials. They want to know the who, what, when, where and why of the request.
- Artist
- Date
- City
- Ask (specifically for a photo pass)
- What they're getting in return
On this last point, the main default is for editorial coverage, but if you're not shooting for a publication, they're going to need a reason.
Requesting a photo pass for yourself
Hi,
I'm a photographer based in [City, State] and I'd love to request a photo pass to photograph [Artist] at [Venue] on [Date.]
You can see examples of my work here: [Website, Social Media]
[Your hook]
Your hook
You can send the above template as is without the ending hook.
The bonus thing to add to this message would be some further rationale for why they should grant access. This can be a personalized appeal, past artists you've photographed, publications you've worked for or many other approaches.
If you're shooting for yourself, this personalized part of the email is arguably the most important. This final part of the messaging is the chance to stand out from everyone else in a similar situation (without a publication) who is requesting a photo pass.
If you're just starting out and building your portfolio, just be honest about that. Maybe your hook is, “I'm just starting out as a music photographer and looking to build my portfolio, but it's my dream to photograph for Rolling Stone. I love [artist's] music and I know I could make great images of this show.”
But whatever your hook is, make it your own and make it genuine.
No publication?
In many instances, you're going to get asked if you shooting for a publication. It's fine if you're not, just be honest. Or even up front about this fact in the initial email, it'll save the publicist time. While there's little value in granting access to someone shooting for their portfolio, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. You might as well try.
Requesting a photo pass for a publication
When requesting for a publication, the request is even more formulaic. PR just needs to know the facts. This example is assuming you have no relationship with the publicist.
Hi,
I'm a photographer with [Publication] and we'd love to cover [Artist] at [Venue] in [State, City] on [Date.] We'd love to do [Coverage] of the show. Is it possible to setup [Request] for this coverage?
You can see our past examples of [Coverage] here:
In this request, everything here is pretty straight forward, with the exception of how you handle coverage. This could be a photo gallery, a review or whatever you intend to do. The coverage will dictate the request. If you're doing a review, you may request a review ticket/guest list, for example.
Bonus points if you include examples of reviews or other coverage you're proud of. This gives the publicist a clear idea of what exactly they'll get in exchange for granting access.
Similarly, if you're on assignment, copying your editor and indicating that they are CC'd is a best practice, especially if they know the editor but you're new to the publicist.
Bonus:
After mention of the publication, you can add in some details about the focus of your publication or any other flavor details. Give the publicist why your publication is relevant.
When to send a photo pass request
Most publicists will advise to send a press request 2 weeks before a show, then to follow up the week of the show.
When you'll hear back on a photo pass
You may hear back from PR a week of the show or even day of the show. Generally, the smaller the publication or less important the value, the later you will hear back. The reason is that PR is weighing the value of different requests and they want to make sure they get the best value for their client.
You're building a relationship with PR
Don't think of a photo pass request as a transactional, one-time thing. Of course it can be that, but that's short sighted. Publicists often work with multiple artists in the same scene but also different genres.
You are building a relationship with every point of contact.
Whether you're shooting for yourself or a publication, you're building a relationship with a publicist. Think about how you can create trust, provide value and show that you are their partner.
Part of a publicist's job is to generate positive publicity for their clients. How are your images helping to do that?
More info on photo passes
If you want to dig more into photo passes for concert photography, check out these other articles for more in depth info. This includes how to find contact info for publicists, the all important gatekeepers for access to photograph concerts, and specific Boolean operator strings to use.
