Difference between revisions of "Photography for Concerts and Events"

Revision as of 14:42, 23 March 2016

Overview

Photography volunteers will work with the photography editor to produce and curate photographic content for KDHX.org. Assignments will include live musical performances, events and festivals.

This page discusses the photographer's workflow when covering and delivering an assignment.

Please feel free to check out the KDHX photography archives: kdhx.org/tag/photography.

Requests to shoot concerts, festivals and events

Photographers may submit an email to photography at kdhx.org with requests to cover specific shows.

Please include:

1. the date of the show
2. the name of the headlining band or artist
3. the venue name
4. copy of press release, if you have one (optional)

Approvals from the photo editor will be confirmed via email. Groups with large followings often receive multiple requests. All interested parties are noted and an assignment will be made during the month prior to the event date. 99% of all assignment decisions are based on a "first come, first served" principle, so early requests are recommended.

Approximately 7-10 days prior to a concert, an email request is sent to ask for tickets and a photo pass for the photographer. Often this request is sent to the artists' publicist, however there are several venues and/or producers in town that require that all requests are filtered through them.

Credentials will vary based on the show and producer of the event. We always request a spot on the guest list for the photographer, with a "+1" for a friend, and a photo pass. Different variations may result; i.e., photo pass and one ticket for photographer, photo pass only, etc.

Actual confirmation of tickets and/or photo passes is often obtained within a few days of the event. We are not always able to guarantee that we will be able to obtain entrance, but we will try our best.

This link will provide a snapshot of all upcoming shows that have been requested => Photography Schedule Overview

Note - If you want to cover a show that is already on this list, please submit your name anyway. There are times when photographers may need to back out of a shoot due to other obligations, in which case the assignment would then go to the next requestor in line.

Calls for Photographers

Calls for photographers will be issued periodically, which could mean one of two things:

1. There is an event that is being hosted or sponsored by KDHX that we would like to have covered for publicity, member education and entertainment.

   Note - We ask that each participating photographer cover a couple of these events each year, as they are a benefit to the station in our efforts to obtain more volunteers, members and donations.

2. A band, venue or publicity firm has offered tickets and press credentials for coverage of an upcoming show. Photographers are under no obligation to cover these shows; acceptance is purely based on your personal tastes and availability.

   Note - These offers often come from P.R. firms who represent the supporting acts for these tours. In these events you will also be able to cover the headliner. As a courtesy, please make note to get sufficient coverage of the supporting act as well, since they are essentially your host for the evening.

This link will provide a snapshot of all Calls for Photographer shows that are yet unclaimed => Open Calls for Photographer

A monthly email report with this same information will be sent to all photographers on the 15th of each month.

Smartsheet

All show requests are noted and tracked by the photography editor using Smartsheet, an online project management tool.

When an event is assigned to you, a confirmation will be sent to you via email from Smartsheet. Photographers will not need to access Smartsheet directly and will be able to view reports upon demand using the links below.

Smartsheet reports

Calls for Photographer => Open Calls for Photographer - shows all upcoming and yet unclaimed photo opportunities.

Photographer Schedule Overview => Photography Schedule Overview - a listing of all upcoming shows that have been requested by volunteer photographers.

Guidelines for shooting photos

KDHX takes great pride in the photographs that we publish at KDHX.org and, while scheduling hundreds of these events each year, is selective about the photos that are chosen and used in publication.

Although photographers are encouraged to be creative and to incorporate their own style, there are a few rules of thumb to take into consideration.

1. Shoot with good, lens-removable type digital cameras. No point and shoots or cell phones.
2. Do not use heavy filtering on the photos, i.e., shrink-wrapped, antiquing, postarization, etc.
3. It is ok to change photos into black and white, crop them, perform color/light balance and corrections, etc.
4. All rules of good composition and lighting apply.
5. Avoid giving away free advertising; i.e., Starbucks cups, soda cans, etc.

Note: Musical equipment is exempt and t-shirts almost impossible to avoid, but be mindful where you can.

Venue tips

KDHX volunteer photographers shoot in all sizes of venues, from tiny clubs like the Magnolia Cafe and the Tavern of Fine Arts, up to the cavernous spaces of the Fox Theatre and the Scottrade Center. The artists and bands who are featured may be local, regional or a national act.

Some venues are very relaxed about their photo policy, while others are very strict and have many rules for photographers. Those with the strictest policies will be detailed below.

Credential confirmation

There are several venues and/or producers in town that require that all requests go through them. Those exceptions are:

- Pageant and Pagan Productions (inc. Duck Room at Blueberry Hill)

- The Sheldon

- Scottrade / Peabody

- Live Nation

- Fox Theater

- The Touhill

- New Music Circle

Requests for festivals are usually sent several months in advance and are submitted through a fill-in form on the festival website.

Confirmation response from publicists is often received within a few days. Venues often wait until a few days before the event to issue these credentials, however the Pageant may advise as late as 5 p.m. the day of the event.

As soon as confirmation is received, you will receive an email notification from the photo editor, confirming that you have been granted credentials. Please reply and advise that you have received confirmation. Also, print the email and take it to the show with you, as it may help clear up any potential miscommunications on the night of the show.

Ticketing and Credentials

If there is a box office at the venue, you can usually pick up your press pass there. Other venues will use a guest list, several guest lists as a matter of fact, so make sure that they check the appropriate one. Have your photo ID ready, as it may be required to receive your photo-pass. Any other scenarios will likely be detailed in your confirmation email.

Photo Release Forms

• If a band requires you to sign a photo release before shooting and you do not agree to its terms, then you should walk away and not go through with the shoot. Walking away is perfectly fine. You are not obligated to sign a release that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• If you do sign a release, please make sure that KDHX receives a copy. The easiest way to do this is to take a clear, well-lit photo of the release with your phone. If you receive a release prior to the day of the show, then email a copy to photography at kdhx.org.

Shooting the show

Again, rules for shooting will vary from venue to venue. Some will allow you freedom to roam and shoot at your leisure, while others may restrict you to a designated area and/or shooting just a few songs of each act or set. Please follow all rules or requests made by the venue while you are acting as a KDHX representative.

Be respectful to your fellow photographers and of the audience around you at all times. This is not just for their benefit, but also for the safety of your equipment! Try not to shoot the entire show from the same spot and give others a chance to shoot from your location. DO NOT use a flash while shooting.

Lighting

The lighting for shows at larger venues is usually very good, while smaller venues like the Firebird may have very limited lighting options; i.e., all red floods. Be prepared for the possibility of any low level lighting condition, as well as dramatic changes in the color and lighting throughout the performance.

Lens Suggestions

Lenses that are most suitable for shooting concerts include all types of lenses; from wide angle lenses to your favorite telephoto lens. If you have more than one lens, we recommend taking a couple for obtaining the best range of images.

Venue idiosyncrasies

Pageant and Pagan Productions

Assignment Confirmation - Gaining access to these shows has become very difficult. For the most part, shows that are performed at the Pageant or produced by Pagan Productions will not yield entrance. There are at times exceptions to this rule and these exceptions will be found in press releases that are distributed by Pageant/Pagan Productions. These press releases will often provide contact information associated with the artist.

The Sheldon

Assignment Confirmation - A few days prior to the concert.

Obtaining Press Passes - Usually asked to meet a Sheldon representative at a designated place and time who will escort you into the hall.

Shooting the Show - You may only shoot from the back of the hall, so take an appropriate lens with you. First three songs of each band, act or possibly set. DO NOT shoot from outside of the designated area or time-frame.

The Ready Room

Assignment Confirmation - varied as credentials are obtained from band's publicist in most cases.

Obtaining Press Passes - entrance is usually granted via a guest list.

Shooting the Show - for reasons unknown, the Ready Room at times will restrict you to shooting only the band that has provided credentials. In other words, if the credentials are obtained from the opening band you may not be allowed to shoot the headliner, and vice versa. The Photography Editor will try to find out the terms when obtaining credentials, however the policy seems to be that of the venue and not the bands or publicists.

Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Assignment Confirmation - usually within 2-3 days of the show from Live Nation.

Obtaining Press Passes - entrance is sometimes granted through the employee's gate. Live Nation advises that they do not provide tickets or +1's for their events, only press passes.

Shooting the Show - most shows limit you to shooting the first three songs of each act. The venue provides a Green Room for the press which is air conditioned, has free beer and water and also has televisions showing the concert.

Submitting photos and article

Within 48 hours of the event please deliver your photos and a short text article to the photography editor. Our goal is to publish the article the day after an event.

Photo delivery

Choose the photos you would like to submit, zip them into a compressed file and deliver the link to the photographer editor. This can be done with whatever file transfer system you prefer, the link can be provided by email.

The standard number of photos expected are at least 12, more are preferred. If there are multiple bands on the bill, attempt to deliver at least six good photos of each band. There should be more photos of the headliner than of the other acts. When in doubt, send more and leave the editing to the photography editor.

Please clearly label all of the photos with the name of the band shown in the photos, i.e., BruiserQueen01

Article text

A short text commentary of the event should be delivered along with your photos to the photography editor. The entire article should be approximately 200 words, with the first sentence mentioning the name of the headlining band, the venue name and the day that it occurred, i.e., Thursday, Friday, etc. If you can fit the name of the opener in the same line without getting too wordy, that's even better.

A typical first sentence for one of these articles would read:

"On Thursday night Pokey LaFarge and his band played to a sold out room at Off Broadway, with the Toasters opening the show."

The rest of the article should detail the name(s) of other bands and artists who participated in the event.

You should take some time to read examples written by others in the past from our archives at kdhx.org/tag/photography

Publishing

When your text and photos are received, the photography editor will go to work editing photos, editing your article and publishing. All of our photos are uploaded and housed on Flickr, linked to our photo articles and published on the front page of kdhx.org.

One of the landscape format photos from your set will be chosen as "the star" and used as the main photo for the article. When published, the dimensions will be 600 x 400 pixels. In rare instances the photography editor may need to crop your photo or try to brighten the image a bit for better display on the website. No other adjustments will be made to your photos.

As soon as the article is published, you will receive notification from the photography editor containing links for both the Flickr gallery and the KDHX.org article.

All of our articles are posted on the KDHX Twitter account, as well as on the Twitter pages of the participating bands.