anybody have any tips or advice on how to get a photo pass for the 2011 uk dates?

timesofgrace

Junior Member
hi all. "long time listener, first time caller" ... i will be posting more details about this project in the very near future, but for the time being, i'll keep it short. i am planning on traveling to the uk from boston to follow morrissey on tour this june, and i am putting together a book (tentatively entitled "these charming fans") , featuring photos of all of your lovely faces and some interviews as well. i am not a professional photographer, journalist, or anything else; i am self-publishing this project and hoping to raise funds through kickstarter.

there's the backstory. now, the big question is : do i have any hope of getting a photo pass to be allowed to take pictures inside the venues? i understand that these passes are generally reserved for professional journalists, photographers, etc., but i am hoping beyond hope that perhaps management will have some sympathy for a die-hard fan who is hoping to capture and share the experience for the sheer love of doing so. i don't plan on making money with this book -- it would be great if i do, but it's not my main motivation.

i have tracked down the email addresses of morrissey's management, but i am a bit nervous about emailing them, as i trust that i only really have one shot to get it right, and i'm not sure how to go about phrasing my request. also, i'm not sure if this is the best channel to go through to secure these passes.. do the venues also issue their own passes (perhaps for local reporters)? Is there anybody out there who is in a position to help me with this? Any feedback or insight would be much, much, much appreciated. I am undertaking this project with or without the proper credentials, but it would be a dream come true to be able to use a proper camera inside without fear of being booted.

not looking for access to backstage or the man himself, though that would obviously be welcome and i would probably wet my pants. just want to take pictures of the crowd , from the crowd.

all the best!
marissa
 
just a note: i will be looking for a lot of collaboration and participation in the weeks and months to come. this project is not just for me, it's for all of us :)
 
Perfect! I will track him down :) thanks so much!!
 
....Back in the day, I had front row seats for an Echo and The bunnymen concert, and cheekily wrote ( No E-mail/internet then) to their management requesting a photo pass. I got one sent back to me, with a great letter from the band and manager themselves, asking if the photo's were to turn out decent, could they possibly have Copies??
So, Off I went to the gig, but, as the band came onstage, my specs were knocked off and broken in the crowd-crush, so what pics i did take were utter rubbish.....just politely explain your intentions ( like you have here....) you never know what response you may get back.....good luck!!
 
UPDATE: nothing new to report. I have emailed ryan mcginley, as well as stephen wright, and sent a tweet to simon goddard. tracked down management contact email but am hesitant to contact them directly yet as i have very little to show by way of 'proof' of my project; maybe i'll wait til the kickstarter page is up and running.

i didn't know ryan mcginley was a super-duper-uber-photog! i thought he was just a fan, like me :0 :)

still would love to hear advice and/or suggestions , if anyone has any? ... also, would love to start arranging some fan meetups before and/or after the shows; i'm sure that's being covered somewhere else, so i'll go look for the appropriate threads for that.

xo
m
 
dave.jay : that's sort of been my thinking all along...... throw myself at the mercy of the higher-ups, and hope that they oblige :) thanks for sharing your experience (i'll remember to wear my contacts to the shows!), it gave me some hope that maybe i do have a chance of pulling this off after all!! :) :)
 
hi all. "long time listener, first time caller" ... i will be posting more details about this project in the very near future, but for the time being, i'll keep it short. i am planning on traveling to the uk from boston to follow morrissey on tour this june, and i am putting together a book (tentatively entitled "these charming fans") , featuring photos of all of your lovely faces and some interviews as well. i am not a professional photographer, journalist, or anything else; i am self-publishing this project and hoping to raise funds through kickstarter.

there's the backstory. now, the big question is : do i have any hope of getting a photo pass to be allowed to take pictures inside the venues? i understand that these passes are generally reserved for professional journalists, photographers, etc., but i am hoping beyond hope that perhaps management will have some sympathy for a die-hard fan who is hoping to capture and share the experience for the sheer love of doing so. i don't plan on making money with this book -- it would be great if i do, but it's not my main motivation.

i have tracked down the email addresses of morrissey's management, but i am a bit nervous about emailing them, as i trust that i only really have one shot to get it right, and i'm not sure how to go about phrasing my request. also, i'm not sure if this is the best channel to go through to secure these passes.. do the venues also issue their own passes (perhaps for local reporters)? Is there anybody out there who is in a position to help me with this? Any feedback or insight would be much, much, much appreciated. I am undertaking this project with or without the proper credentials, but it would be a dream come true to be able to use a proper camera inside without fear of being booted.

not looking for access to backstage or the man himself, though that would obviously be welcome and i would probably wet my pants. just want to take pictures of the crowd , from the crowd.

all the best!
marissa

Hi Marissa

I run a moderately successful film blog.

I've managed to secure interviews with the likes of Boz and Alain, Adele Bethel (Sons and Daughters), Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits), Paul Heaton and various directors/actors...mainly through the miracle of facebook and direct contact!

I have also secured press accreditation for the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Leeds film festivals (all big events) but in order to get that I had to prove that I had certain readership figures, a certain number of "followers" and examples of my work.

I would imagine that unless you have a book deal, a site with examples of your work or a very, very good "in" with the tour promoters or Morrisseys camp then you will be unlucky in your quest.

My advice (for what it's worth) would be to set up a blog/site for your photography, use facebook and twitter to promote it, tell people at the gigs about it (old fashioned as it may seem business cards are a GREAT way of promoting yourself), bombard the people who make these sorts of decisions with updates on the blog/site/book and then hope that this will get you "in" for any US dates.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi Marissa

I run a moderately successful film blog.

I've managed to secure interviews with the likes of Boz and Alain, Adele Bethel (Sons and Daughters), Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits), Paul Heaton and various directors/actors...mainly through the miracle of facebook and direct contact!

I have also secured press accreditation for the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Leeds film festivals (all big events) but in order to get that I had to prove that I had certain readership figures, a certain number of "followers" and examples of my work.

I would imagine that unless you have a book deal, a site with examples of your work or a very, very good "in" with the tour promoters or Morrisseys camp then you will be unlucky in your quest.

My advice (for what it's worth) would be to set up a blog/site for your photography, use facebook and twitter to promote it, tell people at the gigs about it (old fashioned as it may seem business cards are a GREAT way of promoting yourself), bombard the people who make these sorts of decisions with updates on the blog/site/book and then hope that this will get you "in" for any US dates.

Hope this helps.

it does help, and i really appreciate you taking time to reply. :) that seems to be the consenus -- that i'm sort of out of luck without some sort of backing. i did manage to get a reply from stephen wright, and he suggested i approach some Boston newspapers/magazines about the idea of a "my morrissey trip to england" story; so far, i haven't heard back from anyone, but ... fingers crossed. it's a long shot, but i figured it doesn't hurt to ask. i'll keep trying, but as june is rapidly approaching, and i don't even have tickets for the shows, let alone travel arrangements, i'm starting to set my sights on possible future US dates.. i am going to do my best to get to the shows, with or without a camera, and i was thinking of having some cards printed up.. and i suppose i can always take pictures outside, and i can still get some good stories, i'm sure. :) thanks again for the reply!
 
this was my reply from simon goddard, btw :D
280105062.jpg
 
How did you go about finding their email address? I'm looking to do work experience with them as part of my degree (long-shot I know, but a girl can dream haha)
 
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