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Outdoor Music Festival Etiquette


thockenb

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<p>My job involves traveling away from home for 1-2 weeks at a time, and I do get time off while I am gone to get out and take photos occasionally, so I usually carry my camera equipment along with me, including canon L-series lenses. Last weekend I was staying with my cousin between assignments, and his local community service group was putting on a huge outdoor music festival. I went along with him, paid my own $160 premium admission for the weekend as a donation, and walked around happily shooting photos of the performers warming up and the many volunteers. I saw the professional photographer who had donated her time to take photos for the service organization (with the caveat that she could sell them apparently), but I was literally never within 30 feet of her as it was a huge outdoor venue and I was shooting with a 100-400 mm lens to stay far out of the way of everyone. After a short time she approached me and asked who I was shooting for. I explained I was just taking photos for myself as I had nothing else to do since my family members had volunteer duties and I enjoy photography. I assured her I was not a professional, and was just taking photos for myself, and who my cousin was. She eyed my large L-series lens and looked unconvinced. (I did not have a tripod or monopod) About an hour later, one of the people running the festival approached me and asked that I put my camera away as she was donating her time and had been promised exclusivity. I did not want to make waves so I did not argue and put my camera away before the festival even started, so I got no photos of the performers during their sets and I only got a few photos of my family while they were volunteering. I felt embarrassed, like I had done something wrong. I saw lots of people with cameras and kit lenses snapping photos all during the festival, and no one said anything to any of them. Incidentally, the festival ended at 10 pm and I stayed with the volunteers until 3:30 am helping clean and break down the enormous sound system. It was an awesome festival, but I love photographing events like this and I feel like I really missed out. Was I wrong? Please be honest and tell me if I was.</p>
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<p>It's always best to ask about the photo policy before shooting at music events that are not on city streets. If there is a photo pit (barricaded area between the crowd and the stage,) they are less likely to bother people in the crowd. Some events lay out the rules in advance and others don't, but asking always works. When there are people with exclusive rights, they can usually tell the promoter/organizer that they don't want someone specific shooting and have that person shut down. It's just the way it works.</p>
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<p> I can appreciate your situation and you did right in your decision.<br>

When I go to something like that, I carry my "pocket" camera and no one notices.<br>

It is 12 megapixels and with some post production work, I get useable results.</p>

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<p>Good idea, Willis. Guess I'll do the same. It's just a shame to have great lenses and camera and not to be able to use them to capture memories. I understand the pros don't want me in their way, and I understand they don't want me selling or publishing my photos, neither of which was my intention. Unfortunately, I have no way to prove that to them. Ironically, I'm a doctor, and the professional photographer cut her leg quite badly while back stage, and they were looking for me to come take care of her. She went to the hospital by ambulance before I knew anything about it. When I found out about it later, while I was helping take down the sound equipment, I must admit the word that came to mind was "Karma." Maybe that was petty of me, but it was the way I felt at the time. By the way, after seeing how much work that enormous sound system was to take down, I'll cross "roadie" off my list of possible careers if I ever leave medicine! Those guys work hard!</p>
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<p>Don't feel bad Tim. It's the pro trying to protect her bread. In that situation simply walk away as they have the right to make any kind of rule and the reason although not stated was to protect the photographer income. She isn't afraid of those with P&S would hurt her sales (although this could happen) but afraid of you and that's all. </p>
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It still is kind of funny how we get humbled or intimidated by the large white lens. Or in your case produces a competitive stance by another shooter.... More so with a tripod by golly. A couple sea stories. When I lived in Arlington County near D.C. I took my young family to the Lincoln Memorial. As soon as I placed my old Tiltall clone tripod on the deck the crowd thinned out in respect of my tripod seriousness. That was then of course. ...way back then...

 

Another anecdote. For a while I was a neighborhood watch volunteer locking up the toilets in our local park. Kids were spray painting them regularly with f bombs. One day I decided to photograph from a distance with my Zuiko 75-300 mm and teleconverter. A real bazooka combo...And the juveniles scattered at once. Neither here nor there, but a recollection of the long lens effect if you will..

 

 

 

Etiquette at these events has to be flexible enough to deal with some unexpected stuff as you discovered and we now appreciate as well.... I will remember this story as I use my little micro four thirds with the zoom lens and be grateful it is not intimidating. I will also wear a baseball cap backwards and a Grateful Dead T- Shirt,no just kidding... If I dated this little square 126 frame photo the whole world will know that I am just another geriatric photographer. Yet still chirping away, Doc.<div>00dUus-558504384.jpg.c61978d1f73cd3358bae5913d440f017.jpg</div>

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I guess if the venue had an explicit rules regarding (a) taking photos intended for sale (which you were not), or (b) using "professional" equipment (which your 100-400L would likely fall into that definition), or © restrictions on all photography (which was clearly not enforced if there were such restriction), and you were restricted solely due to the pro photographer's suspicion that you may violate rule (a), I would think you have the right to be upset by this incident. Given the number of non professional photographers today who own and carry very professional looking equipment, I think you were unfairly singled out. Perhaps next time you should stick with consumer grade equipment and try to look like you barely know how to use it.

 

A few years ago I was restricted from bring in my highly "professional" looking Olympus E-PL2 and tiny consumer grade zoom to a concert at Bethel Woods NY while folks right next to me where happily shooting with their superzoom compacts which all had far greater reach than my 40-150mm zoom.

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<p>This is a typical restriction for people without a media pass, this one is from Outside Lands in San Francisco:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Professional still camera equipment with a detachable lens longer than 2 inches, tripods, big zooms, or commercial use rigs</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>That's fairly clear, pretty much any dSLR lens that would be useful meets this description of prohibited equipment.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I think you were unfairly singled out</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

No, he was the person that happened to get singled out. This isn't unusual, it's also true with police enforcement. </p>

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As per the OP, the reason why he was asked to put away his camera:

 

"one of the people running the festival approached me and asked that I put my camera away as she was donating her time and had been promised exclusivity"

 

So the reason provided by venue was not related to professional equipment or a general prohibition on photography, but (as I described above), just because of the pro photographer's suspicion that the OP may try to sell some photos of the event. Perhaps the venue also had a restriction on professional equipment, but that is not what was told to the OP, and as such, I too would have been embarrassed and upset if that had happened to me in that way.

 

Don't know if he was singled out, but perhaps the "pro" photographer would have been less intimidated by a black 70-300mm.

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