Credentials for Freelancers

I suspect this question is very naive and may subject me to ridicule,

but I am going to ask it anyway.

 

How do freelancers acquire credentials for major and semi-major

sporting events? Or is it even possible?

 

There are two upcoming racing events, a NASCAR Busch series race and

an Indy Racing League race, in Nashville later this year that I would

like to shoot. Is it possible for someone who has no affiliation with

a formal news organization to do this?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

<<Is it possible for someone who has no affiliation with a formal news organization to do this?>>

 

It may be the Busch series but it ain't bush league... so to get press credentials for the race, you're going to need an affiliation with a media outlet. Does a Nashville paper need another sports photographer for those events? Knoxville? Bristol or Johnson City (what the heck, they have their own short track to cover but might buy some peeks at how things shape up in Nashville?)

 

Be enterprising.

 

The other way is to contribute a couple of million dollars to a team, which gets you your name on the car and a spot for your $850,000 Featherlite in the infield.

 

Be well,

Jim's given you some sound advice. Another thing you could do, however, is go to the media director or press coordinator at the facility you want to shoot at, e.g., the track or ball park and tell them what you want to photograph and why, and request media access. Maybe offer a few prints in exchange for that type of access or to even pay for entry to the event. True, as Jim said, be enterprising, but also be honest. And if you get it, here's another tip: Don't abuse it. Remember that you'll likely be working around professionals so try to act accordingly, mostly by using common sense.

 

For example, last year, while covering a SF Giants game from the photographers perch in the duggout we had a "guest photographer", who, instead of shooting, couldn't seem to stop himself from trying to engage the players in irrelevant conversation. The team manager had him "thrown out" after the second inning. Just a thought. Good luck. Take care. Mark

Your question isn't naive, but intelligent. Some who deserve credentials get them, some who deserve them don't get them and some who don't deserve them get them anyway. You might want to read this thread from about a month ago on photo.net <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00AuGK"> How to approach magazines/newspapers </a> . In the thread I explain what I had to go through to get mine for Formula 1 at the Long Beach GP when it started, so I won't repeat myself now (much). If you have a strong desire you will find a way around the objections you'll encounter, but it won't ever be easy even when you've established yourself. I was booted out of the German GP one year by an FIA rep who said my ARPA credential (American Racing Press Association) was not any good in Europe, even though it was honored at every circuit, including Hockenheim, where the Germans told me to go right back in and tell her to drop-dead and if she had a problem to go to them to complain. I was scrutinized

This computer results in chopped-text if it's too long, so here's the missing comment:

 

I was scrutinized zealously at every FIA race, but squeaked through even though I was a freelancer and never represented a publication on assignment. You have to be persistent forever.

It's one of those days. The thread I was talking about is this one from Rob Galbraith's board where I explain what I went through for the LBGP:

 

<a href="http://www.robgalbraith.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=301257&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1"> Thread </a> .

You could also contact the sports editor of the Nashville newspape to see if any 'part-time' photo coverage is needed. Generally, credentials go to the working press or auto race magazine photographers...a request on letterhead of a publication is one key element.

Do you have any small newspapers in your neck of the woods? I once did freelance work for a weekly in Ohio. Through that I got into Clevleand Indians games and my crowning achievement, I was on the sidelines for the "last" Cleveland Browns game back when they moved to Baltimore. The Indians games were semi-legit as I got credentials for being on the field for the pre-game first pitch ceremony as that was directly related to the reason I was there. Instead of leaving after that, I went into the photographers box at the end of the dugout and stayed in there for 9 innings. They could have thrown me out at any time but nobody ever checked exactly what my credential allowed. I was too afraid to talk to anybody in there, but in hind sight I wished I would have.

 

News broke on the Browns moving out of town with 4 home games left. I figured it was now or never to photograph an NFL game. I called the Browns, used my newspapers name, and asked them for a pass to the four remaining games. They were going to back to me after they figured out if they could spare a pass for a lowly weekly like mine. They didn't give it to me right away but after 3 weeks of checking in with them, pleading and bugging them, they gave me a pass for the last game. Of the 4 games, that certainly was the most meaningful.

 

I then had to go to the owner of the paper and ask him if he wanted to pay me and use my pictures from that game. Pretty much a backwards flow. I would have done it for free, for my own enjoyment, but I got paid to go.

 

The sponsors of these sporting events want only professional shooters with the proper liability, worker comp insurance etc. at their events in case something happens to you so that's why you need some sort of affiliation.

 

Good luck to you.

Thanks for the reply guys. This gives me a few ideas.

Sports photography is competitive and some events only allow a small number of photographers in.

 

Formula One is one of the hardest markets to crack - my request for accreditation was denied even though I was shooting for an international magazine with a monthly readership for 500,000 (!) and we were preparing two Formula One stories for the magazine.

 

Getty has also tied a lot of markets up. They are getting direct contracts for several years duration with many sports organizers, sporting bodies and teams. They then become the key/sole supplier of images from the event. (I believe this recently happened with NHL hockey, even though the players aren't playing right now.)

 

So, overall, it isn't uncommon to occasionally feel unwelcome at sports events, either by the event organizers or by other photographers worried that you're stepping on their turf. Some of these turkeys need to understand markets a little more and recognize that you are shooting for a separate market to theirs, with no conflict or direct competition involved.