So, to say I’m relatively “new” to the concert photography world would be an understatement. To say that I am “barley getting my toes wet” would be much more accurate. I’ve photographed concerts since I was 14, but I’ve never attempted to do it in an effort to share my pictures with anyone, let alone the world at large. The last year of my life has changed all that. Recent events and decisions have propelled me forward, however, and I find myself stumbling blindly along a road I had previously only dared to hope I’d glimpse, and never really thought I’d get to touch, let alone travel on. Here I am, living my dream, and still trying to figure things out one day at a time.
Let me preface all of this with kudos to the people who have been instrumental in my progress.
You see, because of the kindness and courtesy afforded to me by the management, staff, and members of
100 Monkeys, opportunities and doors keep opening. With the help of fellow photographer,
Jodie Platz, what could have been painful experiences turned into brilliant adventures.
There are so many others, whose support, encouragement, and unfailing affection have helped me hold my head up when I want to hang it in shame. They’re my strength, they’re the ones who keep me going, who believe in me. Jill, Iris,
Hope, Angel, Kenzie, Mickey, Jennifer, and everyone else I’m neglecting to mention – thank you!
But, there are still some things that I have to do and figure out on my own. Like insurance.
I understand companies wanting to protect themselves from lawsuits. But to require a freelance, broke, unaffiliated, not-gonna-make-a-dime-off-these-photos, photographer to carry two MILLION dollars worth of insurance seems a little excessive to me.
Apparently, it’s the industry norm, though.
This weekend, I’ll be attending and shooting Mix 94.1’s Bite of Las Vegas. Performing at the show are 100 Monkeys (the real reason I’ll be there), Colbie Callait, Michelle Branch, Mat Kearny, O.A.R., Imagine Dragons, and a handful of other local artists. And I’ll be there - in the photo pit.
How?
I contacted the marketing director for CBS Radio and explained who I was and what I wanted to do. She replied with an industry-ish question that I (still) don’t know how I should have answered. So, in my ignorance, I explained that I am a freelance – “amateur” – photographer and was greeted with a few weeks of silence.
So, I tried again. Humbly, I explained that I was trying to build my portfolio; that I understood if it went against company policy to allow someone of my less-than-stellar background the same access they’re granting to professionals; that my hope was maybe they’d be willing to take a chance on an unknown photographer. She replied with an, “I’ll get back to you.”
Another week went by, bringing us to the Monday that just happened – five days before the event begins (10/11/11), and I was mentally grumbling about the unprofessionalism and lack of correspondence, having a lovely little pity party, you know? While I was doing this, in my email inbox waited an email stating that I’d been granted a photo pass, free admission to the show, access to the photo pit for the first three songs of each set, and all I had to do was sign this agreement and send it back.
So, I reveled in the news, did a little jig, and didn’t read the fine print of the agreement until the following day. It was then that I noticed the section detailing the amount of insurance I am required to carry - insurance that I have to provide the radio station with proof of prior to the Saturday morning.
Two million dollars. I mentioned that, right?
I panicked. Who the heck was going to insure me for that much? Where did I even start? Oh my goodness, this was going to cost a fortune.
So, I took to Google. Did you know there are thousands of insurance companies that will insure you for a day? I didn’t. But, I found some. The type of insurance is called Event Insurance, and apparently, it’s pretty popular – used by events, like weddings, festivals, concerts, fairs, rodeos, you know that kinda thing. I figured since I was photographing one of these said events, this was where I needed to be.
So, I attempted to get quotes from a handful of different sites, and found myself completely stumped. They wanted to know what kind of security the event would have, how many security personnel, the size of the venue, the age range of anticipated attendees, the number of anticipated attendees, who was responsible for security for this event in the past, how many and what type of lawsuits had been filed as a result of this event in previous years. Like I know ANY of that?! And then they wanted anywhere from $260-$1,160 just to insure me. For. One. Day.
I was about to go crazy.
Then I thought – I can’t be the only one who’s ever had to deal with this. If there are this many insurance companies, there have to be at least twice this many photographers who’ve had to deal with the exact same thing, right? So, I took to online forums. And that is where I found my answer, my savior.
Rather than insuring the one-day “event,” I would insure myself as a photographer for an entire year. For the same price – payable in installments over the course of a year – I can insure myself and my equipment and only spend half of the largest quote I found at the one-day-insurance places.
The company with the best reviews was Tom C. Pickard & Company, Incorporated, and I gotta say, they live up to their reputation. They’re based out of California, and the people there were the most helpful, fabulous people I think I’ve ever spoken with. I wrote down a list of questions I needed answered, requested a quote online, and was contacted within an hour. I explained to the woman who contacted me that I was brand new to all of this and completely uneducated. She walked me through every teeny tiny thing, answered every single question, gave me advice, and never once talked down to me or seemed judgmental about my ignorance.
What started out as a nightmare ended with me feeling a little more informed, a lot more prepared, and a little lighter in the pockets.
Let me leave you with this:
When I started down this road, I didn’t anticipate shelling out money just to be able to take pictures at concerts. I expected that my photography-related expenses would mostly be limited to equipment, software, travel, and lodging. Then something monumental happens and I freaked out. I looked at this expense and thought, “I can’t do this.”
I almost gave up. I almost passed up a phenomenal opportunity just because I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. This is where friendship comes in handy. Good friends don’t let you give up on your dreams just because they’re not happening the way you think they should. Good friends don’t let you quit. Good friends kick you in the butt and tell you to push through.
So here is what I learned: You can’t give up. Ever. When your dream stares you in the face and says, “Come and get me,” are you just going to stand there and stare at it? Or are you going to jump the hurdles? Crawl through the mud? Wade through the crap (literally, sometimes – thank you, Anaheim)? Fork over some of your hard earned money?
Ultimately are you willing to sacrifice to live your dream? Because it won’t come easy, and it won’t be cheap.
Nothing truly worth having or doing is ever easy, but it’s worth it.
