I noticed on Robert's excellent Mini shots that he had a Media Pass and a couple of comments in the vein of "Lucky You". Well, luck generally doesn't have a lot to do with it, so here are my thoughts on the subject:
1. The most obvious, be accredited. If you are going to a sports event and you are accredited to a National, or International publication, or TV station, an advanced request on their headed notepaper is generally a guarantee of success. Similarly, if you are going to a fashion event and Vogue requests a media pass in your name, again no problem.
2. You know someone. If a friend or relative runs the Press office at the event, or has some "pull" with the Press office, you can often be added to the Media Pass list.
3. The most hard work, but doable. Bear in mind the old adage "if you don't ask, you don't get". Let us assume motor racing, but it works in other genre's as well. If you ask for the UK F1, you will get turned down. First, it's a nightmare for the press office, dealing with 100's of accredited Togs, TV etc. So start realistic. For your local track that you can get to often, from the program pick an event that is likely not to be too well attended by the public and even less so by the press. Get some headed notepaper, by Photoshop if need be, and write requesting a media pass 4 - 6 weeks before the event. They won't have heard of you before and being bombarded with requests from hundreds of other amateurs, you will probably get the standard regret letter, or nothing.
So, you need to steer things in your favour and a little research always helps. Find out who the Press Officer is and address your letter directly to them. Also, find out the Press Officer from a track at the other end of the country. Now you need to craft a very nice begging letter on your professional headed paper and the following is guide to what I have used in the past:
Dear (Jenny)
May I please request the normal Media privileges for (insert low key event) on (date).
I have recently relocated to Kent from Scotland and Margaret from the Press Office at Knockhill suggested I contact you and she mentioned that you would look after me very well if I mentioned her name.
Kind regards
John Smith
Because it's a "Mickey Mouse" event you are likely to get away with it, but you need to be the part. Walk in with just a bridge camera and you are suddenly not on the list. You need a semi pro, or pro body, with a big lens and preferably another body with a medium lens. Borrow or hire if you need to. Now on the day, get there early, go to the press office, ask for Jenny, or whatever her name is, introduce yourself as John Smith from J S Sports Photography. Smile and be confident, as if you do this all the time. Pay your returnable deposit £10, or £20, whatever the going rate is for your media pass and tabard and as you say thank you, take the box of Ferrero Rocher to enforce your thank you. Now, the point of the choccies is to be remembered kindly for the next time. A lot of pro sports togs are on tight time schedules, stressed, often grumpy and treat the press office girls as the hired help, so if you are patient, smiley and bring chocolate, human nature being what it is, you will probably be remembered kindly.
Bear in mind that the press office also has a day job, which is generally marketing and they need images for their upcoming programs, so a thank you email with some of your best images attached won't do you any harm.
Keep doing this for a while and when you can walk into the press office and the girls greet you by name, you can start upping your game to the more prestige events. I am not saying you will get the F1 event, but you never know ....... how good is your smile?
1. The most obvious, be accredited. If you are going to a sports event and you are accredited to a National, or International publication, or TV station, an advanced request on their headed notepaper is generally a guarantee of success. Similarly, if you are going to a fashion event and Vogue requests a media pass in your name, again no problem.
2. You know someone. If a friend or relative runs the Press office at the event, or has some "pull" with the Press office, you can often be added to the Media Pass list.
3. The most hard work, but doable. Bear in mind the old adage "if you don't ask, you don't get". Let us assume motor racing, but it works in other genre's as well. If you ask for the UK F1, you will get turned down. First, it's a nightmare for the press office, dealing with 100's of accredited Togs, TV etc. So start realistic. For your local track that you can get to often, from the program pick an event that is likely not to be too well attended by the public and even less so by the press. Get some headed notepaper, by Photoshop if need be, and write requesting a media pass 4 - 6 weeks before the event. They won't have heard of you before and being bombarded with requests from hundreds of other amateurs, you will probably get the standard regret letter, or nothing.
So, you need to steer things in your favour and a little research always helps. Find out who the Press Officer is and address your letter directly to them. Also, find out the Press Officer from a track at the other end of the country. Now you need to craft a very nice begging letter on your professional headed paper and the following is guide to what I have used in the past:
Dear (Jenny)
May I please request the normal Media privileges for (insert low key event) on (date).
I have recently relocated to Kent from Scotland and Margaret from the Press Office at Knockhill suggested I contact you and she mentioned that you would look after me very well if I mentioned her name.
Kind regards
John Smith
Because it's a "Mickey Mouse" event you are likely to get away with it, but you need to be the part. Walk in with just a bridge camera and you are suddenly not on the list. You need a semi pro, or pro body, with a big lens and preferably another body with a medium lens. Borrow or hire if you need to. Now on the day, get there early, go to the press office, ask for Jenny, or whatever her name is, introduce yourself as John Smith from J S Sports Photography. Smile and be confident, as if you do this all the time. Pay your returnable deposit £10, or £20, whatever the going rate is for your media pass and tabard and as you say thank you, take the box of Ferrero Rocher to enforce your thank you. Now, the point of the choccies is to be remembered kindly for the next time. A lot of pro sports togs are on tight time schedules, stressed, often grumpy and treat the press office girls as the hired help, so if you are patient, smiley and bring chocolate, human nature being what it is, you will probably be remembered kindly.
Bear in mind that the press office also has a day job, which is generally marketing and they need images for their upcoming programs, so a thank you email with some of your best images attached won't do you any harm.
Keep doing this for a while and when you can walk into the press office and the girls greet you by name, you can start upping your game to the more prestige events. I am not saying you will get the F1 event, but you never know ....... how good is your smile?
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