One of the things I was taught in the Concert Photography course at Photoshop World was to expect rejection. The worst thing they can do is say “no.” I’ve identified a few concerts that I’d like to shoot and I’m sending out notes requesting a photo pass.
However, today I decided to swing for the fences and try a long shot. A real long shot. Yesterday, I learned that Sheryl Crow will play at Universal Studios Orlando for Mardis Gras. I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.
I started looking for a contact at Universal Studios because, quite honestly, I thought that would be much easier to find than looking up for Sheryl Crow’s publicist on such short notice. Also, I hoped that I had a local angle to cover the show for a regional blog.
Finding the right spot to check for a photo pass was easy. There’s a direct link on the Universal Orlando website. Once there, they have a web form to fill out for media access along with instructions and a phone number for questions. I can only hope my other efforts start off so well.
I filled out the form and selected Freelance from a list of options, but then I realized I was missing one of the required fields. They want me to upload an image of my credentials. Hmm, I don’t really have any credentials. I don’t recall discussing that during the course, either. This sounds like a good time to call the listed number and see what happens now.
Although I expected a voice mail, I connected with a nice lady in public relations. I explained I was a freelancer interested in covering the show. She put me on hold for a moment and came back with a response that a letter from an editor for the assignment would suffice. The woman couldn’t have been more pleasant during the whole conversation. I thanked her and pondered the possibilities of writing myself a letter. After all, I’m my own editor. Small world.
In truth, this isn’t really a rejection. However, I still think my odds of making it happen are pretty long. They like two-weeks notice in advance and I only have two days. If you see photos here of Sheryl Crow in concert by this weekend, a small miracle occured. Until then, we’ll see if simple tenacity pays off.
