ACCESS
by Lou Jones
I am often asked: What is the most important factor for producing better photographs?
There are multiple theories: talent, expensive equipment, Photoshop, “getting closer”,
but my answer is access. You can teach yourself to make better compositions or just
get lucky, but if you can’t get at what you need to photograph you have little chance to
succeed.
Permissions, press passes, permits, chutzpah can be employed in varying amounts to “be
in the right place at the right time”.
Nothing supplants actual permission. Having an assignment or knowing someone
in authority is worth its weight in gold. If a friend or acquaintance opens the door,
everything is easier. However, it is still up to you to make good. I have made phone calls
to perfect strangers to explain my mission throughout my entire career. Sometimes it is
as easy as that. But sometimes what you want is seen as an imposition. You always have
to be prepared to explain why your request will be beneficial for your subject. I tell my
assistants you have to coerce people to do what will cost them time and money but in the
end, they’ll feel the need to thank you.
“We don’t need no damn badges”
In some locations security is so tight that you have to wear a credential to get past
guards. Egotistical hangers-on will prance around wearing them like a badge of honor.
“Backstage passes” have the cachet of hierarchy. But there is no universal press pass, as
some amateur photographers seem to think.
You may need to apply for credentials well before the event and there’s the rub. Knowing
who to tap and how becomes an art form. Credentials don’t guarantee access though.
They only get you through the gate. I have had to open up my background to get security
clearances to such things as papal visits and national political conventions.
“How much will that cost me?”
Many locales have started restricting when, where and how you take pictures. Private
property requires permission most of the time. Stores, places of business, homes, malls,
factories all have the right to prevent photography. But many cities, airports, national
parks, and sporting events require permits to put down a tripod, bring in models,
impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic, etc. Sometimes there is a fee involved. Many
photographers avoid the inconvenience of applying for permits, but consider the damage
to your budget and reputation if you get caught and bad people with badges shut your
operation down.
PicsArt Monthly |9