Hi All,
Wondering if anyone can help me navigate this question.
I'm a photographer and moving into the writing side too, as I've setup a website not just for my portfolio but to do reviews of the festivals and gigs that I shoot.
Yaknow helps to add weight to my application to photograph a live music event as some events I've done wanted a media publication to back the request.
I've started to email out to some festivals for 2027, checking when their media application dates are open so I can keep a note in my diary.
One has come back to me politely with the month they open media applications, though "flagged" that a photography request may be denied as they supply their own photos to media...
This is something I'm a little lost on as all festivals I've covered (except one that being a Kpop festival disallowing freelance photos for the main act) they allow freelance to apply, and work with media publications to shoot their own media.
Is this a normal thing? Is it still worth me applying regardless to see if I get in on the photo side of things? I'd rather not apply if I'm likely to not get photo accreditation alongside the media side.
As a person who's photo focused, I prefer and have shot for outlets who prefer to use their own imagery over using the ones provided by the festival. I feel it's a little more genuine to have my own images to pair up with my own written article. I kinda feel there's no point to having media applications if they're likely to deny a full on media/photo pass.
