Rodeo Rant

[icassell]

I went to the Rodeo in Prescott, AZ yesterday. This is billed as the country's oldest rodeo. I bought my ticket online (will-call pickup) and spent a bit extra for good seats hoping to get some good pix. Well, they sent me back to my car with my camera. No photography! (They told me to look on the back of my ticket and, sure enough, there was the 'no photography' statement). The explanation was 'These guys have their agents and don't want other pix circulating'. Well, I've even had my camera at major league baseball games with no problem (and those guys also certainly have agents). They told me that this is a nationwide thing this year at the rodeo ... no pro rodeo now allows cameras. If they had put the 'no photography' posting on the ticket website, I probably would have skipped the whole thing as it was an hour and a half drive from here in Phoenix.

Alot of the cameras in the audience at the rodeo were in the hands of women with large purses


Just a rant, for what it's worth ...

 

[SpeedTrap]

Well next time dress in drag and bring a large purse.

umm, wait, that may cause a whole other set of problems at a rodeo.

 

[icassell]

Well next time dress in drag and bring a large purse.

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

 

[Joves]

Sounds about right. I think Williams had one too and I bet you could have shot that one.

 

[bhop]

Most sporting events that I've gone to don't allow "professional cameras", but still allow point and shoots. Maybe that's the case with the rodeo? Or is it no cameras at all? If so, you could always get a compact superzoom.. or create a rodeo fansite and apply for media passes.

 

[icassell]

Most sporting events that I've gone to don't allow "professional cameras", but still allow point and shoots. Maybe that's the case with the rodeo? Or is it no cameras at all? If so, you could always get a compact superzoom.. or create a rodeo fansite and apply for media passes.

Well, the ticket says 'no photography', but there were clearly many p&s cameras and camera phones around the place. The dSLR's were in the women's pocketbooks. It's not the same, though ... I really wanted to bring my long lens ...

The media pass is a good idea ... I wonder how hard those are to obtain.

I brought my 100-300mm f4 (a relatively large optic) into Chase Field (AZ Diamondbacks) with no questions asked whatsoever.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Bummer, thought this thread was about Beverly Hills.

No Photography = Crap Cameras Only!

 

[bhop]

The media pass is a good idea ... I wonder how hard those are to obtain.

I don't know if the rodeo industry is anything like the motorsport industry, but I shoot for a Honda website called wiredonhonda.com You can take a look at the site to see what type of site it is, mostly just a discussion forum, galleries and event news. The owner gets media passes pretty easily, just contact the event promoters in advance and they usually send you confirmation and instructions within a week or two, i assume after they've checked to see if you're legit. Another bonus with the media pass other than being able to bring in all the photo gear you want is you usually can go just about anywhere in the venues.

It's worth a try if you can swing some type of gallery site or something.. the worst than can happen is they'll say no.

here's another example, I see this guy at all the events, and his site appears to be all galleries "for fans" http://www.driftfotos.com/

 

[Jeff Canes]

Was it a pubic owned or financed facility? Did they let people bring in backpacks? Must not have been doing bags check if women where hiding DSLR in their purse?

 

[icassell]

Bummer, thought this thread was about Beverly Hills.

No Photography = Crap Cameras Only!

LOL .... visualizing a bunch of actors wrestling bulls and riding broncos ...

 

[icassell]

The media pass is a good idea ... I wonder how hard those are to obtain.

I don't know if the rodeo industry is anything like the motorsport industry, but I shoot for a Honda website called wiredonhonda.com You can take a look at the site to see what type of site it is, mostly just a discussion forum, galleries and event news. The owner gets media passes pretty easily, just contact the event promoters in advance and they usually send you confirmation and instructions within a week or two, i assume after they've checked to see if you're legit. Another bonus with the media pass other than being able to bring in all the photo gear you want is you usually can go just about anywhere in the venues.

It's worth a try if you can swing some type of gallery site or something.. the worst than can happen is they'll say no.

here's another example, I see this guy at all the events, and his site appears to be all galleries "for fans" driftfotos.com

Thanks for the tip ... will try this next time ...

 

[icassell]

Was it a pubic owned or financed facility? Did they let people bring in backpacks? Must not have been doing bags check if women where hiding DSLR in their purse?

It's public. They weren't checking too thoroughly. They asked what was in the pack (I have a small lowepro slingpack) and, thinking they were concerned about alcoholic beverages, I told them: 'my camera'. Frankly, it didn't even occur to me that would be a problem.

 

[PhotoXopher]

Most venues have their camera policies online, I checked ours and it's typically concerts that don't allow 'cameras with removable lenses'. For the most part, sporting events aren't an issue around here it seems.

 

[henkelphoto]

Ian,

I was at the Saturday evening event and there was a guy in front of me with a Nikon D60 shooting away. Guess they didn't check his gear.

Jerry

FWIW, media passes to rodeo can be very hard to come by. Depends on the rodeo. Here in Las Vegas, you have to be an accredited member of the press to get a pass. Of course, that's PBR and NFR events.

 

[icassell]

Ian,

I was at the Saturday evening event and there was a guy in front of me with a Nikon D60 shooting away. Guess they didn't check his gear.

Jerry

FWIW, media passes to rodeo can be very hard to come by. Depends on the rodeo. Here in Las Vegas, you have to be an accredited member of the press to get a pass. Of course, that's PBR and NFR events.

I just sent an e-mail of complaint and I'll let folks know if they respond. That was one of my issues ... they didn't check too thoroughly and there were several dSLR's in the crowd (as I said, mostly belonging to folks with big purses). Nobody was walking through the crowd telling folks to put the cameras away. I was honest and was, therefore, at a disadvantage.