College football photography

[ryrhoades]

Does anybody know, or have any thoughts as to how I could get a field pass to shoot at a 1A college football game? Ive got experience just none in this category but would love to. Might be a dumb question, but either way, id like to know. Thanks!

 

[ronlane]

Not familiar with 1A college football. Your best bet would be to contact the SID (Sports Information Department) and ask them about credentials. Most that I've ran into want the media that you are shooting for to request the credentials. I have found one here in OK that allows hobbyist access on a limited first come basis.

I will be shooting there on Saturday afternoon and plan on trying to talk with the SID and thanking them for the opportunity.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Gary A.]

If you don't know anybody on the inside ... it most likely ain't gonna happen. (At least in the market I know which is Los Angeles.) Most colleges will have a Sports Information Officer/Director who is responsible for media passes. That is the person you may ultimately have to convince in order to obtain a media field pass.

If you truly want to shoot a game(s) ... I think your best bet may be to find a player in a local 1A school who attended a local, small town high school. Contact the small town's newspaper and cut a deal with them that you will shoot the local star for a media pass for the college the small town star is playing. The odds are good that the college will honor the request from the small town paper for a one-time media pass that will get you onto the field. On the flip side of the coin, if you contacted the SIO/SID, they may just say yes. (Stranger things have happened.)

 

[vintagesnaps]

At the Division 1 university near me there are different staff in the SID's (Sports Information Director) office that handle the various sports. Things have gotten stricter in recent years in my area with teams protecting their name, logo, images, etc. There are also NCAA guidelines/restrictions for photo usage but I'm not up on the latest.

Many newspapers have been cutting staff, they may contract assignments out, so it seems to depend on what it's like in your area (just starting to see it happen here although has already been happening in local radio).

Not sure about college level but in my experience in minor pro there's likely to be a requirement for anyone getting credentials to sign a waiver not holding the team's organization liable in case of injury etc.