tourmomsays:

So you want to be a tour photographer. Cool. Now, how many of you know the facts of what the entails?
Highly unlikely that many of you do, so that’s what this brutally honest blog is for.

1. Your job is a band luxury- No band honestly needs a tour photographer or videographer. This means the chances of you getting paid what you’re worth are hovering around 0%. Unless you work for someone like 30 Seconds to Mars, or some other band fronted by a cinematic wunderkind who appreciates the value of good videography and photos, you’re screwed.
Your job is to convince some band that you are worth them not making that extra money every week that’s going into your pocket. You are worth having around as an asset on tour to bridge the gap between them and their rabid fans. You are worth more than their random friend with a Rebel that shoots video. If you can do this, please let me in on your secrets, because I’m honestly still trying to solve this puzzle half the time.
2. Even if you’re not getting paid, you’re expected to WORK (HEY BANDS, READ THIS ONE!)- This is the most frustrating and common scenario of it all. A band asks you to come on tour. They can’t pay you anything, and you have to buy your own food. Still, you agree because you have to get your foot in the door somehow, and it seems like a good time. You take lots of cool photos, shoot some great videos, and then the tour comes to an end and you get the following emails from the band, the label, the management…

“Hey, can you send us some photos/videos for AP/Fuse/MTV?”
“Hey we need footage for this video we’re paying someone else to edit, we need everything you have from tour.”
“Hey we brought you on tour the least you can do as a thank you is give us the rights to your work so we can use it for this poster.”


Somewhere along the way getting a free ride around the country crammed in the back of a smelly van became a luxury cruise, and you’re expected to forfeit any chance you have to making a few bucks off of the experience to the band, their label, and their management. The label will tempt you with things along the line of, “Well if we like this stuff, we might want to send you out on tour in the future.” I’m still waiting on a grocery list of promises from one certain label to come true. Nothing yet. NEVER, EVER, sign away your rights to a photo, or video without compensation. I’ve made that mistake, and I’m sure warning you guys who want my job to not make that mistake won’t work. But a label will only value you as much as they value your work, and if you give over some stuff for free out of good will, you’ll spend the next two years fighting an uphill battle to make a living.

3. You’re only as valuable as your second best skill- Learn how to tune and de-tune a guitar. Seriously. If you can double as a tech, you’re going to still have a job when the merch sales aren’t as strong, and the band has to cut back on crew. Like I said early, you’re a luxury, not a necessity.

4. You most likely, will not become rich.- Those days are over. I consider any photographer who can break even a huge success. So if you’re thinking that the glamorous life of the tour photographer is your road to financial stability and freedom, you are incredibly, horribly, totally misguided.
Here’s what you see. Your average tour photographer, flitting around between tours, blogging, editing, going for long hikes, posting all these photos on tumblr that end up with thousands of notes and reblogs. What you don’t see are our rent costs, equipment breaking down, hours upon hours of editing, and photos being posted to tumblr, because no one wants to buy them. I’m personally hiking so much because I have nothing else to do other than tear my hair out every time I see some upstart get hired on a tour I wanted, because they would work for free!
I do not know of a single photographer who makes a living off of selling their live photos. The ones that did lived in an era of film, and untouchable rockstars. Why the hell would anyone pay money for a photograph of a singer they could likely find after a show and meet personally? Times they are a changing, and making a living with a camera is becoming harder and harder.

5. Tumblr famous does not pay the rent- Do you really want to be a professional, or do you just want 4,000 followers on tumblr? There is a huge difference that’s becoming lost on a lot of people. There’s a huge abyss between being well known and being successful. I’d gladly trade in my tumblr and twitter followers for better shoots with steady paychecks!

Now for the harshest reality… and drum roll please…

6. Maybe you’re just not that good at photography.- Harsh reality, but the honest to god truth. If you’re wondering why people aren’t blown away by your work, maybe you’re not good. *GASP!* We’re part of the millennial generation. Kids who were raised our entire lives being told, “You can be anything you want. You’re perfect. You can’t fail!” Well honestly, you can’t be anything you want. I can’t be a guitar hero, because I’ve tried, and failed horribly at learning to play guitar. I’m not perfect. Nobody is! Anyone who tells you you’re perfect is a jackass. But those people aren’t perfect either. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being imperfect! It’s what makes people all interesting. Why the hell would you want to be friends with someone perfect? They’d be so annoying, never screwing up, always being right, always winning every debate. Ugh. So yes. Sorry to break it to everyone, but you’re not perfect, you never will be, and that’s okay. Is the world still here? It didn’t end? Ok. Moving on…
Maybe you don’t have an eye for photography. I know tons of people who suck at photography! They’re great at other things, so it’s okay! If you say, “Aw gee, I’m not good at anything, ho hum, woe is me.” Get a grip. You just haven’t figured out your life yet. While we’re at it, if you’re reading this and that ho hum kid is you, GET THE FUCK OFF THE INTERNET AND GO INTERACT WITH HUMAN BEINGS!
That’s the major problem I see with a lot of people who I meet on tumblr. You’re 17 years old and you’ve already nailed down your goal in life. “Jennie May. 17. Future Rock Photographer and Tour Manager. xoxo”… What? When I was 18 I wanted to be a horse trainer. Then I wanted to be a graphic designer. Then I wanted to make movies. THEN I figured out I’m not great at any of those other things and found out I was pretty decent at taking pictures. Bingo! Life goal figured out… and I was 22 years old. Five years older than most of you making these claims of your future aspirations. You haven’t even lived yet! How do you know what you want to do? Go be a kid! Go study abroad! Go to college! Learn how a camera works outside of the glitz and bullshit of the music industry, THEN decide if you like taking pictures and want to try to make a living off of it. You’ll be surprised what you might learn you want to really do with your life.
Now then. That wasn’t so bad was it? If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to shoot some senior portraits. Because that actually pays well. Megan

 so true for most people who think they’re ‘great’ photographers 
especially those who take concert pictures with the flash on x_x