Here are some questions someone asked me last week that I thought some of the rest of you might also be interested in:
How did you become a concert photographer?
When I started having a sparked interest in concert photography, it definitely came unexpected. I was still just a young kid (too young to really start thinking about my future) about nine or ten years ago, going to shows and street-teaming for record labels. I was living in Missouri at the time, and Neptune Crush (a local St. Louis band) and Kill Hannah were always playing shows together at this tiny little club. Neptune Crush always had some of the coolest light setups, and every time they played with KH there, they’d let them use them, as well.
I remember at one of the shows, I brought a dinky little point-and-shoot camera with me to take pictures just to have for my memories. A good chunk of them I had accidentally taken without the flash… but ended up mistakenly taken them at just the right moment to capture some pretty rad images with the perfect lighting. One shot in particular was such a beautiful image that I decided I wanted to try [...]

One of my band buddies hit me up today, informing me that they are looking for a merch girl for their local shows and upcoming tours. He asked for my advice on what questions he should ask possible candidates to make sure they were truly fit for the road. This also lead into conversation on what merch girls need to know (other than the basic “Don’t fuck around” write-up I left in Martin Atkins’ Tour:Smart book a couple years ago).
My first bit of advice to my friend was that he ask these girls if they’ve even toured before, and if they have, with who and what, exactly, they were doing on the tour… because, well, it’s been my experience that a lot of girls have different ideas on what “touring” is and what it entitles. For example, a few years ago, I spent a week on Warped Tour helping out Warner Bros. Records. We were sharing half of the bus with a band and a wreckless tour manager who didn’t really know what he was doing and just wanted to party all the time. He ended up having the bus pick up these girls… and perhaps they were a part [...]

I’m an aspiring photographer. A concert photographer to be exact. I just want to be around live music all the time. The thing is, I don’t know where to start with that. I’m already a communication arts student in college and have taken some photography classes in my curriculum. I know I won’t get in shows to take pictures because I don’t have a press pass. I can’t get a press pass because I have no experience or credentials whatsoever….
I want to know how you got into shows, did you build your portfolio first? stuff like that.
I personally didn’t exactly start off the traditional way. As you can read in other entries and websites, I originally started off in the music business with street teaming/marketing. While networking and building up my contacts, by the time I got into photography, I had musicians and publicists willing to help me out in that field to practice since I had previously helped them out with other work in the past.
However, my advice is to start off with your local clubs. Talk to the club owner to see if they need a club photographer, perhaps even in trade for helping them pass out flyers [...]

Someone had asked me a series of questions for one of her class projects, and since I usually get asked these questions anyway, I figured I would repost here:
1. How did you break into working in the music industry?
I started off with basic street and online teaming– the ones that marketing companies and record labels would have available for any kid to sign up for. Sometimes some of the bands I would see would give me bundles of marketing materials to pass around.
With a couple of the labels I was street teaming for, after a while of working hard, they chose me to be their main rep for the area. When they would send me to shows, I would make sure that not only did I do my job, but I would make sure I introduced myself, who I was working for, etc.– networking.
That is what originally opened up all these different doorways to a variety of options in the music business.
2. What kinds of opportunities do you get as a photographer?
As a (mostly) concert photographer, sometimes I get to shoot and work with a lot of my favorite musicians.
I usually get completely taken care of for shows: free entry [...]

I get asked this question a lot… and since someone recently stumbled upon this blog searching for “what camera does sarah dope use” (ah, how I love my admin panel stats…)… I figured it’s time to answer it here.
When it comes to my photography work, in the past, I have hopped back and forth between a Nikon F (35mm film) and a Nikon 5700 (digital). Every now and then I will still use those, but mainly I currently shoot with my Nikon d70 (digital SLR).

Let’s see if I can keep up with these this time ’round..
[taken from thefridayfive.livejournal.com]
Ear Worms!
Ear worms are those annoying little songs that get stuck in your head. Sometimes they are the last song you hear on the radio before you go into the office, sometimes they just randomly pop in.
1. What is a common ear worm that you get?
2. How long do they last?
3. What do you do to get rid of them?
4. What is the worse ear worm you’ve ever had?
5. Do you get some guilty pleasure in passing the ear worm along?
1. What is a common ear worm that you get?
Lately, it’s been T.I.’s “Whatever You Like.”
2. How long do they last?
It hasn’t really left at all in the past three weeks. HELP.
3. What do you do to get rid of them?
I haven’t yet…
4. What is the worse ear worm you’ve ever had?
I guess the worst one I’ve had lately has been Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.” If there’s something worse than getting a song you like stuck in your head for weeks… it’s getting a song you don’t like at all stuck in your [...]

Probably one of the… silliest… most annoying question I’ve ever been asked (that, unfortunately, gets asked all the freakin’ time):
“Is your last name really Dope?”
If you couldn’t already figure out the answer of that from the intro of my post…. the answer is N-O.
Oh, and while I’m on the topic, no, it doesn’t mean I’m a drug dealer, either.
Allow me to introduce you to some good friends of mine: www.dopearmy.com

I figured I’d get another FAQ out of the way before I try to get some sleep for the night:
Do you actually like the music of the bands you are friends with, or are you just supporting them because they are your friends?
That, of course, depends on what the artist puts out. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t like my friends’ music just because I am friends with them… After all, if I was that shallow and easy, what kind of friend would that really make me?
Someone once asked me what was the deciding factor… and with me, it’s a a lot of things… and often, different for each artist I like, really.
Some of the bands I just so happen to be friends with, I’m in love with everything about their music– each instrument, each lyric, and each performance. Sometimes, I’m just a fan of the instrumental, not necessarily the vocals. Sometimes I like a lot of guitar, and fast… and sometimes, I dig something much more mellow… something I can kick back and relax to. Sometimes I like angry music, and sometimes I like happy-go-lucky “everything’s perfect” type of music. Sometimes I like meaningful lyrics, and sometimes, I just [...]

Okay, so I realized that for some reason, my post about this the other day has mysteriously disappeared. I’ll try to remember what was asked and what all I said…
Who does your MySpace layouts?
Me, myself, and I.
Which trade of choice do you prefer?
Graphic design and photography are usually my top priorities above everything else I do.
Where can I find a copy of Tour:Smart?
You can find the book in any Barnes & Noble store, usually in the Music/Music Business section. If for some reason your local one does not carry a copy, you can order it online:

AEBMedia – http://aebmedia.com/books/toursmart/toursmart.shtml
Order from Amazon.com here
Barnes & Noble’s website
Cakewalk – http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/Toursmart/contributors.asp
Invisible Records – http://www.invisiblerecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

Not counting the few years of learning and practicing in the field, I’d say, professionally, about four to five good years now.