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This blog post was contributed by Marc Payne. Marc is a pilot and photographer serving the Tidewater region of Virginia. You can see more of Marc's work on his website and read more great photography tips on his blog. Marc is available for on-location portrait sessions, special events, and aerial photography.

So a few months back I'm talking with my good friend Bill, and he mentions some festivals that he has lined up to photograph. I told him that I'd love to help with the events if I happen to be off work when they happen. Sure enough, I was off work for the Patriotic Festival this past weekend in Virginia Beach, VA. Earlier in the week I got a call from Bill reminding me of the event, and I managed to get home from work just in time to make a mad dash to the beach (less the sitting in Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel traffic for an hour).

David Cook

When I first met Bill through Flickr, he mentioned he worked in radio and told me a few stories of different celebrities he'd met such as Shania Twain, Jay Leno, etc. I guess I knew he had a lot of contacts due to the nature of his job, but it didn't occur to me how rewarding that would end up being for him and I as up and coming photographers.

USO Skydive Team

I knew I'd get to get relatively close to the stage and take some shots of the bands, but it never occured to me that "All-Access" meant more than just center-stage shots. Bill and I were the official photographers of the Patriotic Festival in Virginia Beach for 2009. With that came photographing the meet and greets, and access to all backstage areas.

So here's how it went: I'll just list my two-day event in a schedule-like format.

FRIDAY
-Arrive on Friday afternoon and take photos of the fans, booths, beach, etc.
-Go on the stage and photograph all the instruments, equipment, etc.
-Photograph the Zac Brown Band from right down front
-Meet the Zac Brown Band after the show, get their autographs on a CD for my brother in Afghanistan
-Photograph the Zac Brown Band signing fans memorabilia
-Get photo taken with the Zac Brown Band
-Make a dash back to the front of the stage to catch photograph the second half of the Gary Allan concert
-No meet and greet with Gary Allan was available for anyone, including photographers
-Go back to Bill's and spend 3 or 4 hours sorting photos, keeping good, trashing bad, making minor edits, etc.
-Put photos on jump drive to give to the event hosts (needed by Monday A.M.)
-Make the 1.5 hour drive back to Gloucester to be in bed by 3 A.M.

Aerial Stage Zoom

SATURDAY
-Woke up at 12
-Head back to VA Beach
-Sit in traffic in the tunnel again
-Shoot photo session of Miss United States at the nearby Cavalier hotel
-Go to event area and shoot more booths, people, etc.
-Go on the stage and photograph all the instruments, equipment, etc.
-Photograph a meet and greet with David Cook (brought the lighting equipment the second day)
-Photograph David Cook and band with small groups of fans
-Photograph David Cook and band with the Wounded Warriors who biked down from D.C. (tough lighting situation — 43 people in the shot)
-Have my photograph taken with the band — something to prove I was there (David Cook's a nice guy but I don't really know any of his music and I never really watched American Idol)
-Dart to front of stage to catch the last half of Matt Nathanson's concert and photograph it (managed to catch the songs "Laid" and "Come on Get Higher")
-Make our way up to the event coordinators 8th floor suite balcony at the Beach Quarters hotel to get some aerial shots of David Cook's concert
-Matt Nathanson was escorted straight to his hotel room after his show, so no meet and greet with him
-Ran back down to the front of the stage and literally had to fight off women to try to get any shots
-Finished photographing his performance and headed back to Bill's again
-3 or 4 hours of sorting, editing photos, etc.
-1.5 hour drive back to Gloucester to arrive in time to hit the hay at 3 A.M. again

David Cook's band with Wounded Warriors from D.C.

Aerial Concert Venue

 Let me just say WOW! What an amazing experience this was as a photographer. I actually felt like I was a somebody with all that unlimited access. If things go well and the pictures were well-taken, we anticipate being the event coordinators concert photographers for future events.

Guitars

I took just over 1,000 photos during the two day period and was able to provide him with close to 500 keepers. That's just me — not sure how many Bill ended up keeping.

I'm a big Zac Brown Band fan, so getting to hang out with them for a bit, photograph them with their fans, get a few autographs for myself and my brother — let's just say it was an incredible weekend.

Zac Brown Band Guitar

As for being a "star hound," it's definitely easy to do during your first event. I can, however, see how you'd get used to it after awhile. On the other hand, it's going to be hard to go to concerts now and just be a fan. I'm gonna want the All-Access VIP status! I thought this was going to be a cake walk but, honestly, it was pretty hard work. I was completely spent by Saturday evening. Then, to top it off, I had plans to do a photo shoot with two gorgeous women on Sunday afternoon. After getting very little rest, getting up early to help my step-dad tar paper the shed roof that he's building, wash my car, then make my way over to York River State Park, I still managed to have a great shoot with the ladies.