Email or Instagram DM?

Whichever the promoter actually uses. Small Paris promoters often run everything through Instagram; larger ones have a press address. If both exist, email is more likely to be searchable later.

Should I include my rates?

Not in a first accreditation request — you are asking for access, not pitching a job. Rates belong in a separate conversation.

What if I have no published work yet?

Link whatever you have and be honest about it. A short, coherent set from two small shows reads better than a scattered portfolio, and small rooms are where people start.

Is it worth asking the venue instead?

For a specific gig, usually not — the venue rarely controls the guest list. It is worth asking the venue who is promoting the night if you cannot work it out.

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The accreditation message that gets answered

A working accreditation request is short. Name the exact show and date, say who you shoot for, link one portfolio rather than several, and say what the promoter gets back. Put the show name in the subject line, keep it under about 150 words, and send it seven to ten days before the date.

Five sentences, sent to the right person, at the right time. Most rejected requests are not rejected — they are never read to the end.

Updated 10 August 2026·By Paul Visions

The person deciding is reading on a phone. Your message is competing with production emails, a ticketing problem and someone asking for a plus-one. Length is the enemy.

The template

Subject: Photo — [ARTIST] at [VENUE], [DATE]

Hi [NAME],

I'm a concert photographer based in Paris — recent work here: [ONE LINK].
I'd like to shoot [ARTIST] at [VENUE] on [DATE] for my own portfolio and to share.
Happy to work to whatever the pit rules are, and I'll send you the edited set within 48 hours, free to use with credit.
Is there a photo list for this one?

Thanks,
[NAME] — [SITE] — [PHONE]

Why each line is there

The subject line

Artist, venue, date. That is how the recipient's brain is already organising their week, and it means the message is findable later when they build the list. "Photo request" or "Collaboration" is unfindable and reads as a mailshot.

One link, not a portfolio tour

Send a single link to work that resembles the show you are asking about. If you are asking to shoot a techno night, do not send a wedding gallery. Nobody clicks a second link, so make the first one count.

Say what you actually want it for

Being straight about "my own portfolio" is fine and is better than implying a commission you do not have. Overstating an outlet is the fastest way to burn a contact permanently — the Paris scene is small and promoters talk to each other.

Offer something concrete

A deadline and a usage right. "Within 48 hours, free to use with credit" is a real offer with a real cost to you, and it is why a promoter says yes: they need content for the next event announcement and they need it fast. Vague enthusiasm offers nothing.

Ask one closed question

"Is there a photo list for this one?" is answerable with one word. "Let me know if that works for you and what the process is" requires them to compose a reply, so they postpone it, and postponed is the same as no.

The three mistakes

Sending it to the artist. For a specific date, the night usually belongs to the promoter. See who actually approves a photo pass.
Sending it two months out. There is nothing to add you to yet. It gets read, filed mentally, and forgotten.
Attaching files. Attachments trip spam filters and nobody opens a 12 MB PDF on a phone. One link.

The follow-up

If nothing has come back two or three days before the show, reply in the same thread — do not start a new one — with a single line:

Hi [NAME], just bumping this in case it got buried — still keen to shoot [ARTIST] on [DATE] if there's room on the photo list. Either way, no problem.

"Either way, no problem" does real work. It removes the social cost of saying no, which makes a reply more likely, and a clear no is far more useful than silence because it lets you plan the night.

Common questions

Email or Instagram DM?: Whichever the promoter actually uses. Small Paris promoters often run everything through Instagram; larger ones have a press address. If both exist, email is more likely to be searchable later.
Should I include my rates?: Not in a first accreditation request — you are asking for access, not pitching a job. Rates belong in a separate conversation.
What if I have no published work yet?: Link whatever you have and be honest about it. A short, coherent set from two small shows reads better than a scattered portfolio, and small rooms are where people start.
Is it worth asking the venue instead?: For a specific gig, usually not — the venue rarely controls the guest list. It is worth asking the venue who is promoting the night if you cannot work it out.

Liaison shows the promoter behind each Paris show and their public links, so the message goes to the right inbox.

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