October 3rd, 2022. This was the day I realized that the greatest opportunities are given by those who see potential before credentials to those who are at the right place at the right time.

It’s been almost three years since this day and I remember it as if it was yesterday and every time I share my story with someone new, I get the famous question: How did you score a My Chemical Romance photopass to shoot them without absolutely no experience with concert photograhy? (Or, for that matter, without any experience in photography at all!).

Well, let’s bring it back to 2022.

I got into My Chemical Romance in the spring (according to my friend, I was about seven years late to the hype—but hey, it’s never too late to fall in love with an artist’s work! So, when I found out about their reunion tour, I knew I had to get tickets for their Seattle show.

Around the same time, I stumbled upon the world of concert photography. I was captivated by the incredible work of the photographers, and as fate would have it, I also discovered that my roommate had an old Canon Rebel XSi collecting dust on his bookshelf. That camera became my gateway into something I never imagined myself doing.

I wasn’t very familiar with the local band scene here in Vancouver and didn’t have much money to pay even for small shows—I was working as a Starbucks barista, just trying to make ends meet. Paying for shows just to practice photography wasn’t an option. So, that summer, I took my friend’s camera and experimented outdoors. I shot landscapes, beaches, urban architecture—everything Vancouver had to offer.

But it still didn’t feel right.

I wanted shows. I wanted to shoot bands. I wanted to capture the fever and euphoria of live music. More than anything, I wanted to photograph My Chemical Romance. And for that I needed a photopass.

How could I get one? I needed a media outlet.

I sent multiple emails to multiple local outlets, offering my services for free, all I wanted in return was the chance to represent them. I got nothing, but I didn’t give up. I went to my school’s paper, The Other Press. However, unfortunately, the Editor-In-Chief was transferring schools and the paper was shutting down.

I had one last shot. I knew a friend from school who owned a small real estate photography and videography business in Vancouver. Desperate, I approached him and pitched my idea. My enthusiasm must have been convincing because he gladly agreed to let me use his page as my official media outlet. His business had nothing to do with concerts, but he was willing to share my work with his followers.

Nevertheless, I was still skeptical. Why would Tacoma Dome approve a request from an outlet focused on real estate photography—especially for a concert as massive as My Chemical Romance?

Well, time was up and I had to try. It was time to make the request. I wrote, rewrote, deleted, wrote it again. It didn’t feel right, I knew my chances were slim. However, as my grandfather would say “only the ones who play have the chance to win”.

So I played.

I kept my email humble. I emphasized that this would be the opportunity of a lifetime. I mentioned that my photos would not only be published in a media outlet but would also be part of my final Marketing project for school.

Days passed. Nothing… It was worth the try.

A week before the concert, I sat on my school’s lobby with a colleague of mine when an email popped up in my inbox.

A month earlier, a representative from Tacoma Dome had actually approved my request and offered me a photo pass. But I had missed the email—it had gone straight to my spam folder.

The email I was reading now? A follow-up. If it weren’t for that second email, I would have missed one of the greatest opportunities of my life.

I still ask myself: Why me? Why did she follow up with a complete nobody? Another photographer in the pit wouldn’t have made a difference. Yet, she went out of her way to make sure I didn’t miss this opportunity. This was the first time someone in the professional world had ever reached out to me, not because of my experience, but because they saw potential.

October 3rd came, I took a deep breath in the pit, held my camera tight and turned nothing into something remarkable.

Conclusion, if you have the power, look for potential. Give that condidate a chance, despite having no experience, they might surprise you with how dedicated they’ll be. Take that further step, sending that email might mean the world for somebody else.

Give us a chance to prove you wrong.

Thank you Tacoma Dome and all the people that made this remarkable adventure possible. Thank you for seeing potential in me, when I had nothing but a camera and a promise of making history.

P.S.: Special thanks to Guilherme, the original owner of the camera. Without you, this adventure would’ve never happened. Also, I am taking good care of the camera!