Credentialed Photography Policy

Anyone can bring a camera to NDK. Earning a complimentary, credentialed Press Pass requires a bit more. Just like with other Press, Photo badges have two levels: Standard or Emerging. See the general Press Policy for more details on the different levels of access, then go here to register.

What's the difference between a Standard Photojournalist and an Emerging Photographer? Among other things, an associated, up-to-date blog, published portfolio and/or active social media presence.

Please note: credentialed photographers may not solicit payment for their services from attendees during the convention. Doing so will result in an immediate Pass revocation. A credentialed Press member who has their badge revoked will not be permitted to return to NDK in the future, as Press or a general attendee.

Equipment Requirements:
(This does not refer to non-Photojournalist Press members using photography to enhance their written, audio or video coverage.)

  1. A site hosted on a domain for your photos.
    Personal Facebook profiles don't count. Facebook Pages, Flickr or other similar storage sites must not be your only web presence, an active website for your studio/press organization is still required.

  2. Professional equipment
    Point-and-shoot and/or disposable camera owners need not apply.

Post-Con Coverage Requirements:
You will be evaluated year-to-year on the following requirements. Emerging-level photographers may also be asked to check in with collected information during the convention.

  1. Photos must include individual, professionally-written captions including, at minimum:

    1. (if cosplayer) person's name or nickname, or
    2. (if location, like inner atrium) panel/location details, and
    3. (optional for Emerging Photographers) your constructive opinion on the photo subject.

    Other caption ideas: details on how the costume was made, character background information, time of day and date, surrounding atmosphere, a direct quote from the subject or person in the area…

  2. Captions must be present on at least the first depiction of the same subject in a photograph. If you take a person's photo 8 times in the same environment, such as the Cosplay Competition, you only need 1 caption for those 8 photos. However, you could go above and beyond with the ideas above and include 8 different captions if you wanted to!

  3. Photos are only valuable as coverage if they're current and relevant. We do recognize the additional time required to write captions, but please keep that in mind when uploading your work post-convention. One way to save time? Quality over quantity. Pictures must be up with the required captions to receive consideration for NDK NYE press passes.

  4. Did you sell or publish photos to media outlets? Let us know, and we'd love a copy for our records! :)

  5. Exceptions to the caption policy may be pre-approved on a case-by-case basis by the NDK Press Office, as long as additional written coverage is still presented with photographs in some form. Exceptions will depend on past history and attendance.