Sometimes being a producer is no more than knowing how to file the correct paperwork. Take for example getting a photographer permission to go to some far off location…it all starts off with getting your paperwork in order.

It has been interesting to learn this process. What once seemed daunting and obscure, now seems more of a matter of course. Need to get a photographer into Algeria, when there has been a travel warning issued? No problem. Need to get a photographer into China? No problem. Need to get a photographer into Indonesia to shoot a hotel after security has gone up everywhere in the country? No problem. Need to get someone into Saudi Arabia? Well, that’s going to take some time, but with patience, of course, no problem. I feel grateful that I now have the knowledge to truly get to visit/work just about anywhere I would want from the experience I’ve gained as a producer.

There are a few things to remember…move quickly at the beginning, don’t believe everything you read on the web, and over preparation could be the difference when something comes up last minute. With that in mind, the particulars of getting someone a work visa or a business visa come down to an invite, identification, and travel plans. Now there are times when it can be a bit more complicated, and things like objection letters, guarantee letters, equipment lists, medical examinations, and even gender can come into play, but all of these requirements can be solved with due diligence and the correct forms.

I know that this may not sound super exciting, but there is a certain satisfaction when your paperwork has been filed correctly and after chasing down the right forms and right people to send it to, you get word from the photographer that the visa has come through. Go try and get a photographer into China or Saudi Arabia with a bunch of photography equipment, and you’ll understand that satisfaction when all your paper pushing culminates into a small piece of paper stuck into the their passport. You now have one more piece of the puzzle in place…the photographer will actually be on location. Hooray!