Hi! I recently was asked by a friend's friend's wedding photographer if I would be interested in being an assistant. Communication up to this point has only been through my friend so I don't know a lot of details but I'm trying to prep what I should say.
The situation:
From what I understand he works for a wedding/videography service company and is looking for assistance on my friend's friend's wedding day. However he is also interested in me coming to assist for a different client's engagement shoot. As of now I don't know what the arrangement is (if any of this is formal, if this is potentially going to be longer than a 1-2 shoot thing, if any of this is through the company or if he just needs help on the side). The company does seem legit (yelp reviews, nice site, etc.) I just sent him a direct message and am waiting for a reply but I am not sure if I should be asking him for some form of compensation (stipend, travel costs, minimum wage, flat fee per day) since I am not experienced in any formal way.
My experience:
I do not have a formal certification in photography but I have taken a few classes but mainly I shoot for fun/side money. I have been shooting for 6-7 years and have done graduation/event photography and previously asked to do a few weddings (I've just never been confident enough to agree to it/it always interfered with my school schedule). Because this isn't my long-term goal I've been too afraid to put myself out there but I do truly love photography and since this is a chance to become more familiar with the business-side of it all I do want to give it a chance. I only own basic lighting equipment and only have book knowledge when it comes to anything more than a few hundred bucks but I do think I can catch on quickly.
Questions:
I really don't want to oversell myself but I also don't want to short sell myself. I do really know what I'm doing in a lot of ways but I'm also missing some foundational stuff. Does anyone have any experience with this either was an assistant or a photographer who has hired an assistant?
I'm not dead set on getting paid (though gas/travel coverage would be nice) but what should I be looking for as an assistant? Also it's unclear whether I will get to be a second shooter in any of these scenarios or only assisting.
