Help with Wedding Photagrapher connection

I am interested in getting involved with Wedding photography, and was hoping

that someone might direct me to an established Wedding Photographer in the

Chicago area that would be interested in taking me under their wing so to speak

and showing me the "Business" side of the venue. I do have my own film and

digital equipment and live in the city of Chicago. I am very serious about this

endeavor, and do not want to be limited to just an "Assistant". I do understand

the concept of learning from the ground up, and am willing to do so. My hope is

that there is an established photographer out there that is in need of someone

like me, and we can mutually help each other? Without getting into too much

personal info here, I do have a regular job, and I would be willing to meet

with a prospective photographer for personal details about myself, and

availability. My ultimate goal is to learn the business from the ground up, as

long as that may take, and eventually break out into my own small business or

combine with another person(s). My email is: JTurbyvill@aol.com

 

Thanks for any help/contacts you can give me!

well, i'd say that you're going to need to decide what you want between "...do not want to be limited to just an "Assistant"" and "I do understand the concept of learning from the ground up, and am willing to do so." An assistant is someone who is learning from the ground up. It sounds to me like what you want is to be a "second" - assist in the ceremony and formals with setup and such, and during the reception you grab your own rig and cover some of the candids. I would suggest just looking for photogs in your area that you like via the web and such, and contact the ones you like to see if they want a second. just call them up... if they need the help, they'll talk to you.