Do Your Assistants Shoot?

[vlad khavin]

<p>This is a question that I brought up in a different thread, but I think it

deserves a thread of its own.</p>

 

<p>The direction to seek a position as a professional photographer's assistant

is a common response to questions from newbies like I am. As I mentioned in

previous posts, I took this advice and am thankful for it. But since I have

only assisted one professional photographer that was willing to take a chance on

a newbie and give me a shot, I don't know how it is in the rest of the wedding

photography world. Most recently, a person who posted something on a different

site was criticized heavily for their approach in trying to build their

portfolio, and was told, among other things, that they should seek to become

someone's assistant to build their portfolio. So here's a few quick questions

for you seasoned pros:</p>

 

<hr>

<ol>

<li>Do you use an assistant?</li>

 

<li>Do you permit / require your assistant to shoot at events?</li>

 

<li>If your assistant does some of the shooting, are they permitted to use the

images that they shoot for their portfolio?</li>

 

<li>If you need an assistant, or would be open to taking on an assistant, how

would the average person looking for such a position know to contact you? Or

rather... do you post that somewhere or put an ad for it somewhere?</li>

</ol>

<hr>

 

<p>I think the answers to these questions, while they are really simple, will

help quite a few of us newbies, so the answers to them would be much

appreciated.</p>

[vlad khavin]

<p>For what it's worth, I can supply a few of the answers about my current position.</p>

 

<ol>

<li>Yes, the gentleman I work with uses an assistant.</li>

<li>Yes, he permits me to shoot.</li>

<li>Yes, I am permitted to use the shots I take in my portfolio in print, though I am not allowed to post them anywhere on the web.</li>

<li>I found an advertisement on craigslist.</li>

</ol>

[annealmasy]

Our assistants do not shoot. On occasion, I'll take a bathroom break and let my assistant

take a few shots for fun. But as a rule, they don't shoot. They assist.

 

The main reason to NOT allow an assistant to shoot? The people at the wedding don't

know the assistant's role or level of talent. When cousin Frank asks the assistant for a

photo of he and his girlfriend, he assumes the assistant knows what she's doing. Well, I

(the photographer) get back to the studio, and I edit out the blurry/not-sharp/badly-lit

picture of cousin Frank and his girlfriend. I post the other photos online, and cousin Frank

logs on looking for the photo he asked the assistant to take. Then I get the e-mail: "I

requested a photograph at the wedding... where is it?" Now I have to explain that the

photographer was just the assistant, the photo didn't turn out, and "sorry Frank, you

should have known to have the REAL photographer take the shot"!

 

No thanks! (And yes, that did in fact happen to us.)

 

Sorry to say, but our assistants mostly lug equipment, change out batteries, keep track of

flash cards, and sometimes hold remote flash units for us.

 

I can't risk my business by letting an assistant take charge of any level of the photography

at a wedding. If you want to learn to shoot, there are only a million couples in your city

with NO photography budget who will gladly let you shoot their wedding for free if you'll

then give them a disc. That's how I got started shooting.

 

My business skills, however, were learned by working in a photography studio, watching

the customer service, absorbing the contracts, learning the price structures.

 

Sorry for the long post... just thought I'd put that out there!

[vlad khavin]

Anne, thanks for the response. No problem with the long post, it was actually very helpful. The reason I'm glad you posted that is that when a person is told to seek a gig as an assistant, they may be getting into the situation with a misconception of what they can expect. Your post explained what you do and why. Thank you for posting it. I look forward to reading more responses.

[katieontario]

If a future photographer is looking to assist and has some experience, I strongly urge that the professionals take the risk and let them snap away, with an understanding on behalf of the bride and groom and the assistant, that all business is done through me. ie. any requested pictures are taken by me.

 

People need a start somewhere, and an assistant who is ready to learn and listen should not be stuck carting around camera bags and playing gopher either. Their images, if great, should be used by the photographer under their business name, and the assistant should be able to use the same in their portfolio.

 

Kinda like doctors and any other profession. You need to let the intern learn from their mistakes even if it means, unfortunately, making the situation worse. And, as a professional who owns their own business, should be ready to take, gracefully and tactfully, the heat that may result from a crappy incident.

[Gary Naka]

One method to use an assistant to shoot, in a low risk situation, is to have the assistant shoot from angles/locations different than the primary photog. That way the shot is not at risk if the assistant blows it. And like an apprentice, as the quality and consitency of the work increases, so would the responsibility. IOW the assistant has to earn the trust to be relied upon.

 

#3 Has to be ironed out between the pro and the assistant before the assistant starts. Grumbling that they can't use the pix after the fact is too late.

 

Gary

[annealmasy]

I completely agree with you Kate. That's why we don't look to hire aspiring pros --

UNLESS they understand what they'll be doing and are happy to watch as we work.

 

We're not out to take advantage of anyone! We typically hire high school or college

students who have an interest in photography and are happy to "assist" according to our

needs. We pay them $100 cash and feed them a couple of meals -- pretty good deal for a

17-year-old!

 

Because my husband and I are both professional photographers, we are quite adept at

capturing all the angles and being all over the place during an event. Adding a third

shooter tends to crowd the scene, and can diminish the "fly-on-the-wall" workflow that we

strive for.

 

If we brought along a third shooter, we would STILL also be bringing an assistant as well,

making us a group of 4! Even at large weddings, a staff of four is a bit overkill in my

opinion. We travel light, in every respect.

 

Great thread though, Vlad!

[jennie farnsworth]

<b>Do you use an assistant?</b><BR>

Yes, we hire long-term assistants and offer them training.<P>

 

<b>Do you permit / require your assistant to shoot at events?</B><BR>

Depends on the wedding and the person's level of photographic capabilities. Once someone can handle assisting without missing a beat, we gradually start adding photography into the mix, a little in the beginning and more as they progress (one of our current associate photographers started out as an assistant). Our assistants are also allowed to use the photography studio up to 4 hours a week for personal projects.<P>

 

<b>If your assistant does some of the shooting, are they permitted to use the images that they shoot for their portfolio?</B><BR>

Yes, hard-copy portfolios.<P>

 

<B>How would the average person looking for such a position know to contact you? Or do you post that somewhere or put an ad for it somewhere?</B><BR>

We also receive inquiries from people looking for assistant and associate photographer positions. We have posted once or twice on CraigsList. Finally, we have a good relationship with a local university and the photography professor lets us know if any of her students are interested in an internship/assistant position with our company.<P>

 

Jen

[Dave Gardner]

My son started out as my assistant...now he's the second shooter. He developed a great

eye for shooting...the key word is "developed". I let him shoot early on over my

shoulder...and also do some of his own...under my eye.

 

My darling bride also assist...but does not shoot....you need someone to watch the

equipment and anticipate the needs of the shooters...down loading cards etc.

 

We have had other photogs that wanted to build the portfolios....and we let them....only

after everyone agrees. They can shoot and use their shots....but not for sale.

 

As Anne said....remember it's your business....so make sure you screen.

 

Dave