Assisting

After Labor Day (early September) I will be assisting a big time photographer. I don't want to mention specific names, but he is an interior design/architecture photographer who is regularly published in Better Homes and Garden magazine, among others.

Networking pays off. Earlier this year, I joined the ASMP. With so many photography-related associations out there, it is unclear which one(s) are the most advantageous. High membership fees prohibit me from joining any others at this time, but my experience with ASMP has been extremely positive. One of the many benefits here is the ability to list yourself as an assistant, the means by which I was contacted by the aforementioned photographer.

As it turns out, he is from out of state and will be flying in for this multi-day photo shoot. The going day rate for assisting isn't much, but I have high hopes that the experience of working with a real pro on location will far outweigh the paycheck. Not to mention, a good review from this guy will undoubtedly lead to referrals and repeat business. I can't wait.

Congrats and good luck!

Right on! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy! Congrats, Anthony. Keep us posted, eh!

I'm curious...how about the rest of ya? Have you considered assisting work, or done it in the past?

Sweet man! That's awesome.

Does he shoot Nikon?

Anthony Hereld said:

I'm curious...how about the rest of ya? Have you considered assisting work, or done it in the past?

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That's how I started in the 70s when I got out of photography school in Montreal. You will never regret it. It will open a lot of doors for you. Just make sure you stay focus with your goals as you'll find some people will try to squeeze a little too much out of you for the money they will want to spend.

Congratulations sir! It is good to see that your photography business is gaining good steam.

I know absolutely nothing about assisting but it sounds interesting at least from the learning angle. I just watched the movie "Blow-up" last night...the assistant in that movie get's bossed around a lot! Give me this camera give me that camera hold this do that...hahaha

BTW...everyone needs to see that movie...

I've been contemplating getting in contact with a couple of the local professionals and asking if they were looking to take on an assistant. I think it would be an amazing opportunity to learn and grow as a photographer. Keep us updated and let us know how it goes.

Update:

The photo shoot will take place September 9th - 11th, and possibly extend to the 12th. I was a bit disappointed to learn the dates, because it will take me out of the loop for the 9/11 ceremonies and parade taking place in my hometown. My son is in Cub Scouts (I'm also on the committee) and I will miss those events too. This was actually a tough decision to make, because I don't like missing events that involve my kids or recognition of servicemen and veterans.

In the end though, this is a wonderful opportunity that has national exposure and could lead to other jobs, so I'd be a fool to pass it up. The photographer I'm working with is very open-minded, so I'm really hoping that I will have time to also document the shoot.

Are you going to tell us who it is or did you tell us already and I missed it? What, exactly will he be shooting?
This should give your creativity a little spark

Anthony Hereld said:

I don't want to mention specific names, but he is an interior design/architecture photographer who is regularly published in Better Homes and Garden magazine, among others.

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Helene, You missed it in the first post

Thanks, Rick! (duh!)

Ya, I don't want to give away too much info on the 'net because it's not my gig. BH&G magazine is doing a feature article on an interior designer (the name was mentioned, but I can't even remember who it was) and we are photographing her work. It's my understanding that we will be doing a few different homes in this area, mostly indoor shoots, but a couple of outside shots as well.

Anthony Hereld said:

I'm curious...how about the rest of ya? Have you considered assisting work, or done it in the past?

Click to expand...

Congrats, that's awesome And no I like it too much as a hobby

Update:

Just learned today that I will actually be shooting as well.

Day One:

Exhausting. The amount of gear this dude lugs around borders on insane. Each of the cases (probably 20 or so) had baggage check tags on them, so I can only imagine how much it cost to get it all onto the airplane. Anyway, we are shooting several homes over the next few days. The client is actually an interior design team that is submitting the photos for a BH&G magazine contest on improving/remodeling existing spaces.

I learned a bit today. First being, I don't know that I would ever want to do this kind of work on a regular basis. So sleep easy, architectural photographers, here's someone who won't be joining your ranks. Imagine trying to cram 2-3 lights + umbrella softboxes, tripod, camera, laptop + stand, a photographer + assistant into a bedroom. Now imagine all of that in a master bathroom. And if that doesn't make you claustrophobic, try your hardest to imagine most of that in a half bath. That was my day.

Lighting is tricky. There are always glass and evil mirrors to contend with, and space is a premium. Most of the time, the camera was stuffed in a doorway or in a corner and triggered via laptop, simply because there was not enough room to stand inside the same room as all the gear. It was cool to be a part of, and I must say that I'm going to invest in a long USB cord and shoot tethered when I can, because it's so nice seeing the results on a 17" monitor vs. a 3" one.

Very interesting, thanks for the insight and sharing your experiences Anthony.

Day Two:

Even more exhausting, and we worked less hours. Today we had to use a strobe outside to simulate sunlight through windows, which required bringing out the big guns. The tripod weighed in at about 100 lbs. and could extend to reach 2nd story windows. I'm not sure what model the light was, but yes, it was powerful enough to shoot through the outside of the house and into the rooms and light them. Very cool stuff. We shot an upstairs sitting room, master bed/bath. Downstairs was the main living room, formal dining room, and main dining area. The homeowners also posed for a photo with their dog in the living room.

We were pressed for time today because they were having a dinner party, so it was go-go-go all day long. Every single lamp light bulb had to be replaced with blue bulbs for the shoot in addition to moving all the lighting around and setting up shots. Moving that huge outside light around wasn't fun either. In the end though, I think everything worked out well and the designer and owners were happy.

A little bit of trickery today: Some corners of the rooms just weren't lit enough, even with our fake sun. These rooms were all decorated to the max, so there was a lot of shadow cast. He did his main shot, then I moved lighting to hit those dark areas and he shot again so that they could be photoshopped into the final composition. We also re-shot several hanging pictures on the walls so they wouldn't have glare on them.

Before I forget, I just realized that I haven't yet posted who I'm working with. Check out his website:

D Randolph Foulds