So You Think You Want To Be A Photo Assistant?

Photo assistant Marcus Sparling, seated on Roger Fenton’s photographic van, 1855

Most everyone has some fascination or personal love affair with photography. But, you, you absolutely love photography. You totally live, sleep, eat, and breath everything photography. You have a point-and-shoot and 35mm SLR that goes with you everywhere. You’re family and friends are growing tired of modeling for you. You’re always looking at the pics in books and magazines and online. You were mesmerized, back in high school, when you went into the darkroom for the first time and saw the image develop right before your eyes. You understand that lighting can create moods and invoke different perceptions from the viewer. You know that you are definitely stimulated in a visual sense, more so than any other form of communication. Maybe you’re considering photo school. But definitely, you’re wondering how to get started in photo assisting, since this will allow you to immerse yourself in the photo industry. So, where do I start, you ask.

Well, at the very least, I would suggest checking out any photo programs available to you at your local college or high school. A solid understanding of the basics in exposure, composition, and lighting will give you a solid foundation. If school isn’t in the mix, always seek to educate yourself on everything photography (this really shouldn’t be a problem if you truly have what it takes). Getting involved in some form of education, though, will put you in the proper frame of mind as you start seeking employment, whether it be as an intern, freelance assistant, or FT studio assistant.

Next, you gotta find the photographers you want to work with. This can be a daunting task, depending on what sort of work you want to do. If you want to assist a wedding photographer, finding them will be easy in online wedding directories or the yellow pages. But if you want to assist commercial advertising photographers, you will have to be a bit more diligent and creative. I usually search in trade organizations websites like ASMP and APA, and www.workbook.com. Another great way to do this, but will take more time, is to seek out specific photographers blogs and websites via online searches. Another very effective way to find the photographers who are keeping busy and have big budgets are to find their credits along-side their images in all the big fashion magazines. Bear in mind, however, that landing these sorts of jobs are extremely competitive. If you’re new, maybe you should focus on getting more experience with local shooters who have smaller budgets for catalog or other advertising work. If you went to school, check your school’s alumni or job office for leads.

You should have a decent website or blog which shows some of your work. Photographers want to know what you like to shoot and what your skill level is. Don’t worry about being perfect and having the most elaborate website in all of cyberspace. Just put up a clean website which shows your best images and tells something about you as a photographer, photo assistant, and human being. Be yourself, and be professional.

On a regular basis, send out emails to photographers you want to work with. I try to send emails every three to five weeks with a friendly hello to new photographers I haven’t contacted before, and a simple “what’s been going on” update to other photographers who already know of me. Follow up with a phone call to the photographers you really want to work with. Show an interest in their photography. Know who the studio manager or studio assistant is and use them to get in touch with the photographer. Your goal is to get a meeting or interview.

If you have the budget, you can also snail-mail postcards to promote your services. You can also post these at your local camera store and professional gear/lighting rental store. Peruse craigslist and other online community forums to find opportunities and to gain more experience, even if you have to work for free a couple times to get your foot in the door. You will have to be flexible and creative, especially at first.

When you get a meeting with a photographer, go in with your resume and references printed out. You might want to have a printed portfolio also, but I find this isn’t always necessary anymore. Know the photographer’s work and complement them on an image that jumps out at you. Ask them something about their work which will illustrate your interest. Be clean, dress appropriately (jeans and polo is best), and most importantly, be yourself. Be honest about your experience and illustrate what you can do for the photographer. Be attentive and don’t go out of your way to over-impress anyone… it will show. The photographer and his staff will be more impressed with you if you exhibit common sense and a positive attitude over a very technical background or saying that you aspire to assist Annie Liebowitz and set the photo industry on fire by next year.

Starting out as a freelance photo assistant will not be easy, but I will doubt it will be as hard of a job as it was for Marcus Sparling, when he assisted Roger Fenton, back in 1855. Can you imagine all that clunky camera gear heaped into that wagon? But, you will have to prove yourself and the photographer will need to like you for them to call you back. You may have to sweep and mop, take out the trash, and clean the toilet. But if you do these things, you will learn what it takes. It’s all a process. More will be revealed. If you are observant and teachable, you can succeed.