Photo courtesy of Flashlight Photo Rental

Usually, when you hear the magic words, “That’s a wrap,” the assistant is eager to strike the set and get all the gear packed up. It’s probably been a long day and everyone is tired. Maybe there is an after party or a flight to catch. But, if you get any result after a strike, like the photo here, you are in too much of a hurry and not using your head. If you are a brand new assistant and it’s your first time on set, there are a few mulligans available for you. But if you’ve been around for a spell, stuff like this is kind of embarrassing… for you. The bottom line is to use some common sense. Safety and planning doesn’t end just because the shoot is over. In fact, the assistant is probably going to be one of the hardest working people on set after the strobes get powered down. Keep your cool and work smart and efficiently.

I usually start striking the set by powering down all the lighting. I will usually leave the camera and computer stuff for the photographer or digital tech, unless the photographer instructs me otherwise. They will probably be doing preliminary edits with the client anyway, so just stay out of their way. Just make sure the camera is attended to and safe from hitting the floor.

After powering down the strobes, I will pull as many power cords as possible. Just get them out of the way so you, or anyone else, can’t trip over them. Coil them properly, and stage them for packing. Coil up the head extensions and hang them on the stand. Remove any flags, V-flats, nets, and other grip that is taking up space. Just get all the cumbersome stuff off the set. Then, lower the light-stand stanchions and move all the light heads, on their stands, off to the side and out of the way. Leave the dirt on the stands, in case they get bumped. Remove power-packs, pocket-wizards, and other items and pack them away if you can.

I leave the lights off to the side while I assist everyone else–clients, photographer, props, wardrobe, set-builders, kraft. This gives the flash tubes and modeling lamps a chance to cool. If I’m not needed elsewhere, I start packing everything away, except for the lights. I will remove softboxes, umbrellas, and reflectors from the light heads, but only to pack these items away.

Once everything is ship-shape and I can do no more, then I will cap the flash tubes and pack the heads away. By this time, 20-30 minutes should have passed and the chance of melting a plastic head cap on a Profoto head should be nil. If there is any doubt, check that the modeling lamp, or base of the head itself, is cool. If not, I suggest you wait. Otherwise, just give the photographer or rental shop $20 for each cap you plan on melting, and pray that no other damage happens to the flash tube, globe, or head itself. I won’t bother to tell you the prices of Profoto flash tubes and globes… you get the point.

I know all this sounds a bit, “Well, duh!” But, obviously, shit still happens. Every situation is a bit different. Just stop a moment before the mad rush to get packed up and loaded out to make sure you are working smart. Packing your light heads last, so they have a chance to cool, is a good practice even if you are shooting lights that don’t use plastic caps or exposed hot elements. Sudden changes in temperature can cause wear and damage, just like warm air to extreme cold in winter can fog your lenses and cause condensation on electronics. Of course, this may not be an issue if you are working at the photographers studio. But if you are renting, on location, or just working with a fast production schedule, striking your sets in an efficient, practical manner will allow breathing room for you, and your gear.

Padport is in the iTunes App Store

I’ve been hearing for some time now about Padport. A few friends of mine knew who was developing the app (they wouldn’t elaborate) but, kept it very hush-hush, only to say that it was a portfolio app for the iPad, and that it was going to be all the rage. So, when I heard about the release of PadPort in the iTunes App Store last Wednesday afternoon, I decided I would get to the bottom of it. I made a couple calls and found out that a photography colleague of mine, here in Minneapolis, was the brain-child of Padport. I gave him a call and he agreed to this interview.

APhotoAssistant: Today, I’m speaking today with Chad Holder, a successful commercial advertising photographer from Minneapolis, and the creator of Padport. First thing, Chad, please tell us just exactly what Padport is and why did you decide to create it?

Chad Holder: PADPORT is a self contained, customizable portfolio for the iPad. It shows your images, your videos, and your contact information. It has an ABOUT  section where you can tell the viewer a little about yourself. We also tried to think beyond the photographer and planned for Models, Art directors, Stylists, Reps, Illustrators, Architects, Cabinet makers, Jewelry makers, really anyone who wants to show their works through a digital portfolio.

When I first saw the iPad–how cool it was and how great images looked on it–I immediately thought, “How could this be my portfolio?” When I thought about it more, I realized that we as photographers really want to be different and want to set ourselves apart from the rest of the shooters out there. I thought about the ways to customize the iPad. I researched cases, skins, sleeves anything that might make my iPad different from the next person. Found a cool idea with iskins. Then when I started messing around with the Photo viewer on the iPad I realized what is lacking is the option for greater customization. When you show your images with iPad photo it lacks personality and style, I wanted to show my identity. Then I also found that ordering images was a major pain, and I also wanted to show motion, which meant I needed to switch to the iPad’s video player, and how can I send my portfolio out to an art buyer and expect them to navigate through all of that without me standing there? That is where PADPORT was imagined, out of those needs. I figure that if I was facing those issues, then many others were as well.

APA: Wow, it sounds like you really put a lot of energy into developing Padport. Now, I’ve checked out some of the videos you posted–about how Padport works and some of the features. It looks incredibly easy to use and to create a very customizable portfolio of work.

CH: Yes, it is very easy to use. We focused on it being intuitive, with a wonderful user interface that gives you multiple options.

It starts with the SPLASH SCREEN where you can place any image that you would like. We see this as the first impression page, and thought it would be a great place to show your name or logo over one of your images. After a few seconds that screen slides left to reveal the HOME SCREEN. This is the Main navigation screen for the person viewing your portfolio. It has links to the PORTFOLIOS that you set up, a CONTACT page and an ABOUT page. On this HOME SCREEN is where you first see the different THEME options. Each THEME is a different design that lays over one of your imported images. PADPORT has two themes now with more coming down the pipes.

Let’s say for example that you don’t like how your name looks with the MNLST THEME, and you would like to use your logo instead. Then in the user interface, you just leave the name section blank and create a background and drop in your logo, or name. Right now you are able to set up as many PORTFOLIOS as you would like, but only display seven on the home screen. We made it possible to toggle PORTFOLIOS on and off. That way you can set up all your PORTFOLIOS and only show the ones you want. For instance if you are sending PADPORT to a certain Art Buyer and you don’t want them to see your table top work, then toggle that PORTFOLIO off.

The HOME SCREEN has the DASHBOARD ICON in one of the bottom corners. Tapping this icon opens up the user interface where the user can manage their images, portfolios and change settings. We built this app with the understanding that every artist, photographer or anyone presenting their work has the option to completely customize their presentation to fit their business and clients.

Within the DASHBOARD – PROFILE the user is able to input all their current information, name, email, website, twitter, facebook and additional contact information. Within this section you are also able to write a brief bio about yourself and your work. Also included is a section to reference their representation.

In the DASHBOARD – SETTINGS the user can choose the HOME SCREEN image and SPLASH SCREEN image and select the color of the text that displays on the home screen.

Within the DASHBOARD – PORTFOLIOS is where the user prepares their portfolios to be shown. We are excited about this feature because it is very easy to use and gives the user the flexibility to create unique portfolios to showcase their work. PADPORT allows users to finger select either images or videos that they have previously loaded into the app and by sliding the image or video into the ‘Image Order’ sequence selection. In here you are able to move images and videos around to have them display how you would like. The user is also allowed to select a background image that would be shown behind the images as the portfolio is shown.

Users are able to select a PORTFOLIO THEME with a background image and also choose to show a THUMBNAIL SCREEN that will show all the images in the selected portfolio.

PADPORT offers users the ability to load their images and video through iTunes file sharing. This bulk loading system makes importing images easy.

The user also has the ability to hide the DASHBOARD icon in SETTINGS, therefore creating a true digital portfolio. Therefore when the users portfolio is presented to a client, they will not be able to get into the owners dashboard.

Another feature that is unique is when you click on the url address shown on your CONTACT section the website opens within the app. Also, if you were to click on an email address, the app will open the email to be mailed from the iPad.

Through our interaction with the artist and photograph community we are asked what differentiates the PADPORT app from others on the market and to put it simple, professionalism. PADPORT is the lets you customize your portfolio digitally and allows for the flexibility of the artist to display their work however they like, with ease.

We at PADPORT anticipate that the future of the art presentation world will be completely digital, with the high resolution on the iPad and the unique features this technology offers, artist, photographers will need to adapt to keep up and PADPORT provides a platform for them to express their abilities allowing for the ease and customizable features to get their work to the world.

At PADPORT HQ we pride ourselves in being available to our users and we are willing to help them with any questions or ideas on how to prepare their portfolios. We have many plans for improvements and more ways to showcase users portfolios. We have received tremendous response throughout the artist community and love to hear what the users think. Photographers and artist are really enjoying PADPORT and are thrilled this has finally been released.  We would love to see some samples of how PADPORT is being used and to hear any success stories that people are having.

APA: Shoot, Chad! It sounds like you’ve thought of pretty much everything! It’s obvious that Padport has been in very good hands through it’s initial development because of your experience as a professional photographer and business owner.

I think I saw an image of yours with a portfolio case actually built for the iPad. With your last statement about art presentation becoming more and more digital, now and into the future, do you actually intend to send off your iPad, loaded with your “programmed” portfolios, to an art buyer via Fed Ex, much like standard print books are sent today?

CH: Yes, I think the iPad is perfect for a portfolio. With more and more photographers shooting motion along-side images it only makes sense to package those two together and show them on the iPad. And to be honest, images look better on the iPad than they do in print. I really believe that the iPad will become the norm for portfolios and I expect PADPORT to be the go to app for all of them.

APA: Very cool. Now, I realize you’ve only just released Padport last week, but, what has the initial response been? Have you gotten any feedback from users, colleagues, art buyers, or other creatives?

CH: Response has been wonderful. People really like it, I think it filled a need for a professional looking portfolio, with an awesome user interface, without the unnecessary. We have received emails that simply say “Love it!” to people explaining that the swipe function is perfect. Our first review in iTunes says that “PADPORT is the most polished portfolio app for the iPad. Unique branding is easy, transitions between photos is butter smooth with a pleasant swipe speed…. All this works seamlessly to let clients focus on your tailored portfolio and not your portfolio app.” Feedback like that is unheard of for a 1.0 version, and we are very pleased.

A few other emails read:

“Just downloaded Padport and it’s looking great so far! There was such a need for this that I was even considering developing something like this myself. Now I don’t need to… Great Job!”

“I really like the app, you put a lot of thought into it!”

“I’m really happy that Padport is finally out and of course I already bought it and really enjoy it so far!”

“Very nice, very nice. All in all, very polished and attractive, and it performs well.”

We are also getting quite a few suggestions about what users are wanting, which we really appreciate and we seriously consider each one. Right now we are determining what we feel are the greatest needs and are focusing on getting them into the updates. We are excited about the future of PADPORT.

APA: That’s great to see you are getting all these kudos! Obviously well-deserved. And very good to know that you are listening to users about suggestions for updates. It really seems like you have quite a winner here with Padport, Chad. What has it been like for you, personally, in this whole process of getting Padport off the ground?

CH: Like any worthwhile project it has been fun and challenging. My partner is my brother Curtis, and it has been great working and figuring things out with him. The challenge has been the things that we cannot control. Programing takes time and then working out the bugs takes more time. There has to be compromises on what PADPORT will be able to do, and also compromises on what features PADPORT will launch with. It has also been rewarding, it’s cool to envision an app and to see it realized. It is cool producing a tool that will help it’s users show off their work and land projects. All in all I am glad I did it because it has been a blast.

APA: Well this all sounds just great, for everyone. It’s obvious to me that Padport has been a labor of love for you and Curtis, and it appears you have done things right by giving Padport’s development the time it needed before rushing it onto the market. There’s a couple of our mutual friends that have been trying to keep it quiet, but I know they have been excited to tell everyone about it.

Okay… so you released Padport last week. I’m going to go out on a limb here, assuming that it’s available at the iTunes App Store?

CH: Yes, it is available through iTunes, the price is $9.99. We really believe that it is a $14.99 app but we felt that there were some benefits to selling it for $9.99 for a limited time. PADPORT is theme based, meaning that with this one app, users will be able to get many different look and feels. So we are working on getting more themes into users hands. We are also working on a few little polishes to make PADPORT look and work better. We are really trying hard to keep the news and updates flowing by twitter and our Facebook page, so we hope that our users continue to check in.

APA: Well, it’s an awesome looking app, Chad. I imagine that there are a lot of photographers and other creatives out there happy to get there hands on Padport!

CH: Thank you, we hope that it will help people get projects and that people will be excited about what PADPORT can do.

My thanks to Chad Holder.

You can download Padport at the iTunes App Store. More info at Padport’s website, Facebook page and YouTube. You can also contact the guys on Padport’s Twitter.

Gaff Tape Dispenser for Your Grip Kit from A Photo Assistant on Vimeo.

Usually the photographer, lighting designer, or a producer will determine a list of gear needed. Other times you, the assistant, will be responsible for producing this list and placing the order with the rental house. No matter who makes the list and places the order, it’s important for the key people involved in the shoot to have access to this list, and the opportunity to make suggestions about additional or unnecessary items on the gear list. The different experiences of everyone involved will contribute to having the right items to do the job correctly. Ultimately, however, the photographer will usually have the last say.

When renting gear, there are many, many things to consider. First, if the photographer does not already rent from a regular rental house, you can usually locate a lighting/camera/grip rental shop easily, online. If you are having trouble finding what you need, call some photographers in the area that you will be shooting and ask them if they have any recommendations. If the photographer you’re working with is renting from a particular rental house for the first time, you will definitely have some paper work to fill out and submit in order to establish the photographer’s credentials. Usually the photographer or studio manager will take care of this, but depending on your relationship with the photographer, you may be asked to help. One thing you can always do, before ever being told by the photographer, is to obtain the applications from the rental store while you are determining where you will be renting from and comparing the rates and estimates. Another thing to consider while you are shopping is the condition of the gear and policies of the rental store. Most protocol is pretty standard, but watch for unusual fees and excessively worn gear. A good rental company will have properly working gear, in good shape, and repair or replace broken gear as soon as it’s needed.

Working with a rental company should be relatively simple, in that you should be able to just email them your list, and they will have it ready for pick-up at your desired time. They will usually work up an estimate, based on the gear and how many days you will be renting it. If you have special needs, or if you’re not sure that you are able to rent a particular item at your rental or grip-house, always ask them because they may have what you need lying around and just haven’t updated their catalog. This is especially true if you require larger hot lights that aren’t owned by the rental shop you are using. They will also probably have relationships with other rental companies in town, and can get you a sub-rental through another vendor. A good rental house will have good relations with their competitors, and can provide you with this service, to make your life easier.

When you pick-up the gear, make sure it’s in good repair, and test it if you feel it’s appropriate. If you are traveling to a remote location, I would strongly recommend this. It’s also advisable to get back-up power packs and an extra head or two. And make sure you have extra flash-tubes and model lights. Sometimes its better to go a little over-board, and having appropriate back-up just might save your ass. When you are at the rental store, make sure you have a phone number that you can call for emergencies. Also know the store hours, in case you have to make a mad dash before closing to pick-up anything that may have been over-looked. Take a few moments to poke around the rental shop and see what else they have that you may not have known about. Grab a catalog and get to know the people that work there. Leave a few business cards behind so the people behind the counter can recommend you. Many stores will have a bulletin board also, so pin-up some of your cards there, too.

Pack your gear into your vehicle so that it travels well, but so that you can also get to frequently used items, quick and easily. It can be a real hassle if you have a lot of gear crammed tightly into a too small of a vehicle, make multiple stops, and have to constantly unpack and re-pack multiple times in one day. Things can get pretty messy after a few stops, so make sure your car or truck can handle the load, too. Some rental places have sprinter vans available for rent. This makes life very efficient on the road. I highly recommend using this service if available. Otherwise, you can always rent a regular minivan or cargo van, if your budget allows. If you use a sprinter van, the rental house will pack all your rental gear into its proper location on the van. Make special note of where everything is so that you can re-pack the gear in the correct location, and return everything in good shape. Take a few shots with your phone if you need a reference. Your rental store peeps will also be grateful and know that you are taking good care of the gear! Also, poorly packed vehicle will allow gear to get jostled around in transit, increasing the chance for damage, not to mention that annoying rattle that drives you batty!

Before you leave the rental store, stop a moment and consider everything about the shoot. Check your list to make sure you have everything–sync cords, head extensions, stands, sand bags, gaf-tape, clamps, stingers, batteries, back-up items, enough grip gear, etc. Is there anything that was left off the list? Make sure you have all the bases covered. It can be difficult to be completely prepared for everything, and inevitably, the photographer will say he had wished he had remembered to pack something. But, as the assistant, if you can minimize any of those, “Shoot! I wish I had a silver flex-fill reflector right now,” moments, by producing the reflector no sooner than it was called for, you will have gone the extra mile, and be the hero.

Take very good care of all the gear while you are working on the shoot (insert old saying about treating other people’s stuff as if it were your own here). Any damages, or excessively dirty gear, may result in additional charges upon return. Also, notice how the rental shop packs, bags, coils, and wraps everything. Be mindful to handle the gear carefully, so that it will work properly for you on the shoot, and so you are confident in returning all the gear in the same shape as it was delivered to you. Again, your rental peeps will love you all the more when they aren’t spending extra time cleaning and repairing gear that was mishandled or abused. I’ve even gone so far as wiping head cords and stingers with a wet rag as I wrap them. Little things like this will get noticed.

If you do encounter a damaged piece of camera gear, lighting, or grip, just set it aside and label with gaf-tape what the problem is. Don’t try to fix it unless it’s absolutely necessary. If it’s a crucial item, like a lens or power pack, call the shop and see if you can trouble-shoot over the phone. If you try to fix something beyond your expertise, without the rental store knowing about it, you may just end up buying that particular item if you can’t fix it, and somehow manage to make the problem worse than it was, or beyond repair. I’ve seen it happen!

Just remember that being a photo assistant is advantageous when it comes to your relationship with local camera/lighting/grip rental company. Treat them well, and they will treat you well. Many times you can get a discount on your own gear rentals or purchases. Be a resource for them, and they will be a resource for you. Many times, an out-of-town photographer will ask rental store owners and employees if they can recommend a good photo assistant. This is probably the best free advertising you will ever get.