I’ve worked with plenty of shooters who really don’t use meters anymore. This is usually because they have been shooting the same types of subjects, over and over, under the same lighting conditions, with the same gear, and in the same space, for years and years. Okay, I get it. Tell me where to set the lights and what the power settings and light modifiers are and chances are we will get dang close to what they expect. If you are a new assistant, however, you will never really learn lighting this way. The chances are good that such a photographer started their photo career with film and using meters. Then, as they transitioned to digital, they became so completely tuned in to the differences and similarities between film and digital, and how it related to their lighting preferences, that they could light and relight their setups blind-folded. I can almost guarantee that a student, fresh out of school, will not be able to duplicate such a workflow. It takes years of practice–lighting, metering, adjusting, seeing the results on film/screen, readjusting, and so on.

Knowing light is absolutely crucial to communicate the client’s message in the image. I’m talking about the physical qualities and the emotional nuances of light. Careful, critical study of all types of light will greatly increase one’s ability to re-create a specific light, on-set, when called to do so. The use of a light meter will give you good starting points when designing a lighting layout. Knowing the intensity, direction, and color temperature of the light will create a more definitive picture in your mind about the light, even before you see the first image. The ability to create a specific type of light quickly and efficiently based on the client’s needs is paramount for a good photo assistant, lighting designer, and photographer. Another factor to consider here is lighting for video, as more and more photographers are turning to video capture with DSLR’s. Consider what has happened to Vincent LaForet’s career.

I understand that digital has made parts of our lives as photographers easier. But, I also subscribe to the fact that maintaining as much control over the shoot on-set, prior to post, is what makes a true professional. Controlling your light, of course, is a big part of that. Competency with a light meter and lighting a shot or set will free up the photographer to work more closely with the art director and client. Knowing how your light will look even before the first test image is shot not only makes the shoot go smoother, but it will make the editing process, on-set for the art director and in-post for the retoucher, much easier. I’ve yet been unable to accomplish any of this without using a light meter.

Whenever I’m on set as a first assistant, I will usually have a clear idea of what the lighting direction will be for each shot. I will pre-visualize what the lighting set-ups will be, where the lights will be hitting, what modifiers I’ll use, and what the power of each light will be in relation to one another. Metering each light individually will tell me almost precisely what it’s doing, at least in power and direction. When I use a light meter, I can at least take much of the guess-work out of the equation. If I’m mixing light sources or require a balanced color temperature on set, I’ll meter for that, too.

I’ve always been a continuity buff when watching TV and movies. It first started out when I would catch wardrobe malfunctions and camera angles. But then, as my awareness increased, I started detecting subtleties and shifts in lighting–colors, direction, and quality. That, in turn, started me thinking about how lighting, just like music and sound effects, can create emotions for a desired effect or reaction. Study Film Noir and other classic films by Hitchcock and Welles. Even in black & white you can feel anxiety with contrast, fear in deep shadows, movement with lighting direction, and so on. I love to study light in film. Watch the HBO series, Six Feet Under, especially the first two seasons… the lighting freaking rocks! Most people watch TV and film for the story or the character. But, when you really dissect the lighting, music, and camera movements you can really begin to understand how these elements really support the story and character.

The same is true for the talent, product, and environment in a still photograph. There are zillions of images in magazines, online, signage and billboards. Look at them critically and objectively. Ask what the emotions are that are being illustrated. How is this being achieved with light–color, direction, how many lights are being used, what are the sources, what is each one doing, and how is each one being modified? Think about how a different composition might change the mood, and how the light should change with such modifications. Consider what went through the photographer’s or art director’s mind as the layouts were discussed in pre-production. Study lighting diagrams in lighting books and really understand how much can be done with just a few simple tools. Check out Guess the Lighting.

The following is a passage from Wikipedia: The word “photograph” was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek (phos), meaning “light”, and (graphê), meaning “drawing, writing,” together meaning “drawing with light.”

Once we draw, or paint with light, you will need a light meter to see what you drew!

Actual light meter operations are outside the scope of this article, as I intended it. Perhaps I will do another article, or video, in the future for some how-to instruction with light meters. There are many resources online, however. One of the best I’ve found is Sekonic. I would say that the best light meter to know for still photography is the Sekonic L-358. Rent one and learn it! Also, know and understand how to use gels and diffusion to color correct and control light output. Two good resources are Lee Filters and Rosco.

What are some of your experiences working with photographers, with and without meters? What are some of the situations you find yourself in where you aren’t using a meter, and why? Please talk about some of your experience in the comments.

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.

There is both an art and a business to traveling and photography. The photographer must know what the client expects from them. As a photo assistant, you must know what the photographer expects from you. If there is a producer, they will handle many of the minute details. But the photographer and assistant will need to be on the same page with concern to ad layouts, gear to bring or rent when arriving, job roles of everyone on the production, and catering to the client. Sometimes, the assistant will double as a mini-producer and handle, or assist, with such things as car rentals, hotel reservations, getting lunch, pulling permits, scouting, and scheduling. Making it all work takes resourcefulness, creativity, hard work, and many times, a lot of overtime.

A couple weeks ago I was on a shoot in Alabama. I was working with a photographer I had never worked with before. He’d heard me speak on a panel about photo assisting at my local ASMP chapter last winter. He decided to bring me on because of my experience, and this shoot was a bit beyond what he was accustomed to. We met a couple weeks prior to the shoot to go over the layouts, lighting, and just to get to know one another a bit more. The photographer told me he would drive down to the location with all his gear in-tow, so I wouldn’t need to worry about rental gear. He also hired a producer to handle many of the logistics. He made my flight and hotel reservations, so, all I had to do, basically, was fly in the day before for the pre-pro/pre-light, and then light and manage the sets and changes during the shoot the next day. We had some weather to deal with, as well as some software glitches, and some concerns about a couple added shots. After 13 hours things can get frustrating and stressful–but, all in all, everything went off well and the client was happy. If the client is happy and satisfied, then your job should be considered successful.

Working with another photographer, I usually have a small role in production, scouting and whatever else is needed, in addition to assisting. I’d rent an RV as a production vehicle, drive it to the location, scout a day or two before the shoot, and email jpegs of locations back to the photographer and client. Sometimes I would meet with talent and fill them in on the particulars in preparation. I’ve even gone shopping for wardrobe and props. Then, when the photographer and client arrives, we would travel to our locations, set up lighting if called for, get our shots, and do some on-the-fly editing with the client in our RV. A much more guerrilla approach, but sometimes very necessary given the subject matter, conditions, or client’s needs. Like I said, every shoot is different.

A few years ago, I drove from Palm Springs with a photographer and an account rep, to a golf resort in Flagstaff, AZ, where we spent four days running around the fairways, clubhouse, and real-estate properties shooting for the golf resort’s overall media assets. I think it was early October and the season had just ended. The grass was browning and the trees had mostly shed all their leaves. Not an ideal way to shoot a golf resort, especially when you want to sell new memberships! We were all kinda scratching our heads as to why the client wanted to shoot after the season, especially at a mountain resort. We had our hot-lights and strobes, packed them and the rest of our gear into golf carts, and went balls-to-the-wall to get all the shots the client wanted before the first snow hit. One the third day, the temperature plummeted and we got hit with a hail-storm that left piles of little, icy golf balls all over the greens and fairways. The food and accommodations rocked. The interior stuff we shot kicked ass. The exterior grounds… not so much. On our way home, driving down the mountain, we drove through four inches of snow. Back home in Palm Springs, it was 95 degrees. When I arrived back at the studio to pick up my truck at the studio, I found a mama preying-mantis had taken the liberty of depositing here eggs into my tire-tread.

When traveling on a photo shoot, make sure you consider a few guidelines to make life easier on yourself, and everyone involved:

• Make sure you know, up front, exactly what the photographer expects from you in your role as an assistant on the road. Many times you will need to go above and beyond the call of duty, but, just make sure you aren’t getting yourself into something that you can’t handle.
• Make sure you pack your personal items accordingly. Take only what you need, but make sure you don’t leave anything important behind. Hats, gloves, footwear, rain gear, umbrella, casual-dress clothes for dinner with client, etc. When in doubt, ask the photographer.
• If you normally pack any grip gear, or other helpful items as part of your assisting arsenal, make a list available to the photographer or producer, so they can determine if it is needed, or not. Gaff tape, batteries, trash bags, flashlight, bug-spray, sunscreen, first-aid kit, A-clamps, gels, etc. The thinking behind this is, What can I bring to the shoot that might be needed, but the photographer may not be packing himself. And, does the photographer necessarily expect you to bring any certain grip gear?
• Save your receipts for your invoice. You will need to provide hard copies to back-up your expenses.
• When driving rental vehicles in unfamiliar territory, make sure directions to locations, hotels, and airports are clear and free of any major road construction. Check the state and county road crew sites (usually under state DOT’s websites) before you leave, for possible delays and detours. Sometimes it just takes a lane closure during rush hour to make it possible to miss your flight. (Once, I had to drive 1,100 miles after missing a flight to make my next gig!).
• Make sure you are familiar with all TSA regulations when flying.
• If you have layovers and any checked baggage, prepare for the inevitable missing bag when you get to your destination. Make sure anything critical is carried on the flight with you, if possible. Again, know the regulations for carry-on, checked baggage, and personal effects.
• If you’re traveling with gear and happen to be in busy locations, keep your eyes on your bags. I’ve heard too many horror stories about camera bags and computers getting swiped in all the chaos of a busy street. Make sure everyone in your party is alert and wary.

Traveling is fun. But, if you’re traveling and assisting on a photo shoot, you will definitely need to be prepared for just about anything and everything. Drawing on experience, being extremely resourceful, and the ability to be optimistic in all situations are things that will get you through most unpredictable circumstances on a location shoot.

What are some of the crazy unexpected situations you’ve encountered on a location shoot? What did you do to overcome the problem? What could you have done to better prepare?

Happy travels!

Many freelance photo assistants may have one to five photographers who they always work with, almost exclusively. If you’re not there yet, no worries, you will get there. Lately, I’ve been working, a lot, out of town. Traveling, and just being generally busy, will easily complicate your schedule and make it difficult to always be available to the main core of photographers you work with. It’d be great if everyone was so busy that we could just book 3-5 days each week with the same photographer, but let’s face it, that’s probably not gonna happen–unless you are a full-time studio assistant. A good gig if you can get it, but that’s whole different topic for another time.

If you have some A1 photographer clients who always call you first, take some time to talk with them about your relationship with them when it comes to being unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. Find out what’s important to them in these situations and if there is anything special you can do. If they are adamant about working with you exclusively, let them know that you appreciate their loyalty to you, but you need to seek work with other shooters to fill in the open slots between their gigs. Suggest to them that they get an intern from a local college to help them out when you’re unavailable. Your should also have your own list of other assistant’s that you can recommend to fill in for you. Make it easy for the photographer to fill your shoes with good help and you will continue to get work from them, even if you’re unavailable from time-to-time. They will appreciate that you are looking out for them, even when you can’t be there.

Sometimes a photographer will put you on HOLD for a future date(s), until they get confirmation about the projected dates, locations, or other logistics, from their client. When this happens, you can usually expect a call from another photographer to book you for the same day. Usually, this is a simple hurdle to jump, as long as the second gig is nailed down and firm. Tell them you are on hold for that date, but will call the other photographer and see if they will release you. Also, if it seems probable that you will end up booking the shoot with the second photographer, explain to them that if their job should be cancelled or postponed, that you will need to bill them a kill fee, since you are about to let go of another opportunity, to assist them. Most photographers will understand this. But, always get this out in the open right away, before you accept the gig. If they are resistant to this proposal, you can kindly let them know that you are doing them a favor by rearranging your schedule to be available for them. If they are still not accepting of your terms, you can either drop it without making any further fuss, or, keep the first job before being released. Every situation and personality is different, so, use your best judgement. If your terms are met, you can then call the first photographer who put you on hold, and tell them that you have a solid gig for the date, then ask them if they want to either confirm their date, or release you. Always give the hold photographer the opportunity to lock you in before you tell the second photographer you will accept their job. If  you are released by the first photographer from the hold, ask them if you can help find another assistant for them. Always go the extra mile, no matter what.

Another twist on the hold scenario may come up involving half-days. Just last week I was booked firm for a shoot this Wednesday, but the photographer wasn’t sure if it was going to be a half-day or a full-day, as she was still waiting for the shot list to be finalized by the client (this is also referred to being ICED). Sure enough, I got an email from another shooter, wondering if I was available for a half-day, but in the evening hours, something like 5-9PM. Now, it’s NEVER a good idea to double-book half-days on the same day, but I thought I would at least check out the possibility, since the second gig would be in the evening. I called the first photographer and explained that I had a firm half-day to book in the evening, but needed to know her schedule and call time to determine if I could actually book it. She emailed me back saying that she was maybe 85-percent sure that it would be a full-day, but couldn’t confirm any times. So, I had to relinquish the evening shoot since I couldn’t be sure if and when I could show up. Now, if you’ve been around, even for a little while, you know things can easily go wrong on-set and schedules will fly right out the window in order to get things done to the clients specs. If you have to leave the set because of your schedule, even if you’re working overtime, I guarantee that you will not get a call back from the photographer you left hanging. So, as a general rule, NEVER double-book half-days on the same day, even if the call-times and schedules are firm. Something will go bad, schedules will change, and you will probably end up losing both these relationships, even after the dust settles. This is one of the main reasons why your half-day rate should be 60-70-percent of your full-day rate, so you can still make a fair day’s wage without compromising your livelihood.

As I mentioned earlier, whenever you can’t be available for a photographer, ask them if you can help them find another assistant. If you’re at the top of their list, they will respect, appreciate, and even perhaps expect your input. This will help insure you will still get the first call for the next shoot, no matter who they used. Just make sure that any other assistant that you refer is a good fit for the photographer. Don’t recommend anyone you don’t know personally or haven’t worked with, since your reputation may be on the line. So, when you are working with other assistants, make sure you get biz cards and contact info from assistants who are hard workers with a good attitude–photo assistants who have a similar work ethic as you. This is a great way to build rapport with other assistants and have them refer you, too! If the photographer wants to find their own assistant, remind them to check out photocrew and ASMP and APA.

Along with assisting, I put in some time studio-managing and also help out part-time at a local lighting and grip rental shop. Doing work like painting cycloramas and other maintenance, delivering lighting gear, and checking inventory are all in addition to the photo assisting work I do. Many times I cannot be available for this work, as I put my assisting first. But, when things slow down on the assisting front, this work is golden. Don’t be afraid to stretch your wings and make yourself available to other opportunities which can help you gain even more experience. If you can find some of these opportunities, I think you will find that they can be very flexible, if you don’t mind working some odd hours every now and then.

These circumstances, of course, are situational, and by no means are meant to be dealt with without some degree of flexibility on the part of the assistant. We are a service-oriented industry, and care must be taken to develop and build good relationships with photographers, other assistants, and other photo crew. Being of service to your photographers and keeping everyone happy is very challenging when you are tied-up on other shoots. You can’t be everything to everyone… but you have to try. I only share what has worked, or not worked, for me, based on my experience. Keep in mind that my methods may not work for you. But, if you consider the experience of other assistants and photographers as a starting point, use your best judgment, and be fair in your assessment of your situation, your work ethic will go a long way to help you build solid relationships with your colleagues.