Oct 09
It took me about 12 months to get regular assisting work. I was continually networking. I am fortunate enough to have had regular work while doing all these things. I did about 15-20 hours per week as a freelance retoucher & this freed up the rest of my week to make new contacts and do my own photography work.
Here are some of the things I did to get work:
- Enthusiasm and passion really rubs off on people we meet. So talk to “everybody” you meet about what you do and be this way around them. People pick up on this and wanna help
or be involved. - Have a business card that says “assistant” and one that says photographer.
- Have an assistant website.
- Have an assistant kit. This is essentially a tool box. A bag with all your goodies in it. Your ‘kit’ may include: a light meter, gray card, gaffer tape, clamps etc (Look out for a post on “The perfect Assistant kit”).
- Write a long list of photographers in your area you like and contact them. Look at their folios online first. Email them explaining why you want to. Always follow this up with a phone call.
- Join an assistant group such as ACMP’s Trampoline and attend their monthly meetings – great way to network.
- Go to photography seminars to meet commercial photographers, hand out cards
- Find out whom the best assistants are and ask for advice and get to know how they operate.
- Network with other industry professionals. This has really worked wonders for me. People who commonly work with photographers such as makeup artists, stylists, graphic designers.
- Familiarize yourself with equipment that photographers use. Become and expert with the industry standard gear & software, for example using Capture One – version 4. Or hire/borrow a canon 1ds mark3 for a day.
- I started using Phase One digital backs on jobs, so I wanted to become an expert with this technology. As it happened I had meet the Melbourne Phase One supplier so I started developing a working relationship with him. This has been amazing as he has recommended me many times over. I also keep in regular contact with him to see what the latest advances in tech are and also catch up on local news.
- Subscribe to Capture Magazine. This is an amazing magazine, it has a wealth of information and inspiration.
- A major one though is promoting yourself as an assistant and not a photographer. This proves to photographers that you are serious about learning.
- Dedicate a period of time to assisting, depending on your skill level this may be 12 months, or as much as 4-5 years.
- Before a big assisting job do your research. Look at the photographer’s website. If an agency gave you the job ask them questions about the photographer and what is expected from you. For example: what camera and software does the photographer use? Will there be an digi operater on the shoot? etc.
- Never give up. Be ruthless in what you do. Be super confident even though you may not feel it.
- Post ads up about yourself and your services. What makes you different from the other assistants out there? One or half page ads and put them up in studios or places where photographers hang out.
- Post ads online on photography networking websites like PICA.
- Hang-out in studios. Once you make a contact at the larger studio hang out there on sets and get to know the photographers, offer to help out. With some photographers I started out as a 2nd assistant then moved up the chain.
Once you start assisting:
- Work as hard as you can. Be really professional. Always be busy. Some of the best assistants I know spent the whole day on their feet – always moving.
- Go to your shoots with heaps of energy and enthusiasm, ready to learn.
- Take notes on all your shoots. When you get home draw diagrams of your lighting setups.
- Thank everyone you meet on the shoots and even ask for their contact details to stay in touch.
- Keep perfect records of the jobs you do and the people you come in contact with. This will give you good records to keep in contact with important people.
Brett Odgers Seminar on LIghting @ Sun Studios