Photographers Assistant

xxxRebeccaxxx

xxxRebeccaxxx

Messages
66
Name
Rebecca
Edit My Images
No
Hello everyone :) im currently in my last year at uni and i need to start thinking about ways to get into the photographic industry, i'm quite keen on doing some assisting for experience, i have done some studio assisting but not a photographer. Is there any advice you could give me in order to obtain some assisting experience?

would also be great to hear from some photographers who have assisted :)

Much Appreciated :D
 
I know you've mentioned studio, but is there a particular side to the industry you want to get involved with? Are you looking to be staff or freelance in the future?
 
Circuit Hero said:
I know you've mentioned studio, but is there a particular side to the industry you want to get involved with? Are you looking to be staff or freelance in the future?
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well my photographic genre is documentary/autobiographical, but i have done studio based work, portraits etc, at the moment i am not quite sure i would rather be staff then have to do all my own taxes and insurance, which can be a nightmare lol
 
xxxRebeccaxxx said:
well my photographic genre is documentary/autobiographical, but i have done studio based work, portraits etc, at the moment i am not quite sure i would rather be staff then have to do all my own taxes and insurance, which can be a nightmare lol
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Salaried assistants are pretty rare, get yourself self employed. Pretty simple :)

Read Tom Miles' blog posts on assisting on 'photosmudger' blog, very good stuff. Theres a fair amount of work for the right people with good assisting skills in London, freelance.

Make sure you know your cameras lighting and software pretty well, think canon and Nikon professional ranges d3 1d 5d, profoto elinchrom etc, lightroom capture one , basic video procedures and just generally how to behave as an assistant. Always be reliable, early, have a grip kit with stuff like spring clamps, c47s, leatherman, tapes, and be highly available at short notice are key really. Will post more, travelling atm
 
MMM hard subject to tackle. I am not a big fan of studio photography but Venture photography is a large chain of photography studios and often advertising looking for juniors to go to venture school train and work in 1 of there studios. May not be what you want to do but it is paid experience and good to add onto a CV.

Other options are to go out as a photographer with fellow photographers you can find them here I would do it myself but you are to far away lol.
 
In that case I don't particularly think you need anything other than enthusiasm and a willingness to learn (which you seem to possess both).

I'd probably look to email some of your local photographers and ask if you can shadow them, although this will likely be an unpaid proposition, so a regular job to pay the bills might be needed. I dare say you might come against some opposition unless someone is eventually looking for a partner, as they might see it as effectively training up potential competition.

I think the important thing is to not lose sight of what you want to achieve. If you have a desire to go down a certain route, keep plugging at it, even if it means approaching from a different angle.

If there's anything specifically I can give you insight towards, I'm happy to help. Unfortunately the type of job I do and location mean I can't really help you much more than that.

Good luck with whichever route you find; don't lose faith if things don't fall into place straight away. It's a tricky trade to make substantial money from.
 
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