What does an assistant do?

For those of you who are working professional photographers...

Do you regularly employ an assistant?

What does a good assistant do?

Do you have a regular assistant or do you contract with one as needed ?

What type of photography do you do?

I've only done a few portrait sessions for money. I dont have lights, so I shoot portraits outside with color film. My "assistant" held the reflector when needed and carried my bag :

I put assistant in quotations because I'm not a professional photographer, and he wasnt my employee. I paid him with lunch

I'm sure a professional will give you a better answer

Assistants do everything...even shoot sometimes if needed. IMO, their main job is to relieve the photographer of as many technical and logistical concerns as possible so that the photographer can put as much energy and attention as possible into his or her "art" and his or her subjects. I have been an assistant for photographers (fairly regularly, actually), and have also used assistants on several occasions, but they were friends and classmates; nothing professional.

BradS said:

What does a good assistant do?

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EVERYTHING!

Seriously... a good assistant unpacks the bags, sets-up shots, gets lunch, answers the phone, gets the rental car, drives, schleps the bags, you name it.. When I used to do a lot of commercial work, especially jobs that involved travel, I emplyed a great assistant that acted as my right hand. He knew what I needed before I needed it. There is nothing like having a good assistant. On the other hand, nothing can screw up a job and make everything worse like a bad assistant. Some are really cut out for the job, others not so much. Trouble is, the best assistants are ususally out to learn the business for themselves and move on to their own things when they become really good. Then, unless you're really lucky, you have to start all over again.

2F/2F said:

Assistants do everything...even shoot sometimes if needed. IMO, their main job is to relieve the photographer of as many technical and logistical concerns as possible so that the photographer can put as much energy and attention as possible into his or her "art" and his or her subjects.

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That's what a *good* assistant does. A bad assistant just gets in your way and slows you down.

A good assistant wants to be a photographer so he/she is there to learn from you and to be taught by you, but basically the job is to do what they are told to do.

PE

It's too bad we in the U.S. have lost touch with the apprentice system that pretty well defines the role of the apprentice, journeyman and master. It's still current in trades like the I.B.E.W., but lost to the less traditional trades/professions like photography I think. An assistant's role would be far clearer under that system, and the ultimate progression to "master" would be an expected goal which would reflect well on the pro who trained him if he were truly deserving. Perhaps some Europeans can offer their perspectives on the way it's done "over there"? I may be mistaken, but I think it's more clearly delineated.

billschwab said:

EVERYTHING!

Seriously... a good assistant unpacks the bags, sets-up shots, gets lunch, answers the phone, gets the rental car, drives, schleps the bags, you name it.. When I used to do a lot of commercial work, especially jobs that involved travel, I emplyed a great assistant that acted as my right hand. He knew what I needed before I needed it. There is nothing like having a good assistant. On the other hand, nothing can screw up a job and make everything worse like a bad assistant. Some are really cut out for the job, others not so much. Trouble is, the best assistants are ususally out to learn the business for themselves and move on to their own things when they become really good. Then, unless you're really lucky, you have to start all over again.

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what he said ... (everything)

I use an assistant on almost every job. He is a former studio owner that knows large format and lighting, and he basically does (as they say) everything except loading the film holders, inserting the holders and tripping the shutter. He paints the background, details the product, sets the product, sets the lights, finds the Polaroid back (always losing that) finds the flash meter, takes meter readings, goes for lunch, answers the phone, etc.

jnanian said:

what he said ... (everything)

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What he said he said.
Although I really love it when my assistants go on to do there own shooting. It's nice to see them become their own selves photographically.

They scrub the toilets. Anything else is a bonus. A good assistant is NOT a photographer. I've never hired a photographer as an assistant EVER. That doesn't mean that a good assistant can't be a photographer, but usually I want to train someone the way I want it done, not the way they learned it.

If you are a photographer and are looking for assisting work don't advertise that you are a photographer. Tell them that you have some experience around cameras and are looking for a job helping out however they need. If you tell them that you are looking for work to learn the profession what you are really asking them to do is pay you to become their competition and take away clients.

Be careful how you spin your experience. It can be a good thing or a bad thing.

I assisted for a couple of years in Minneapolis in the early 80's. I did everything except toilets. Luckily those were down the hall and taken care of by the building custodians. I did wash out dirty oatmeal bowls.

I was working 6 days a week three weeks after my first cold call.

In addition to all the chores Bill Schwab mentioned, I did some independent shooting when there were two jobs running at the same time or when we were running two cameras on location at dusk. I was always called on by two of the studios I worked in to make the call on color filtration from clip tests, and they borrowed me back and forth for that when I was working down the hall.

The most important things an assistant does are:
1) Anticipate needs and take care of them in advance.
2) Watch consistently and carefully for the little mistakes so the photographer can think about the big picture. Always be looking and thinking. (shutter closed and cocked? aperture set? movements locked down? dark slide pulled or back in place? loose threads, tags sticking out, bad hair, light spills, etc, etc, etc)
3) Listen to and follow directions explicitly.
4) Always be thinking about how to improve the shot and provide creative suggestions when asked. Otherwise, be quiet, pay attention, and learn.
5) Always work to make the photographer look good. Never embarrass or make the photographer look bad or incompetent.
6) Treat the AD, client, and models with respect and don't annoy them.

There was a new assistant in town who was showing his work one day when I was in the studio I worked in most. He had a degree in photography from RIT, and was showing B&W LF landscapes. He also wore a suit to the interview, which worked against him a bit.

He was hired next door one day when I was busy. He told the photographer he knew how to load an RB back the morning of the shoot. After the photographer finally gave in to his suspicions and opened the 4th back to see what felt funny, he found the paper facing the lens. The job was fast shooting on a big set with up to 7 models in a shot, some shots with kids. There had to be well over $1000 in call backs for the models with less than an hour gone in the day. The assistant was making about $65/day. I never saw him again. It would have been very easy for him to ask to be shown, as there was plenty of time before the shoot to learn.

Another assistant had a first name that started with K. She had a business card made up in Kodak red and yellow with the red "K in a box" Kodak trademark to start her first name. I know several people who wouldn't hire her because of that trademark infringement. My 'card' was either a 3x5 or 4x6 index card in a bright color (easy to spot) and my name and number on the top left, or a Rolodex card with colored highlighter along the top edge. The photographer got whatever fit his or her system and I got calls because I was easy to find and giving them what they needed, which was not another clever business card.

I never worked for anyone who didn't want me to be a good photographer. They all valued any photographic expertise I brought with me, and recognized that it made me a better assistant.

Lee

"I never worked for anyone who didn't want me to be a good photographer. They all valued any photographic expertise I brought with me, and recognized that it made me a better assistant."
I've had my studio for about 16 years and I still learn from my assistants all the time. On a good day it works both ways.

rorye said:

I've had my studio for about 16 years and I still learn from my assistants all the time. On a good day it works both ways.

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Very true. Good assistants can learn a lot working with a wide range of photographers, and can pass along new, varied, and interesting techniques to a photographer who's open to learning. Just like a virus.

Lee

Thanks everybody for the responses..and please keep 'em coming...but, I am not about to market my self as an assistant. The time that I might have been able to do that has long passed. I might, some day like to observe but...I don't even dream of actuially trying tomake a living doing photography. The whole art of being a 'professional photographer' is a mystery to me....I am always curious to know how these things really work.


Rory, I think I met your assistant once. He looked like he was pretty busy...and it was a weekend! As I recall, he was setting up a shot, hosting a stranger and cleaning up the studio....he might have even helped the stranger clean up the road rash he got while riding a bike across rail road track while talking on the phone...:O

The Assistant Joke!

How many assistants does it take to change a lightbulb?

"Sorry, I forgot to pack the lightbulbs!"

Mike Crawford said:

How many assistants does it take to change a lightbulb?

"Sorry, I forgot to pack the lightbulbs!"

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Do they not have checklists?

Tom.

I was an assistant for 5 years during the 1990's. What you do depends on your boss - and sometimes his/her mood. I was a Wedding Pro asst. and I carried all nine of our travel trunks for each job. We did all the regular shots + were prepared for anything else. I did everything from choosing lighting placement to using a lint brush on the groom's jacket.
My boss was a photo-maker, not a photo-taker. I shot many of the candids and reception photos because he didn't like doing it. He also didn't like kids, which I do.
He was a great boss and I learned a lot - although I didn't go into Wedding work. I was good at it, but never really liked it. I do mostly product illustration now, and street portraits for fun.

a good assistant has to be able to interpret the photographer. this usually happens after working with the photographer on a few occasions. similar to dating a new girl . you get to know them, through good times, and the not so good(like another assistant forgot to pack the other case of strobe heads, oops ). I've found that first of all, you have to be willing to learn. If you come into a job, acting all arrogant and "I know it all", as I did, really dumb idea on MY part . Well, let's just say I learned my lesson after not getting called back by that photographer.

Anticipation is key! After working with someone for a while, and learning how he/she likes to work (even which side of their body they like to be handed things from in one case :confused:, but you pick up on these things quickly if you're alert.

Having camera knowledge is good, but if you're hired as an assistant, and you're told to man grip and lighting for the duration of the shoot, then its not your job to handle the cameras. Do only what you're told, and don't guess; its better to ask a dumb question than to make a dumb mistake (speaking from personal experience ).

look to have fun and learn. the point of being an assistant IMO is to be an "apprentice", similar to that of a carpenter or a plumber. You work your way up the ladder so to speak, and eventually you are put in charge of more responsibilities.

And I've always found that standing around, even if there's NOTHING you can do that is productive on set, ALWAYS look busy. The photographer might not notice that there is nothing to do, but they will notice that you are "working your butt off" all the time, and they will appreciate that.

Also, bringing them a bottle of water if you go to the fridge/cooler to get one for yourself(at least ask them first if they want one as well), then quickly go to get i, not walk .

ask as many questions as you can without it getting in the way of the photographer or his 1st. they are there to focus on getting what the client wants, and you are there to do what they tell you.

just my 2 cents

-dan

I spent the last two years as an assistant photographer. The person who said a bad assistant can really mess up a shoot is right on. That's almost as bad as when the photographer is really, really bad.

The commercial world is really changing. The economy has devastated the larger commercial studios, and with digital, there's a lot more competition. Advertising agencies usually have a photoshop person, and often someone has a decent digital camera. Yes, the results aren't as good, but often they are good enough for the task at hand. I wish it wasn't so. At my old studio, they make a good part of their money doing Photoshop compositing instead of shoots, where clients bring in the subject and background photo, and Bob and Rob do the rest.

In addition, there's no longer the need to load film holders/film backs, which usually required an assistant.

My old studio went from about 35 employees to about 12 in one year, and all of the assistants are gone. (At it's height,the studio had 5 or 6 full-time assistants.) There'd be even less except they're hiring out the stylists to places like Kohls, Kohler...

And yes, I had to clean the toilets after they fired the cleaning service.

Mike Crawford said:

How many assistants does it take to change a lightbulb?

"Sorry, I forgot to pack the lightbulbs!"

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It's not just assistants, what about the photographer

I had to have a an image made for a magazine of myself with LF camera in the landscape. So I arranged the photographer (a memberb of APUG) he arrived the night before and asked if he could borrow a 35mm camera.

The location was half an hour's drive, half way he suddenly asked if I had any film, only 5x4 and that camera had to be in the image so we drove to the nearest town & bought 2 rolls of FP4, after the delay we arrived near the location and a final 20 minute walk. As we drew close Philip realised he'd left the film in the car, that would mean another 30 minute walk to retrieve it.

At this point I'd had enough, I don't like having my photo taken at the best of times, luckily I realised there was a Nikon F401 and cheap zoom at the bottom of my LF back-pack with 6 frames left, so we got the needed image but it was by the skin of our teeth.

Ian

For portrait sessions, I don't like having an assistant. It puts too much emphasis on the photograph rather than the connection with the subject. For weddings (though I rarely do them) I've had someone along to load film, keep lenses handy, guard my gear (theft is rampant at weddings), and herd people here and there. That's about it.

jovo said:

It's too bad we in the U.S. have lost touch with the apprentice system that pretty well defines the role of the apprentice, journeyman and master.

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IN the US at least, this has largely been replaced by "training," often in some sort of vocational school. I worked for a culinary school for a while, and most of the kids there expected to finish the course and go work in a kitchen somewhere. But they were being taught by guys who had come up the old way--shoveling coal in the ovens at the age of 12 (I am not making that up--some of them did that), that sort of thing. In the old apprentice system it could be years before you were allowed to touch a knife. While there are some advantages to that system, I don't see Americans generally putting up with it.

It all depends on the type of studio/environment. With small studios, an assistant can be asked to do just about anything. "Hey Pete. Please build us a hospital room set...." or "hey Pete. Build us a bathroom set. We're going to show replacing an old toilet. Don't forget the Kitchen Bouquet on the wax ring to make it look used." At big studios, there is a division of labor, much like on a movie set. I've worked at a place that has full-time construction guys. The first day, one of them said to me "We don't touch lights or cameras. You don't touch tools."

The most important requirements to being a good assistant are being pleasant and upbeat (although the photographers often aren't-for example, I've had a client come up to me an say, "Hey Pete. What's wrong with Gary*?"--Gary being the photographer__* the name has been changed to protect the guilty), being detail orientated, having problem solving skills, and, most importantly, being able to carry huge amounts of equipment.