this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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Photography

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A place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography.

This is not a good place to simply share cool photos/videos or promote your own work and projects, but rather a place to discuss photography as an art and post things that would be of interest to other photographers.

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What's it like being a photographer assistant? (alien.top)
submitted 11 months ago by radhotchocolate@alien.top to c/photography@viewfinder.pro
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Hi there. I posted in a group about a possible career transition and a photographer reached out to me about needing an assistant. I made sure they were legit. I posted that I have experience in customer services, office services, education services, childcare services, etc. And that I have a bachelor's degree in Child Development. They commented about working in a studio w/ newborns, children, families, and various types of different photoshoots w/ props and settings. I told them I have no experience in photography however I did love supporting creative jobs such as these and that I used to love backstage when I did theatre such as props, makeups, costumes, and stage settings. So that being said if everything goes right and I get the job offer I'm curious what it's like working as an assistant to a photographer w/ their own mini studio.

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[–] OccasionallyImmortal@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I've worked as an assistant a few times and it included:

  • lugging gear
  • running wires for lights, monitors, power, etc.
  • wrangling people so they're ready for the next shot
  • positioning lights, repositioning lights, re-repositioning lights
  • holding reflectors... usually in the wrong spot
  • blocking lights from windows
  • monitoring gear to assure we have sufficient charge, memory, audio levels, etc.

Doing what you're told quickly and with little explanation is the minimal expectation. Being able to do as much as possible without supervision is what makes you valuable.