Last week Grant asked for some advice on how to make the transition from assisting to shooting. There were several good responses and I’d like to recap, just in case you aren’t reading the comments.
Jamie Kripke linked to a post on his blog where he outlines, in broad strokes, his career trajectory. The interesting part:
1998 – 2003 A whole lot of freelance photo assisting for the likes of: Terry Husebye (that’s me on the home page!), Dan Escobar, David Maisel, Hunter Freeman, and a bunch of other shooters that came and went. Also studied Art Direction, Copywriting, Architecture, Graphic Design, and Photography at various times at SFAI, Art Center, and CCAC (now CCA). Spent lots of time at the MOMA bookstore, attending APA events.
2003 I go out on my own. Shooting tiny editorial, misc. freebies. Still assisting a bit to fill in the gaps.
And by 2004, assisting had dropped off Jamie’s list.
What I really want to call out (bolded above) is that while Jamie worked, he also studied his industry, presumably to keep himself inspired and informed. This is fantastic and, I fear, unusual.
And Jacqueline Bovaird, from Glasshouse Images, referred readers to her blog Q&A entitled: Is it time to stop assisting?
I am lucky enough to have Glasshouse Assigment’s Monthly News delivered directly to my inbox. If you are not that lucky, you’d be wise to check their blog regularly, lots of fantastic Q&A’s, for example: Worst Photography Mistake, Does Personal Work Help or Hurt, etc.
In another post, Jacqueline tips readers off to New York based activists Stop Assisting. I am super stoked about Stop Assisting which seems to offer both a community for emerging shooters and some good-as-cash resources. If you care to pitch them a project, you may come away with all the production support you need to get it off the ground. Interested? Check here for the rest of the details. Submission deadline is coming up on December 1 so get to it.
And, unrelated to Grant’s assisting question, I received a note from Brooklyn-based shooter Thomas Prior awhile back:
© Thomas Prior
© Thomas Prior
© Thomas Prior
© Thomas Prior
I liked Thomas’ photography so I asked him if he had been getting any work. He replied:
I am not getting any ad work..I would like to get some ad work. I’ve never made a serious stab at shopping a book around. I just turned 30 and I’ve had the same job working as an assistant/printer/retoucher for the past 10 years. I get paid well enough so that I only have to work half the year and have the other half to work on my personal stuff. I’m getting the itch to move on and aim to shoot loads more personal projects in the next couple of years in preparation.
What? Thomas works half the year so that he can do his own projects for the other half. That’s fantastic. That’s so smart. And I think there’s a maturity to his work that may be a direct result of the time he’s taken to hone his vision.
Bottom line, I’m sure we all know that guy who’s been assisting too long. Don’t be that guy. It’s hard to turn down that day rate but if there’s any way you can afford to spend that day pushing your own passion forward instead of schlepping cable, you need to do it. When you’re ready to redefine yourself, call the AB’s you know (from working with them on set) and ask to show them your book- you’re just starting out and you’d like some feedback.
I’m so pleased at the discussion this question has raised- thanks to all who contributed.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thomas has long been one of my favorite photographers to watch. Thanks for featuring him.
There was an introduction into your interview with Dave that really set off a chain of events yesterday morning and into the afternoon. I received an email this morning from a fellow colleague who happened to see me working on assignment for Kevin Lynch a few weeks ago. “Why the hell are you still assisting?” he asked me.
Having pondered this and many questions in the past year of so, trying to find my footing in this environment (financial & professional), …it was the opening line to Dave where something clicked:
-How long have you been shooting, where did you come from?
-Been shooting for about 10 years.
He’s shooting without claiming to be a photographer. I love it. Part of Dave’s charm and lucid journey into a craft he loves.
The Mark Zibert’s don’t come along every day….he’s like the MJ of the photography world and someone to look up toward and revere. If you bust your ass, become dedicated to what you are doing and have an amazing sense of self and dedication….maybe (and even then…it’s a maybe) you can make it. There are times I plan on going out when i know the back burners are full of re-touching i could be doing. And do you know what i say to myself? “What would Mark Zibert do?”…..it should be a paradigm for all young up and comers.
So what does make a photographer? Therein lies my question. And what makes a Canadian photographer? We are able to juggle the production/retouching/catering/pre-pro’s and shooting with the best of them? The Americans I have had the pleasure of working with love us up here, because we offer them a one-stop shop and an arsenal of tools to getting it done.
The foundations of understanding light are getting weaker, we have photoshop to blame for this, and the quick fix of digital.
But I cannot understand the peeps around me……the next generation of shooters who really haven’t put their time in. Why is assisting so looked down upon here in Canada?
There is a shooter in the city that has been working with some paying gigs now for a couple of years, he assisted for one…and now he’s out there bragging to being an Hassleblad Master Finalist…really?
These are important times in the longevity of your career.
Enjoy them, and the free meals.
Jus Sayin’
Personally I have nothing against assisting. Actually, I love it. It’s great being part of a team, working hard and long, meeting new people on every job, every day is different and yes- the free meals. Brendan, maybe you’re right in that assisting gets looked down upon in Canada. It’s unfortunate if there is ever a lack of respect, no matter what your occupation. I’m confident in my decision to assist and I’m confident in my decision to start moving on. As a second assistant I’ve worked with some amazing first assistants- locally, from Toronto and from the US. Those first assistants that are being flown around the continent are amazing at what they do and I have a tonne of respect for them. That’s not what I am striving for. For ME it feels like an entirely different career path that doesn’t necessarily translate into a healthy sustainable career as a photographer.
Assisting isn’t for everyone and at the same time I would highly recommend it. Experience on set can’t be taught in school. All the techy/trouble shooting stuff is important but the real value is seeing how relationships work with the photographer, the AD, the stylist, location scout, etc.
That being said, for me the biggest problem with assisting is that I am not shooting.
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