Hi there,

I'm new here so don't be too harsh if this is in the wrong place. =)

I want to assist a fashion photographer so I can get to learn the ropes, and of course work my ass off in the process. Just wondering, would it be worthwhile to take any assisstant training courses (£100 ($200)) or do photographers not really care about a rookie asst's ability?

This is the course in question: http://www.directlighting.co.uk/trainingcourses.asp

Hi There:

I can't answer your question, but I can welcome to the list. And I promise not to chew on anything.

Mike.

thanks =)

I am usually open to having new assistants on set. I may not pay them like the more experienced ones but if they are serious and act appropriately, I will invite them back. You've got to learn somewhere and I would prefer real world experience as opposed to those "lighting workshops". I'd suggest that you find a couple of local photographers that impress you and introduce yourself. If they like your attitude, odds are they will invite you to work a shoot with them.

If you have the time and cash then ok, but a good assistant comes from having a good head on his or her shoulders and being able to think quickly, use there own initiative and get along with who they're working with. If you can't do this a course won't make any difference.

When I was studying photography a couple years ago some of my classmates applied for fashion photography assisting jobs and found that largely they needed both a good portfolio as well as good technical knowledge.

I unfortunately don't shoot fashion (useless at it ) but if you're based in the UK you could have a look at the job section in photographers.co.uk. There are sometimes fashion photographers advertising for assistants.

Knowing a few basics is better than nothing. The class is quite cheap so go for it. You may also make a few contacts there that could help you out further down the road. It's a lot of networking, persistence as well as hard work.

-N

My best advice for getting work as a photo assistant is to be persistent and show that you are well prepared. I personally spent two years in LA doing assistant work before going out on my own as professional photographer. I also hired many assistants in my time and found that in general a hard worker who is not afraid to ask questions and shows up on time is going to be hired again and again. To get you foot in the door bring along some of your work and express your passion for wanting to learning more about photography, look neat and come off as one who is reliable. Ask the photographer that you are interested in working for if it is OK to call and check in with him every couple of weeks or so. You will find that one day he will tell you; get your ass over here now my assistant today didn't show up or called in sick. Stay on top of it and you will get on track. The harder you try the luckier you will get. BEST DAVID HOPTMAN

I used to assist quite a bit and have since hired and worked with many assistants and an old saying comes to mind: "you can train skills but you can't train attitude." as an assistant starting out I'd say having a good attitude is far more critical than having a particluar expertise.

Depends on the photographer and assignment of course, but being hyper-attentive to the needs of the photographer, learning quickly from mistakes, being willing to haul gear or hand-hold a redlector at the proper angle, knowing how to set up a light stand, use the basic functions of a flash meter and tape down cables would take you very far in my book.