An Assistant was I.

[Sketch]

Just had to bring up that I started as very lowly assistant. In those days you had to haul Speedotron Blackline's all over the place and produce B&W prints.

Today you do not need the Speedo and of course prints are only slightly useful.

[Sketch]

What is the best part about being an assistant you ask? I mostly enjoyed setting up the shoot and not having the pressure of the final shot to deal with.

[Bobby Deal]

I wish I had some one to assist when I was getting started. It might have made the learning curve a little shorter for me. I have been pretty much self taught up until the time I opened the studio for rental. That and teaching has exposed me to a great many different photographers in action and it is amazing how much you learn just watching someone else work. Many of the guys I rent my studio too teach me how not to do things and a few actually teach me some great new ideas and lighting styles.

Seriously though anyone who really wants to fast track their learning should do all they can to get an assistant spot with a quality shooter. Nothing like hands on experience to drive a lesson home.

[photolando]

I loved assisting. I think I enjoyed it more than being a photographer. But I was very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. Right when I was completing photography school in Daytona, a local commercial shooter was looking for a new assistant. Little did I know he was one of the best food shooters as well as product shooters in the southeast.

Funny, as I look back now, my first days were very "Karate Kid" like. The first day I had to clean out the tool bench area. He had more tools than carpenter! I had to take them all out and put them all back. Next day I had to clean out the entire prop cabinet. Commercial shooters, especially food and catalog shooters have a lot of props. Dishes, towels, silverware, glasses, knick knacks, etc. Take them all out. Put them all back.

Then I had to sort all the backdrops and backgrounds, formica, flooring, etc.

Then I had to sort out all the camera and lighting equipment and put it away in nice orderly manner.

I started thinking, "what am I. The clean up boy? What does this have to do with photography? But then on our first shoot, he asked me to set up some power packs and lights. I knew exactly where they were. Set up the 4x5 with a 210 lens. Knew where it was. Then get a tool. I knew where it was. Then certain props. I knew where they were. It all became very clear.

I don't think I ever had to ask him where something was. I knew that studio inside and out after only a few days.

A good assistant knows just a little more than the photographer at times. He knows what he needs before he even asks for it. He's at the studio before anyone and he usually is the last to leave.

A good assistant is just like a good caddie for a pro golfer. He is just as important as the pro himself. If not more.

And he loves every minute of it. I really do miss those days.

[Sketch]

Yeah fellas! Excellent comments on a thread that has no hope.

I am afraid that assisting may be a thing of the past. The mere fact that no one shoots large format puts a lot of jobs on the line. That is a whole other story.

It is only these days that a look at assisting with love. To tell you the truth I hated it a lot of times. Most time I loved it. I did not know it at the time, but I learned a lot about lighting. Learned a lot about set construction. Those are really invaluable skills.

These days it is a slightly different monster. I miss going to the lab. I do not miss lugging the Speedotron Black Line around. Now the Brownline will suffice and I am psyched because that saves about 20 lbs right there.

[Bobby Deal]

Actually I am going to LA next month for a week long intensive one on one with a buddy in the Valley that shoots product for Remo, Emerson and I believe DeWalt. He will be schooling me on the use of the 80mp digital back and tilt shift for product work with hot light. Frankly I cant wait. In all my years in this industry it will be the first time I will have been in a position to actually have someone teach me rather then having to pick up the tools and figure out on my own through trial and error how it is done.

[cyclohexane]

Craig, you jacked my idea for a thread!

I've been meaning to put together a thread about my experiences working as a professional assistant, but something keeps coming up. I'll have a lot to say sooner than later, I hope.

I will say that I still haul Speedotron Blackline around. Carrying 2401SX packs and heads up to the catwalks of basketball arenas is an experience, to say the least.

[Brooks]

I too still haul Speedotron Blackline power packs on location and in the studio, both 4800ws and 800ws. I use an assistant for location shoots that require a lot of lighting which is usually most of them.

Bobby, you'll love shooting with a tilt/shift lens and hopefully you'll get to work with Phase One's Capture One software while shooting tethered on that shoot. Check out the "focus mask" feature and the "overlay" layout feature if you do. Once you've shot tethered to Capture One, it's hard to go back to chimping a 3" lcd.

[Sketch]

For as much complaining that I do I have to say that after a while the ol' Blackline was just a part of me. Lugging it around was never as bad as it seems now. Michael I do feel for you. I rarely carried them up stairs and when it I did it extra sucked.

I am jealous of your visit to LA Bobby. High end for sure.

If you get bored hit me. I am about 15 minutes outside of downtown LA in the South Bay. The Valley is haul, but I had to throw that out there.

[Bobby Deal]

Originally Posted by Sketch

For as much complaining that I do I have to say that after a while the ol' Blackline was just a part of me. Lugging it around was never as bad as it seems now. Michael I do feel for you. I rarely carried them up stairs and when it I did it extra sucked.

I am jealous of your visit to LA Bobby. High end for sure.

If you get bored hit me. I am about 15 minutes outside of downtown LA in the South Bay. The Valley is haul, but I had to throw that out there.

If I get that chance I will definitely look you up. I am working with Stan Glass out there. Most of his stuff is Sound stage work but he also has the commercial and high end headshot studio there. I am looking forward to touring his facilities and working with him a few days on expanding my product offerings to industry or what little we have of it here in Vegas.