Well it seems to be getting a bit quiet around town of late, but that’s just the nature of the business I guess.

This up coming week I have only two days booked for assisting. Now I could sit around and be mopey, but I’ve decided to work on folio images and get my folio looking the way I want it. After a couple of months I realised that I’m not that interested in shooting fashion – though i happily do a little bit here and there – and really miss the time spent in the studio on still life shoots. As a result I’m going back through all my little notebooks and pulling up the shoots I’ve wanted to do for a while, but never got around to it.

In addition to this i’ve been gaining some courage in calling other photographers and letting them know i’m available. It’s not a skill that I am particularly good at but with practice I hope to get over the fear of it. Very rarely will someone on the other end of the phone be unhappy that you called – I guess the more assistants they have to call the easier it is for them to find one.

There are more skills to being a photographer and assistant than just being able to take pictures. One of the most important ones is getting people to know you exist. Theres a great blog by Ian Summers about getting noticed, maybe some interesting techniques need to be implemented during the quiet times. Better yet – implement them during the busy times, and keep the quiet times to a minimum as a result.

Just before Christmas 2007 I was made redudant. It was quite a shock to the system but it was perhaps a great incentive to move on.

I was working in the equipment room of a rental studio in Melbourne and was doing a little bit of shooting for myself when I found the time. The same day that I was made redundant I received two phone calls from people asking if I was available for assisting. I wound up with two weeks of work straight after I left the studio.

After those two weeks I took some time off and relaxed and went diving for a bit and then got straight into shooting a bit more and letting the photographers that I had made contact with at the studio know that I was now available for assisting.

The shock of no longer having to go to work everyday and not having a regular pay check took some time to settle in (i’m not sure I’m used to it yet 8 months on). But the realization that now whether I eat this week or not is on me and only me certainly gave me the hunger to look for work. Sink or swim.

If you find yourself stuck in what you’re doing right now, jump. You’ll land on your feet somewhere, and if you don’t you’ll have the drive to claw your way back up

ps. some new work on my folio – Personal Work

I mentioned before that I worked at a studio while I was in NYC. Initially this was an internship that I applied for through the school I was at (Parsons). I was not required to take an internship during semester, but I wanted to gain some more insight into the industry in NYC other than through school. 

I was advised to approach the bigger studios by an assistant working in NYC. He suggested that it was all about who you knew and then who knew you. He couldn’t be more right. It doesn’t matter if you know the inside workings of a digital back or how to light a face with a 2 stop ratio in rembrant style if you don’t know anyone. The bigger studios in NY have interns working in the equipment room most days of the week. If you’re up for some hard work and looking busy during the other times it’s a great way to meet other assistants. In some cases it’s the photographers who hire the assistants, in others it’s the first assistant and in some cases it’s the producer (other members of the crew also hire assistants but these are the three main ones). 

I originally had a personal bone to pick with interning unpaid. I feel that anyone who brings a benefit to a business should be paid accordingly. If you truly are learning and aren’t able to bring some expertise to help get the job done then it is possible that your gained experience is your payment – but only for a very brief period of time. In an over saturated industry like photography there is a much higher supply than demand and as a result there are all manner of ways to “get your foot in the door” and unfortunately some of them don’t pay. That said after interning at the studio in NYC for two months (two evenings a week) my name was passed to a photographer who needed someone for a two week job. Following that I saw the work I did at the studio equipment room as an investment into my future earnings – I knew the gear, I understood more of the operation with regards to shoots in NYC and was able to add some value to the shoot. My recommendation for anyone looking to assist would be to intern up to the point that you believe you have gained what you can from that position and would be an asset to the photographer and then approach them with a discussion of remuneration. Be diplomatic about it and honest about your own capabilities – a really green assistant can be more of a hindrance on a shoot than a benefit – and if you believe you are ready and the photographer wants you to continue to work for free then walk. Take the experience you’ve gained and add it to your resume and go find a photographer who is worth working for.

All the best for others out there looking for assisting work.

I guess I should introduce myself a little bit.

I finished high school with a grand plan to study engineering and science and become a great scientist or design robotic prosthetics. After graduating from the science degree (anatomy and neuroscience) I went hunting for an honours project. I couldn’t find any projects in Australia that I thought would fit for me so I went in search of an alternate path.

I applied to different schools, different courses and received some offers at the first round which included physiotherapy, masters in science and photography (this one i had applied for on a whim). I decided to accept and defer the physio and take up photography. From there i’ve never looked back. 

After three years studying at RMIT, with a six month stint in NYC at Parsons school of design, I ventured out into the world planning to hang my shingle as a photographer. 

During my time in NYC I interned at one of the larger photo rental studios MILK studios in the equipment room. This gave me a great understanding of all the equipment – how it worked and what to do when it broke. This was invaluable, not only did i know what was going on, but I also made contacts with a lot of assistants. After some time a couple of photographers would come by looking for replacement assistants and I got a few jobs out of it. I’ll write more about this way of getting into the industry a little bit later.

When I came back to Australia I hear that a similar rental studio were looking for someone – Sun Studios (formally Baltronics). I did the same thing here, although here I was paid to be in the equipment room. Using this job I got to know most of the photographers in Melbourne and also a different set of equipment.

Just before Christmas 2007 I was made redundant from Sun Studios. It really couldn’t have happened at a better time. I had finished studying and was itching to get out and get my hands dirty. I’ll write a bit more about losing your job and what it can do for you later as well.

Following that I enrolled into the NEIS program (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme). A program for new businesses funded by the Australian Government. http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Programmes/NEIS/ 

I finished the business course part of NEIS at the end of May and since then have been getting my photography business moving from a non-entity to something that will start to bring in some money. 

I plan on posting updates on what i’m doing to get off the ground, problems i’m facing as i go, aspects of business that i learn and just general stuff about starting a small business.