Assisting and 2nd shooting.

Q: I’D LIKE TO START ASSISTING OR SECOND SHOOTING FOR A WORKING PHOTOGRAPHER. I’VE APPROACHED A FEW PEOPLE BUT HAVEN’T HAD ANY LUCK YET. I HEAR IT’S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS TO BECOME A FULL TIME PHOTOGRAPHER. HOW DO I GET THAT STARTED?

A: I hear this from a lot of people. “I contacted photographers asking to help and no one got back to me or they just said no.” Let me break this down for you from the perspective of someone who gets emails and phone calls asking if they can assist me. Also note that I spent four years of my career as an assistant and seven years as a second shooter.

First, let’s look at this from the other person’s perspective. The one who isn’t getting back to you or saying no.

A new assistant on a job is typically more of a liability than an asset. If you don’t know how I work, how I pack my gear, or how I deal with subjects, then you’ll be standing far in the background. When I’m on a job, I can’t take a lot of time training you. Take something like a wedding gig—I sure can’t take a risk of bringing someone along who I don’t know. I’ve had assistants say the wrong thing, at the wrong time, to the wrong person on a job. And who is that a reflection of? Them or me? Me.

You will have a very difficult time getting anyone to let you tag along on a job if they have zero history with you. I only bring new assistants along on personal shoots or on jobs that are under controlled conditions, or the assistant is a personal recommendation from another photographer. If I don’t know you except from a single email or phone call, and you don’t know anyone I know, then chances are I’m not going to get back to you, or I’ll politely tell you no.

Also note that if you’re offering a “one-time assist for a day” deal, that isn’t much help for you or for me. When I’m on a job I have to focus completely on that job. Period. You’ll get very little from standing around for one day. If you don’t know how I work, and what I need when I need it, and where it is when I need it, then you aren’t much help either. Neither one of us is getting a lot. Both of us have a good chance ending up frustrated. Trust me. I know. From both sides of the coin.

Your best bet is to do your homework. Find someone whose work you respect. Find every bit of information on them that you can. Their blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, etc. You can mine a lot of information about a person from these outlets. Do they like the same music you do? Do they hang out at the same places? Do they have kids the same age as yours? One of the most important questions Meg and I ask of someone new is, “Can they hang?” Will we actually like hanging out with this new person? As much homework that you are doing on the photographer you would like to assist, they are probably doing as much homework on you, as well.

© David E. Jackson / www.davidejackson.com

When you find someone you really feel you would mesh with, send an email:

Dear Photographer,

I’ve been a fan of your work for a long time and I’m just getting started in the industry. I know you’ve had your ups and downs and I’m really hoping that I could buy you a cup of coffee at [coffee house where photographer always Twitters from] or a cold pint of [beer photographer always tweets about].

While I’d love to assist you, I know you’re busy and just getting a cup of coffee might be too much to ask. My schedule is open if yours is. I know I’m as green as grass but here is a link to my web site. I really want to pursue [portraits/weddings/editorial] work. I know I have a long way to go. That’s why I’m looking for some assisting work. I appreciate your time very much.

Thanks,

New Kid on the Block

PS—Love that shot you did recently of [so and so]. Congrats on getting that job.

...

Maybe you’ll get on their radar. Maybe. Note that if you want to take them to coffee, or assist them, then someone else wants to, as well. Maybe 10 other people have emailed them this month. Maybe 20. Imagine 20 people wanting to go have coffee with you. If you sit with everyone for an hour that’s 20 hours of time you’ve spent. I personally don’t have 20 hours a month to sit and drink coffee with folks. You need to understand that a lot of photographers already have someone assisting them, or they have their regular roster they call on when needed. They aren’t being an asshole if they say no. They aren’t trying to keep you from competing with them. It means you have to find another photographer to ask. Then another. And another.

Be persistent without being a pest. Reach out to busy assistants in your town and make some connections there. Try to be a second assistant for free or cheap. If a few assistants can trust you, they can help with referrals. Like all things, it seems impossible to break in, but you just need to crack the surface a few times and things will start to happen.

The same thing goes for second shooting. Put yourself in their shoes. You’re covered in weddings. You have emails and phone calls to get back to. You’re six albums behind. You’re married. You have kids. You have 32 more weddings to shoot for the year. You’re trying to get your blog updated. You’d love to just have a week off.

Someone emails you out of the blue about second shooting for you. You have no idea who this person is and they don’t have a lot of work to show. Is this person going to be a hard worker and become an asset to you, or are they just going to leech information from you and disappear into the night after they get what they want? You also have five other people asking the same thing.

You’re covered up with work. Your spouse is calling. You need to head out the door to make it home in time for dinner. You will have to eat and run because you have a meeting with a bride and her mother that evening. How likely will you get in contact with these people you don’t know? Then add the fact that you already have a second shooter who you love, and you know they aren’t going anywhere soon.

So...this person getting in contact with you. How high on your priority list are they? Not very.

How likely is it that you’ll even get around to replying to them? Not likely.

What is the chance they will feel slighted and call you an asshole? Likely.

So you are that person reaching out to someone who isn’t looking for you. How do you cut through the noise of their life to stand up and be noticed without looking like a pest or a fool? You’ve got to get on their radar. Just a cup of coffee would be a great place to start, but how do you get there?

I’ll tell you what typically grabs my attention. I get a lot of emails asking for this kind of stuff. Most get thrown into a folder to be looked at later, and I usually don’t see them again. That folder is sort of an abyss. Anyway, a lot of people email and say they like my work, they think I’m great, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes they’ll talk about the gear they own. Blah, blah, blah. Sometimes they talk about the lighting style they like. Blah, blah, blah. Sometimes they talk about how well they know Lightroom. Blah, blah, blah.

Then someone will say, “I can shoot and edit the hell out of some video.” “I can program Wordpress.” “I’m a good writer and can help create and edit blog posts for you.” “I’m a certified CPA and know QuickBooks like the back of my hand.” “I’m a lawyer and I know contracts.”

Do you think I need help with my gear? No. With my lighting? No. With Lightroom? No. I got that. That’s what I do. However, what piques my interest is when folks write to me and have something different to offer that is outside of my typical skill set but deals with my day-to-day job.

Assisting and second shooting can be difficult to break into. You need to show that you’re a hard worker, you’re efficient, and you have some unique skill sets that you can bring to the table. Don’t worry if your photography isn’t that great. I’m not expecting it to be. In fact, the better your photography is, the more likely I’ll tell you that you shouldn’t be assisting. You should be shooting.

Remember that the process of working with someone is a two-way street. You want to learn from behind the scenes and gain experience and knowledge. The person you are working for needs to have some things taken off their plate so they can concentrate on other important aspects of their life and their business. I can’t stress to you enough, though, that persistence pays off. You have to dance along that thin line of being persistent and being a pest. I can’t tell you exactly how that works. No one can.