Assisting and Mentoring

[Norm Buchanan]

Hi all,

When I read about established photographers they often refer to mentors they have had or other photographers they have been assistants for. I was wondering how typical this is and how either works. It makes sense that you will only get better when surrounding yourself with people who know much more than you do and who aren't afraid to be critical (hopefully constructively). I would guess that assistants work full time for a photographer and that this is isn't typically something that can be done part time by someone who works full time. Is this a fair assessment?

Norm

[Walter Calahan]

Yes

[Ralph Barker]

While Walter's well-phrased answer is correct in most cases, it may also be possible to assist, on a part-time or weekend basis, photographers who may not be able to afford a full-time assistant.

That potential may depend on geographic area (i.e. how large the pool of working photographers is in your area) and how much effort one is willing to put into making contacts. While some shoots are done on weekends that would fit with the schedule of an otherwise-employed assistant, my guess would be that most full-time commercial photographers try to restrict work to conventional days/hours.

[Kirk Gittings]

The problem with using part-time assistants, who have regular jobs, is always availability. You really can't schedule shoots around an assistants availability, because their regular job usually takes up regular working hours.

[paulr]

In NYC a lot of assistants work as part time freelancers. If the photographer needs someone at the last minute, they have a roster of people to call until they find someone who's available.

[Joel Brown]

I have assisted for a couple of photographers on fine art photo workshops and found the expierence to be invaluable. Since a workshop is usually one to three days long, the whole process would be considered part time. I'm sure in the commercial world, where time is $$$ that probably wouldn't be the case.

[Ted Harris]

Assisting at a workshop is one thing and it could work well; assisting on regular work assignments is another entirely. To expand on what Kirk said I have worked several times with students or photographers who wanted to work as an assistant on a part time basis and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Because part-time generally implies that there is something else going on in the life of the assistant I have learned not to schedule/assign anything critical to them. I have had students/partime assistants who made firm committments to showup for a particular assignment at a particular time and either work or something else got in the way.

I am working with a student right now who needs to "assist" a working photographer as part of her class work in a BFA program. We rescheduled several times over the Christmas Holidays and finally we agreed that she would start in February. Not a problem because I knew from past experience not to count on a student for anything time critical. I have had studenets who were absolutely superb and wonderful and I have also had students who have not yet learned the importance of keeping to schedules, etc. Sorry for the rant but a 'snapshot' on the problems the person who you would be assisting or mentoring for has to consider.