LESSON LEARNED #3-Assisting

Yes, you probably should assist. (All things being equal)

Photograph ©Stephen Lewis

There was a conversation I once had with a fellow art student back in college, discussing the pros and cons of assisting other photographers before going out on our own. He had spent a little time assisting, lugging equipment around for some disagreeable sort and he basically said, “Never again.” Seemed like sound judgement to me. I was naively confident in my ability to come to New York after graduation and start up an art career; gallery shows, museum shows etc. So what did I need with assisting? Fast forward a few months, I had moved into the East Village (essentially living in the hallway of a shared apartment where my bed was so short I had to open the closet so I had a place to put my legs). The rent was due, my girlfriend didn’t consider pizza slices a proper night out and that lucrative art career I hoped for didn’t seem to be coming any time soon. I needed money.

Within a few weeks I was introduced to a commercial still life photographer who was looking for an assistant. I landed the job and began what would become four years of working, learning and meeting all sorts of people; photographers, art directors, editors, stylists and even my future wife who was a studio manager at the time. (More about her in future posts, she’s been my agent now for over 15 years.)

So here comes the lesson: After a few years of assisting, I ran into that college friend and we started trading stories. He had stuck to his guns and never assisted. He somehow managed to have a cool apartment in the Chelsea Hotel and was occasionally taking pictures, but with no connections he was still only dreamily talking about becoming an artist. It was crystal clear to me that this simply was not going to happen. It was an eye-opening lesson for me and I felt lucky that financial need had sent me into assisting, it really is the primary gateway for going out on your own. EVERYBODY I now know in this industry can be traced back to my assisting days and it’s where I learned how to run a business (and learned how NOT to run a business).

Some Advice: Assist people you admire. When I started out we were still mailing typewritten letters and I sent letters to every photographer I could think of; Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Duane Michaels, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe etc. (I worked for Annie, interviewed with Robert Mapplethorpe and Irving Penn - more on that later). You need to cast a VERY WIDE net! Most working photographers have a stable of assistants so it can be difficult to get in the door at first. Keep trying and be patient. Don’t be a pest but don’t be afraid to send updates. I work with a great assistant who sends out a short newsletter / email every month to all his photographers letting us know what he’s reading, what he’s listening to and any new equipment he has for his digital tech work.

Once you get your foot in the door, MAKE YOURSELF INDISPENSABLE! Show up (Early is on time. On time is late.), work hard, be pleasant, think and always try to anticipate. When I find a good assistant I want them for every job and, alas, so does every other photographer, so they can be hard to book (which is how new assistants get in the line up).

Once you start making progress and building a reputation as a reliable assistant, you should try working for different types of photographers to see what fits your personality and I would also advise picking one place to stay for a few months, even a year, especially if it’s a photographer you wish to emulate. Spending time at one studio is a great way to get a deeper understanding of how they run their business.

One last thing: The reason I wrote, “All things being equal.” at the top was because there are those few who don’t need to assist for whatever reason (independently wealthy, great connections, super talented and lucky) but in my experience that’s pretty unusual. For most of us assisting is a great way to learn about this business, make friends, meet interesting people and, who knows, maybe even meet your future spouse.

One more last thing: I was surprised to find that the assistants I work with in Paris aren’t that interested in becoming photographers. I’ve asked around and they all consider assisting a career and they take it very seriously. There are also some extremely talented assistants here in the states who have become successful lighting designers, digital techs, run rental studios or become retouchers - all great ways of staying in photography without the…. let’s say ‘rigamarole’ of opening your own studio. Either way, assisting is probably the best way to get yourself started.

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