I recently was the moderator of a panel discussion for an event for asmp New York chapter.
I believe be an assistant is the best way to bridge the gap from graduating from a photography program and starting a career as a professional photographer.
There are so many practical things that you need to know about how to approach an assignment, work with clients, market yourself, to be a successful photographer.
On the second day of the work shop I was one of five different photographers that alternated between groups of four assistants to give them a practical experience as to what is required to be an assistant on a assignment.
I chose to create an editorial portrait experience.
Photo editors always want options to chose from.
If you come back with just one setup, even if it is a great portrait, they always want other options.
So in my practical, we did three setups in each hour session.
This gave them the a real experience of the pace and pressure of a real shoot.
What I wanted to show them was different lighting strategies, and how lighting is so important to crafting and controlling the environment you choose to shoot in.
Here are some samples from the day.