I haven’t wanted to write a post about being a photo assistant prior to today. I always looked at this little blog as a place to be a photographer talking about photography, inspiration and the like. Not the hassles and headaches of trying to follow the path of the photographer. But, I was reminded of the struggles and hassles while on a shoot recently. Then I came across this great post on A Photo Editor. (Read that post here.) And, that was it. Time to cast aside the fluff pieces and obits for a moment and try to contribute something to the current dialogue about having a career as a photographer.
It’s a brave new photography world and anyone entering this world should be prepared to have multiple income streams (not my term but it’s a good one).
Many of today’s young photographers are multiple threats in the industry already. They can tech (one income stream), assist (freelance or salaried), retouch, work at a studio, and occasionally even shoot (sometimes an income loss, especially if it’s a small, indie magazine editorial).
Then the day may come when they start to shed one of these income streams. That is, actually volunteer to stop making money from working in a certain area of the field. Why would they do such a thing? Because they feel they’re ready to shoot full time. And they’re hoping that this one income stream (shooting) will amount to more at the end of the year than what they earn when they were making money five different ways.
If you aren’t a photographer, this would probably sound really ridiculous but this is exactly what we do. It’s why we tech, assist, and all the rest to begin with. It’s the path that many of us have to take.
I currently only have two income streams. I don’t tech (thankfully), but I do assist often and I get to shoot often as well.
And, I too am looking to jettison one of my income streams! Not just any, but the one I’ve relied on the most since I entered the industry in the late 1990’s as a total outsider (I use the term outsider as someone who never studied photography formally and never started as a studio mop boy).
So, what next? Well, there’s so much work to do—develop the brand, promo, continue to shoot personal work, go out and meet people, etc.
Becoming a full time photographer is all I see myself doing regardless of what it earns me from one year to the next. When I stop assisting, I may or may not have to find another income stream. Maybe even in another industry altogether. And yes, I know full well the economy has been awful and jobs across the board are hard to come by.
But, the economy has been bad for a few years now, digital has expanded the talent pool, maybe even diluted it quite a bit, but it hasn’t stopped several of my very dedicated friends from continuing to produce great work, landing clients, getting repped –the great triumvirate.
The rough economy certainly slowed me down and I’ve had to freelance photo assist much longer than I expected (Good thing I still get something out of it. More on this in another post).
And very importantly, I truly love the photo industry and I’ve come to embrace all the hassles and headaches. Encountering the difficulties means I’m somehow still in the game. If you don’t like playing, then consider a different career. This is not for you. There are so many negatives for someone who doesn’t want to throw everything at this. And, you’re probably in the way.
So yes, a payday in photography can be like playing lottery. Except, maybe we have a cheat? The cheat being the work. You don’t put the backbreaking work in, you don’t consistently produce good images, you don’t develop new relationships in the industry, then play Powerball or hop on a bus to Atlantic City. Crappy buffets but your odds of making a sustainable living are better.
Note: This post was written by someone who’s worked as a freelance photo assistant (in NYC) for many years and only just started landing quality clients in the past two to three years. So, it’s just one perspective and the only one I have for the moment. Is assisting for everyone? Definitely not, and I do plan on posting more about being a photo assistant as well as the some of the toils and travails of trying to be a full time photographer with the goal of having my main income stream come from behind the camera.
Semi-Automatic 