San Diego, Southern California Photographer's Assistants Needed

Every photographer realizes after they've done a few photo shoots alone that it's good to have some assistance. It doesn't matter if you're tasked with photograpging 1 or 100 people, it's always nice to have someone their to help you out. Over the years I've had the pleasure of being a photographer's assistant myself and can say it was good to have some on the job training before you go out on your own and tackle it yourself.

Normally I have a set group of people I shoot with and we know we all work well together in a personal and professional circumstances. And since portrait photography is all about people, I like to work with individuals who interact positively with other people.  

If I can, I like to light all my portraits with natural light, so this calls for using an assortment of diffusers and reflectors. When I don't have the luxury of working with an assistant, I'm forced to use light stands and reflector/difusser arm holders. And of course all the stands require lead weights to keep the wind from toppling things over. So needless to say, that's a lot of gear to tote around when you're just yourself. I've done this in the past and I know it can be done, but it makes for a long day.

There will be times when sunlight isn't an option and I will be forced to use hot shoe flash or studio strobes to light the portrait. In this case the assistant can help me set-up, position and power the lights up or down to get the light as natural and pleasing as possible. Lighting is something every photographer practices and works on, so I don't expect a photographer's assistant to know how to do all of that from the beginning. This is something that can be learned by asking questions and watching. 

But being a photographer's assistant isn't just about helping out with gear it's also about interacting with the subject(s) to make them feel relaxed and comfortable during the shoot. I've worked with both male and female assistants and each person brought their own unique personality to the shoot that helped keep the mood positive and fun for everyone.

Now I know everyone's time is valuable so whatever assistant I work with, I want that experience to be something that can walk away with saying that they had fun and they learned something during the process. With that said, I am looking for positive people that want to donate some of their time and in return learn more about portrait photography. You could be a student or someone who's just looking to learn more about what it means to be a portrait photographer. Before I work with anyone, I like to meet in person and make sure we're both on the same page about what we both want out of the relationship.

So if you think you have the following characteristics:

- You have a positive attitude
- You're a people person
- And you're interested in learning more about portrait photography

then, please use the contact form below to email or call me at 619-988-1705.
I look forward to hearing from you. -Chris

And for you San Diego, California photographers out there shooting portraits - weddings - events and are in need of a second shooter, give me a shout, I may be interested helping out if the date(s) are open for me.