Assistant for Travel Weddings?
Today, I had a great question from a New York bride-to-be that I will be shooting for next year in Colorado. Her question and my reply follow.
Question:
I have a question, what is your recommendation as far as having an assistant with you? I spoke with Sara (past client), she said your assistant was amazing. John and I are going to need to be careful where we put our money, we are paying for our wedding on our own. And there are areas we know we are going to have to cut....however, I wouldn't want to cut anything that helps you with doing your work. To give you an idea of the size of our wedding we are looking at 80-90 people.
You are the first on wedding priority list. Photos are such an important part of our life, you should see our apartment, we are running out of wall space. So with that said, we don't want to try to cut something in an area that is important to us if we shouldn't.
Reply:
Functionally, an excellent assistant helps in many ways, but I'll be concise and narrow it down.
First of all they help with all the physical stuff. Lighting issues that require scrim, reflector, second flash, bags and gear: all of these fall under their responsibiltiy. This helps me focus more on the image making. They also serve as second camera when I can't be in two places at once. Often during the reception I will send Lauren off to make photos of the children in the wedding while I keep my eye on the bride and groom's activities. They also allow for a second perspective of the procession and other aspects of the ceremony.
Secondly, a good assistant provides someone for me to work with creatively and a second set of eyes. Teamwork can inspire new ideas and bring personal chemistry into the mix. My assistants are not just bag carriers; these are intelligent, bright, creative young photographers, that are fun to work with. During the past 3 years I chose to use women in their mid 20's because they have fresh eyes and bring a wonderfully feminine view to the team dynamic. And yes, I do prefer to work with women! Being happily married to a beautiful woman for 18 years, and with our two teenage daughters... I'm no foreigner to the power of the feminine mystique.
Given the import you place on photography I think you will be glad you spent the extra to have the contribution of one of my assistants. I offer to work alone, only because I know budgetary constraints are a real consideration for most folks. If someone really wants my personal work for a destination wedding, I hate for them go away because of the added expense of providing travel and room for my assistant.
Question:
I have a question, what is your recommendation as far as having an assistant with you? I spoke with Sara (past client), she said your assistant was amazing. John and I are going to need to be careful where we put our money, we are paying for our wedding on our own. And there are areas we know we are going to have to cut....however, I wouldn't want to cut anything that helps you with doing your work. To give you an idea of the size of our wedding we are looking at 80-90 people.
You are the first on wedding priority list. Photos are such an important part of our life, you should see our apartment, we are running out of wall space. So with that said, we don't want to try to cut something in an area that is important to us if we shouldn't.
Reply:
Functionally, an excellent assistant helps in many ways, but I'll be concise and narrow it down.
First of all they help with all the physical stuff. Lighting issues that require scrim, reflector, second flash, bags and gear: all of these fall under their responsibiltiy. This helps me focus more on the image making. They also serve as second camera when I can't be in two places at once. Often during the reception I will send Lauren off to make photos of the children in the wedding while I keep my eye on the bride and groom's activities. They also allow for a second perspective of the procession and other aspects of the ceremony.
Secondly, a good assistant provides someone for me to work with creatively and a second set of eyes. Teamwork can inspire new ideas and bring personal chemistry into the mix. My assistants are not just bag carriers; these are intelligent, bright, creative young photographers, that are fun to work with. During the past 3 years I chose to use women in their mid 20's because they have fresh eyes and bring a wonderfully feminine view to the team dynamic. And yes, I do prefer to work with women! Being happily married to a beautiful woman for 18 years, and with our two teenage daughters... I'm no foreigner to the power of the feminine mystique.
Given the import you place on photography I think you will be glad you spent the extra to have the contribution of one of my assistants. I offer to work alone, only because I know budgetary constraints are a real consideration for most folks. If someone really wants my personal work for a destination wedding, I hate for them go away because of the added expense of providing travel and room for my assistant.
posted by Larry at 12:50 PM
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