Shadowing a photographer?

[PaulWog]

Does anyone have any experience with this? Etiquette, the process, etc?

I know precisely the things I need to improve, and I think shadowing a photographer (or multiple) whenever I get the chance will help me get that baseline of experience I need.

 

[sscarmack]

I've never 'shadowed', but I have shot with other photographers trying to get the same shot.

Best input I can give is to be courteous and always be aware of your surroundings.

 

[dennybeall]

Find someone that you will not be in direct competition with later on.
Provide some value to that person so they will help you. Carry stuff or get coffee or whatever. Hopefully you can help with the photo equipment - lights, reflectors and such.
Listen, learn and for gosh sakes don't tell them how you would do IT!!!

 

[Browncoat]

I hope you have better luck than I did.

4 years ago when I first took interest in attempting to turn my photography hobby into a business, my first course of action was to call around to local pros and seek an apprenticeship program. I was living in a large city at the time, and called upon every studio I could find a phone number for, and was diligent about it. A few were courteous and told me that they just didn't have a place for an apprentice at that time. One said he already had an active apprentice. The rest were rather rude, with the general theme of: "I'm not training my competition." One guy even told me to go f@#$ myself. The others who were left just flat out ignored me, and didn't return my calls or emails.

Next, I tried the local amateur guys, and contacted about a dozen of them. All of them either spoke to me right away or returned my call within a day or two. Many of them said they would be glad to work with me. In fact, I was a 2nd shooter at a wedding with one of them the very next weekend.

Most "pro" studio owners these days aren't interested in doing apprenticeships. A lot of them like to sit around and rant about the glory days, but none of them are willing to offer the same learning opportunities they had. At least in my experience.

 

[Mandolin]

I was a photographer's assistant for 2 years in college. She did portraits and wedding photography, and I mainly started off doing office work and "running." I would pick up lab work, grab her lunch, even walk her dog. We became great friends, and then she started inviting me to assist at weddings. I would lug the bags, check the lighting, find people who were wandering off, etc. Needless to say I about **** my pants when she handed me the camera one day, and asked me to shoot alongside her. This was the beginning of me taking many of her candids in later shoots. It was a wonderful experience, and she taught me so much. Mainly it taught me that I never want to be a wedding photographer

Getting back to the point of the thread, though, I would begin by forming a relationship with a photographer you want to shadow. By doing this, s/he will trust you to go on shoots, will value your insights, and will be happy to mentor you. Then again, maybe I just got lucky.

 

[KmH]

Mandolin's story is the exception rather than the rule.

Most working photographers simply do not have time to mentor someone.

 

[ruggedshutter]

I have had the same reaction as Browncoat with most of the locals. I noticed that a local pro here was from my area so I contacted him through this site and I was able to assist him for a wedding. I learned a lot that day and really enjoyed it. One has to realize that a wedding is so busy, chaotic and stressful that a pro has to have complete trust in someone that they allow to assist them. That assistant is representing their work and if they are off not helping or is rude to someone that reflects poorly on them. There's a lot of risk in bringing someone on that you barely know and I was very fortunate to find someone that allowed me the opportunity.

 

[dennybeall]

Obvious application of the WIFM Principle. The term Apprentice infers you're being trained to replace the person. Assistant may be a better term along with words around a willingness to do the gopher and scut work for an opportunity to observe.
Still be hard to find someone that needs the help but may be possible if the approach is right.

 

[Browncoat]

I forgot to mention...the one place I did succeed was an internship with the local newspaper, so you might look into that. It was a grueling summer, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

 

[e.rose]

I would begin by forming a relationship with a photographer you want to shadow. By doing this, s/he will trust you to go on shoots, will value your insights, and will be happy to mentor you.

Definitely.

And this goes for anything really.

Find people that you respect and want to learn from. Reach out to them and offer to assist them. Be diligent and attentive if they allow you to assist them, but don't be discouraged if they don't.

Back in Pennsylvania, everyone was a jackass. There were people *looking* for assistants and I would respond, but they were threatened by me so they sent me packing. Which is ridiculous, because I lived in a different enough area, and didn't shoot the same way or have the same target clients, but that's how central, northeastern, and Philadelphia work so. Yeah.

But when I came to Nashville, people have been surprisingly helpful. There are still those here that will shut you out, but overall, the community is much more helpful and willing to foster new photographers.

That being said, my BEST connection ever made, was a connection I wasn't *trying* to make. At least not from a photography standpoint.

I met a guy at work, who intrigued me when I found out he was a photographer (and a good one, at that), but we ended up becoming really, really good friends. Because of that now, I assist him, and I learn a sh*tton from him. But not only that, he assists *me*... just because we're friends... and now that he's officially decided to launch a wedding brand, I have a secured slot as his second shooter.

There was no wheeling and dealing over it, it was just something he decided, based on how we work together and the fact that we're good friends.

Moral of the story is, reaching out and being persistent is important, but even more important than that is the relationship you build with that person, or anyone else you run into.

 

[snowbear142 73]

Paul - I have no real experience in this, but what have you got to lose but time? I'd go for it.
Emily - That friendliness & helpfulness is part of the southern culture.

 

[DevC]

Honestly....I'm gonna have to agree with KmH.

It seems my experience trying to be an assistant to a photographer is quite hard. Many just seem as if they don't have the time. Usually if you help, its something that isn't beneficial at all to your experience...i.e getting coffee, carrying a bag around...not really helping you but helping them.

 

[IzzieK]

Life did not promise you a rose garden either...you have to work hard at it if you want to succeed in anything.

 

[Browncoat]

It seems my experience trying to be an assistant to a photographer is quite hard. Many just seem as if they don't have the time. Usually if you help, its something that isn't beneficial at all to your experience...i.e getting coffee, carrying a bag around...not really helping you but helping them.

When I did that assisting gig, we were shooting home interiors for a magazine. I think we shot 6 or 8 houses over the course of 4 days, and it was brutal. I worked my ass off for that guy: lugging gear up and down flights of stairs, setting up, tearing down, loading and unloading, and my God that one light...the stand weighed almost 100 lbs. Setting up lights, moving lights, adjusting lights, I don't like that light, get another light. No, I like the first one better.

By the last day, I was getting grumpy. At the last house, he handed the reigns over to me. How would I do this shoot? Where would I set everything up? He worked me through the whole process, and HE MOVED THE LIGHTS. It was a real Karate Kid moment. I felt like Daniel-san painting the fence, up down up down. Paint the house, side to side. Wax on, wax off. I thought I wasn't learning anything at all except how to be this guy's *****, but he had been teaching me the whole time.

 

[e.rose]

Emily - That friendliness & helpfulness is part of the southern culture.

Oh for sure.

But also, to be fair... no one in Nashville is FROM here. People are from all over.

And that friend, I was talking about? He's from Ohio. He's only been here a few months longer than me.

But you're 100% right, overall, people here are just warmer than up north. I knew that before I even moved here, from visiting a few times for the job I was doing at the time.