Photographer's assistant pay??

de_stan · 1st March 2005

Hi like to check whats the market rate (if theres any) salary for a photographer's assistant?
If not wrong I doubt it's very high.

zig · 24th March 2005

its 500-800... sucks right?......but as my boss puts it...you're paid to learn...
no fixed working timing ....some times very busy some days slack...
somedays veryvery early somedays very very late...

so are you a pamperd baby or are you tough enough?
good luck soldier

Witness · 24th March 2005

are u sure u dun draw commission for shoots instead? got basic pay when u are learning one ar..

hmmm...

Ian · 24th March 2005

Originally Posted by de_stan

Hi like to check whats the market rate (if theres any) salary for a photographer's assistant?
If not wrong I doubt it's very high.

It varies from photographer to photographer. I pay up to 200 AUD a day to my PA, though the exact amount varies and is dependent on the job being undertaken. To be fair though, my PA's been with me for almost 5 years now.

IcCcYBoi · 24th March 2005

waah... then got people wanna hire mi anot?? hee...

but can only work on weekends... =X

ling13 · 24th March 2005

Being a assistant photographer,i a lot of hard work,but you get to learn a lot from the photographer.You get to use a lot of equiment that i can hardly afford it.

I am working as a freelace assistant photographer,and at the same time i am shooting for events as well.Have been a assistant for 4 years,i have learn from different things from different photographer.

The pay might not be much,but u get to learn a lot.Once you have learn the skill,it good for you.then can start to build your own portfolio.That is what i am trying to do now.

Good luck to you.

zig · 24th March 2005

...... i think being a photographers assistant is a full time thing freelance or not, because..well photographers shoot sometimes at unearthly hours and also undeterminded working timings.
so if you can find weekend jobs...you are damn lucky.

i dont know how other studios work....but from my experince, you start out from the bottom(with bottom pay) learn how to do the light setups, then maybe some DI, then after a while you get the lower profile jobs.....and you get a little cut of it....and if you're good enough you become a partner...
or something like that.

the pay is crap..and sometimes you get treated like crap...and you gotta take crap... so basically its crap.... but i wouldnt have it any other way.

Stereobox · 25th March 2005

OT abit ... plugging our very own thread for photographer's assistants

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=85109

what zig said is right, "are you a pamperd baby or are you tough enough?"

it's NEVER easy being an assistant. you really have to work your way up. but in the end, it's about enthusiasm and job satisfication.

you may have the money to buy high end equipment, but do you have the knowledge, experience to produce an image that sells? not to mention the network. i sincerely think, one of the ways to gain this is through assisting.

about pay..it differs from photographer to photographer. i can say it could be higher when in the past, there were really big studios around. now, most of those studios have either gone or broken down into one-man show who hire freelance help.

some pay by the hour, some pay by day. expect to earn anything from $60 - $120 and above per day, as a very general guideline.

Pro Image · 25th March 2005

Market rate as follows:

Fulltime Basis
Monthly : Max is $1,200 (OT is not counted yet, Public Holiday is double pay )
Hours : 9 hours (9am-6pm) Mon - Fri, Sat and Sun is usually off day but if there is a job, they are allowed to choose one day off on a weekdays.
Payment : Monthly
Positive side : Know the photographers habit and more reliable.
Negative side : More difficult to poach but I have seen some of them have done it before.

Part time/Freelance : $80-$120 day. (No OT pay)
Hours : Not fixed.
Payment : On the spot and not fixed. Sometimes can reach up to $2,000 if have the skills and good working attitude.
Positive : Cheaper. If those with good experience, it will help the photographers in their work.
Negatives side : Some assistant tends to poach customers. Not all are reliable.

This is for those with experience in handling all kinds of lighting equipments with basic photography skills. Able to handle and do simple setups. No attitude problem. Never late for work. Make good coffee! Haha.......

Stereobox · 25th March 2005

Originally Posted by Pro Image

Part time/Freelance : $80-$120 day. (No OT pay)
Hours : Not fixed.
Payment : On the spot and not fixed. Sometimes can reach up to $2,000 if have the skills and good working attitude.
Positive : Cheaper. If those with good experience, it will help the photographers in their work.
Negatives side : Some assistant tends to poach customers. Not all are reliable.

you mean those "anything the photographer can do, i can do it for you better, faster and cheaper!" ?

i'm sure that's rarer with big name clients.

Pro Image · 25th March 2005

Originally Posted by Stereobox

you mean those "anything the photographer can do, i can do it for you better, faster and cheaper!" ?

i'm sure that's rarer with big name clients.

Ahh not too sure about you but I had some who tried to poach mine. The problem started when some of my clients found it irritating that some of them called them and approach without my knowledge as they can remember that they were my assistant.

Now I ask them to sign a black and white contract.

It's not that I am afraid to lose my client as my clients do use other photographers but by approaching them and telling them they can give better, CHEAPER and faster than me. My client just laugh when they told me about it.

My clients comes in all shapes and sizes. The bigger they are, the more difficult it is to collect their money. Most of my client are small frys....hehe.

Stereobox · 25th March 2005

Originally Posted by Pro Image

My clients comes in all shapes and sizes. The bigger they are, the more difficult it is to collect their money. Most of my client are small frys....hehe.

better not let your clients read this, you calling them small fries

Pro Image · 25th March 2005

Originally Posted by Stereobox

better not let your clients read this, you calling them small fries

my client don't even know about CS, let alone Pro Image.....haha. I have my own company name and it's not Pro Image....haha. beside when they are around, I will never log on to CS. they preferred that way anyway as they want to keep themselves low profile.....

Ian · 26th March 2005

Originally Posted by Pro Image

Market rate as follows:
No attitude problem. Never late for work. Make good coffee! Haha.......

So true, but you forgot they must know every good lunch-bar / street vendor (as appropriate for country of operation) plus have the ability to know when the boss (us) needs a coffee, food or smokes etc.

ling13 · 26th March 2005

All I can say that all i have learn from different photographer.Its priceless.

ling13 · 26th March 2005

All I can say that all i have learn from different photographer.Its priceless.

1st March 2005	#1
de_stan Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 229	Photographer's assistant pay?? Hi like to check whats the market rate (if theres any) salary for a photographer's assistant? If not wrong I doubt it's very high.

24th March 2005	#3
Witness Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: www.maverickatwork.com Posts: 6,768	are u sure u dun draw commission for shoots instead? got basic pay when u are learning one ar.. hmmm... __________________ w maverick.photography b maverick.blogging

24th March 2005	#2
zig Deregistered Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: woodlands baby! Posts: 281	its 500-800... sucks right?......but as my boss puts it...you're paid to learn... no fixed working timing ....some times very busy some days slack... somedays veryvery early somedays very very late... so are you a pamperd baby or are you tough enough? good luck soldier

24th March 2005	#5
IcCcYBoi Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tampines Posts: 198	waah... then got people wanna hire mi anot?? hee... but can only work on weekends... =X

24th March 2005	#6
ling13 New Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 50	Being a assistant photographer,i a lot of hard work,but you get to learn a lot from the photographer.You get to use a lot of equiment that i can hardly afford it. I am working as a freelace assistant photographer,and at the same time i am shooting for events as well.Have been a assistant for 4 years,i have learn from different things from different photographer. The pay might not be much,but u get to learn a lot.Once you have learn the skill,it good for you.then can start to build your own portfolio.That is what i am trying to do now. Good luck to you.

25th March 2005	#8
Stereobox Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cocteau Twins Posts: 2,105	OT abit ... plugging our very own thread for photographer's assistants http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=85109 what zig said is right, "are you a pamperd baby or are you tough enough?" it's NEVER easy being an assistant. you really have to work your way up. but in the end, it's about enthusiasm and job satisfication. you may have the money to buy high end equipment, but do you have the knowledge, experience to produce an image that sells? not to mention the network. i sincerely think, one of the ways to gain this is through assisting. about pay..it differs from photographer to photographer. i can say it could be higher when in the past, there were really big studios around. now, most of those studios have either gone or broken down into one-man show who hire freelance help. some pay by the hour, some pay by day. expect to earn anything from $60 - $120 and above per day, as a very general guideline.

25th March 2005	#9
Pro Image Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Last planet from the sun Posts: 2,822	Market rate as follows: Fulltime Basis Monthly : Max is $1,200 (OT is not counted yet, Public Holiday is double pay ) Hours : 9 hours (9am-6pm) Mon - Fri, Sat and Sun is usually off day but if there is a job, they are allowed to choose one day off on a weekdays. Payment : Monthly Positive side : Know the photographers habit and more reliable. Negative side : More difficult to poach but I have seen some of them have done it before. Part time/Freelance : $80-$120 day. (No OT pay) Hours : Not fixed. Payment : On the spot and not fixed. Sometimes can reach up to $2,000 if have the skills and good working attitude. Positive : Cheaper. If those with good experience, it will help the photographers in their work. Negatives side : Some assistant tends to poach customers. Not all are reliable. This is for those with experience in handling all kinds of lighting equipments with basic photography skills. Able to handle and do simple setups. No attitude problem. Never late for work. Make good coffee! Haha.......

26th March 2005	#15
ling13 New Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 50	All I can say that all i have learn from different photographer.Its priceless.