mostly the case. here in singapore we have many smaller oufit, only have 1st assistant. the 2nd, 3rd or 4th normally are freelancer.
Where do Professional Photographers come from?
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mostly the case. here in singapore we have many smaller oufit, only have 1st assistant. the 2nd, 3rd or 4th normally are freelancer.
you forgot clean camera and lenses...wipe mud off tripods, bags and light stands...charge batteries...make sure consumables like bulbs, compressed air and batteries are not running out...if digital than have to transfer all images to computer and backup...account for all equipement and any damage done to them...and if outdoor shoot and it rains then good luck;p
also, assistants have to know the secret of the compressed air can :devil:
I have read on the National Labour bureau, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos264.htm that the photographers make relatively little money when compared to most other skilled jobs, and lesser as a free-lancer versus full-time hired photographers in media companies and owning your own studio.
Just for curiousity what is the median/average pay for photographers, photographer assistants nd and assistant photographers in Singapore?
Just for curiousity what is the median/average pay for photographers, photographer assistants nd and assistant photographers in Singapore?
This is because Singaporean bosses usually do not have that kind of budget to hire so many assistants.
I was a 1st assistant while working back in the US. What hondasleeper mentioned is correct. I was working directly under my boss, but I supervised other assistants as well; sort of like the middle man in the workflow.
Senior assistants (1st assistant, usually full-time) roughly between S$1,500 to S$2,200.
Full-time junior assistants (2nd and 3rd assistants) between S$900 to S$1,400.
Payment for freelancers varies between S$10 to S$100 per hour. Most photographers I know prefer to pay their freelancers by day rate.
Ok, I think by now you know that my last post was quite an exaggeration with humour in mind.
Truth is you can study every single course out there, know every single theory like the back of your hand and even own the best most expensive camera gear money can buy; but photography is just like art, you either have what it takes or you don't.
While going thru these courses can help you improve; it won't make an artist out of you. I know a couple of people who have never attended a single photography class in their life, but still manage to take some of the best shots I've ever seen in my life.
At the same time, I know a couple of others who owns bloody expensive cameras and superb lenses but can't take a proper photo to save their own life. I had to learn that first hand after I engaged one of them (paid $200) to be #2 photographer for a 2 hour fashion show event. All the bloody photos weren't even in focus for crying out loud!
Sion
Senior Member
In Adam second marriage to Katie he bought a drsl and set everything to auto mode, put it on a tripods and used wireless control to trigger it.
In their honeymoon Adam spent his time photoshopping with a laptop the remote control he held in his hand in every frame. :bsmilie:
i am in this business.... i am a junior photographer, i do my own shoots but i still assist
take a course, but dont go to school, the paper is useless in our field.
besides u will waste your time.
my one advice is that u have to be brave, dont be logical about it. JDI
just do it, and go assist... seriously. go assist in commercial studios if u want to know
about photography as a career choice.
dont think about a back up plan, be fully commited
DO NOT BE FOOLED into thinking that a photographers work is glamourous... IT IS NOT.
ok maybe all except for fashion photographers.
first step to understanding commercial photography is to become an assistant, and i will tell you, your life will be very bad, im not joking. my first pay was $650.
i had to tahan for 6 months. while being verbally abused by my former boss, a very famous local fashion/commercial photographer.
you will command the least amount of respect in the set. u might even have to serve tea to clients. and get groped by gay fellers
But thats the sacrifice i was prepared to make. my vision of the glamourous fashion photographer crashed.
its alot of hard work.. and heart ache... sleepless nights ,long hours.
I see alot of people here who have the money to buy themselves some nifty DSLR and suddenly they want to be a photographer, they approache all these with an attitude of a secondary school boy, all smiles and naivity.
im just trying to say, dont be swayed by the image, THE IMAGE IS FAKE, do it because you love it.
be prepared for heart aches, dissapointments, dissillusionments, and self doubt.
Carry on
take a course, but dont go to school, the paper is useless in our field.
besides u will waste your time.
my one advice is that u have to be brave, dont be logical about it. JDI
just do it, and go assist... seriously. go assist in commercial studios if u want to know
about photography as a career choice.
dont think about a back up plan, be fully commited
DO NOT BE FOOLED into thinking that a photographers work is glamourous... IT IS NOT.
ok maybe all except for fashion photographers.
first step to understanding commercial photography is to become an assistant, and i will tell you, your life will be very bad, im not joking. my first pay was $650.
i had to tahan for 6 months. while being verbally abused by my former boss, a very famous local fashion/commercial photographer.
you will command the least amount of respect in the set. u might even have to serve tea to clients. and get groped by gay fellers
But thats the sacrifice i was prepared to make. my vision of the glamourous fashion photographer crashed.
its alot of hard work.. and heart ache... sleepless nights ,long hours.
I see alot of people here who have the money to buy themselves some nifty DSLR and suddenly they want to be a photographer, they approache all these with an attitude of a secondary school boy, all smiles and naivity.
im just trying to say, dont be swayed by the image, THE IMAGE IS FAKE, do it because you love it.
be prepared for heart aches, dissapointments, dissillusionments, and self doubt.
Carry on
This is the EXACT life of an assistant. I worked my ass-off just like you many years ago BUT I was in the U.S., therefore, I had went through every above mentioned scenarios PLUS racism. No doubt my pay was higher than yours, but I had to pay higher tax there.
It is very sad how some people can think a photographer's job is glamorous. If I have a choice now, I will like to become a school teacher instead.
Hey i am a full time pro photog. I wish I had listen to my mum to be a doc or lawyer. May be now I can afford my dream lecia M8 or the Hassy H3D.
I was dull and dumb when young. Never had the chance of becoming (nor knowingly wanting) to become a doctor, pilot, etc. So now I live the fantasy of being a plastic surgeon by practicing my photoshop skills on my clients. They are my happy patients!
not just plastic surgeon, also dentist, pedi-&-manicurist, make-up artist, hairstylist, hair removal and implanting specialist, fashion stylist, suntanning and skin bleaching technician, and that's just for people...;p
but me, after 4 yrs, I have gone back to useless school...
Understand the business of photography first.
Pro photographer may look glamour on the outside but that is not always the case. There is a lots of different between shooting what you want and shooting what your clients want. Do some research, how many pro wanabe come and go, how much do they get paid ....... If you do not like making cold call for job, like being turn down again and again, chasing after payment, get pay after a year or two. Forget about becoming a photographer, get yourself a job and shoot as a hobby. Trust me, you will enjoy photography more this way.
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