How to Work with an Assistant or Second Shooter

At some point or another, most of us photographers will have a chance to work a job that requires us to hire help. It may be a one-off, or perhaps your studio has come to a point where hiring a full-time assistant makes sense. There are so many factors that go into hiring another person, even full-time. Thinking of the expense, the role that person will play, and how they will fit into your style are just the beginning of these considerations.

Video crews know these challenges all too well, as they are often required to work with a large number of people who know exactly when and what they should be doing and who they will answer to. However, by and large, still photographers work solo a good portion of the time and need to consider very deeply the role another person can play in their business.

Chase Jarvis recently posted a great video answering some questions from the photo community, one of which was about hiring full-time staff. He goes into great detail and raises some excellent points of thought with regards to your responsibilities when hiring another person. He shares some particularly useful information about financial considerations, and it is well worth the watch. It got me thinking about lessons I have learned from working with people over the years. Today, I will go into something I learned quite some time ago working under an event manager for several events.

It's All About Clarity

I'm not talking about that funky slider in Lightroom, but the clarity of information conveyed to the person who is working for you. This is where a good job starts. No matter how talented the person you have hired is, if the information about their job description is not clear, they cannot effectively do the job. Not only does it ensure that the job is done well, it ensures that the person knows where and when they need to be and what they need to be doing. This could be anything from an assistant picking up coffee for the crew ready for the 11 o'clock break to knowing when the dance troupe will interrupt proceedings at an event.

Back to my event manager. I once photographed a private party hosted by Glenlivet and Davidoff for the team. I was given a style to work in. The party was to be warm, classy, and fun. Nothing else was needed. With these directions in mind, I knew the tones I was looking for, the moments I was looking for, and the light I was looking for.

Your Assistant/Second Shooter

Your assistant or second shooter needs to know things just like above. They need to know the style you like to shoot in, the kind of light you like to create, or their role in capturing the images of the day.

Let's say you're doing a food photography job and the restaurant needs a clean shot of each dish for the menu, along with something more editorial and environmental for their promotions. In this simple case, the second shooter would need to know their role. Will they be shooting or preparing scenes? Will they be lighting or working digital tech? If they are shooting, which one will they be shooting and how? What should the final product look like? With all of these questions answered, you can know that the job will be done the way you need it done.

Maybe you just need someone to hold a reflector or a light stand. That person still needs to know how you like to light. That way, you won't need too much direction on set and you can focus on what is important from your end. You shouldn't have to stop the production to help your assistant. If you do, that's on you. Clearly conveying the requirements and necessary skills will get the job done right.

Check In

This is not to say that you don't need to check in from time to time. Are the files coming into the computer smoothly? Are we on schedule for getting the images we need? Have they noticed something you haven't or the other way around? Taking a five minute break to check that everyone is still on the same page is essential to keeping a team running smoothly.

In Conclusion

This is just one aspect of working with others, but an extremely important one. Whether you are collaborating, working together, or hiring someone to work for you, people who know what they are doing are happier and more productive. Ensure that roles are clear when working together.