Just got an interesting offer...

maxfox426

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#1
A professional photographer in my area just left a message on my answering machine looking for an assistant for an upcoming photo shoot.

I've been to her to have portraits done with Justin a couple of times, and she does know that I hobby with photography. That said, I've never once contacted her looking for work or anything of that nature.

And yet, she called me about it.

I am simultaneously excited and nervous about the prospect.

I've always just "done my own thing" with my camera and have never assisted a photographer before. It will be a bit of a learning curve to find what it is she expects. Also, she's asking about assistance with a group of daycare kids. 99% of my personal photography gigs have been with high school marching bands. Those kids are always in neat, organized rows as a default. LOL!

Not much point in this post other than just to share. I'm going to call her back in a few minutes...
 

stardogs

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#2
I wonder if preschool/daycare kids would respond to a squeaky toy like a puppy would...

Sounds like a cool opportunity!
 

Fran101

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#3
Sounds fun :) I mean, if nothing else, it'll familiarize you with the equipment and you can steal some tricks/tips from a pro!
 

maxfox426

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#4
I called back! I have the job! :cool:

I totally spaced on asking about pay, but honestly, I don't care. LOL! If I get paid, awesome. If I don't, the learning experience is worth it.


I wonder if preschool/daycare kids would respond to a squeaky toy like a puppy would...

Sounds like a cool opportunity!
From my experience with photographing my son... yes. Yes, they often respond to squeaky toys like a puppy. :rofl1:


Sounds fun :) I mean, if nothing else, it'll familiarize you with the equipment and you can steal some tricks/tips from a pro!
Exactly! Basically all I'll be doing this time around is baby/toddler wrangling. Wiping noses and fixing hair before their photos are taken, cuddling the criers, chasing the runners, etc. I'm already familiar with most of her studio setup from having portraits done by her in the past, but it will be neat to see what her "mobile" studio entails. Especially lighting!
 

AllieMackie

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#5
Oh awesome! It's a ton of fun. My co-worker's hubby Serge is a professional photographer and I've been his assistant a few times that she's been unavailable. He's taught me lots of little tidbits about photographing, especially when it comes to pets, that I had no idea about.

Example: We did a greyhound event a few weeks ago, and he told me that getting a greyhound to perk its ears for a photo is one of the hardest things to do in the pet photography world. He was right; I had to continually throw treats at Serge's head in order to get the greyhounds to perk their ears in his direction for a half second for the photo. It often took many takes. I worked, though! :rofl1:
 

Fran101

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#6
Oh awesome! It's a ton of fun. My co-worker's hubby Serge is a professional photographer and I've been his assistant a few times that she's been unavailable. He's taught me lots of little tidbits about photographing, especially when it comes to pets, that I had no idea about.

Example: We did a greyhound event a few weeks ago, and he told me that getting a greyhound to perk its ears for a photo is one of the hardest things to do in the pet photography world. He was right; I had to continually throw treats at Serge's head in order to get the greyhounds to perk their ears in his direction for a half second for the photo. It often took many takes. I worked, though! :rofl1:
Love his work!! So unique and fun!! He is very talented :D
 

Doberluv

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#7
Oh wow! Congratulations! This is very, very cool. You will learn all kinds of things and maybe it can become a real profession for you...if that's what you're thinking about. She must think a lot of you to have approached you on this. I hope you enjoy it and get a lot out of it. I'm sure you'll be a great asset to her. And yes, I totally think kids respond to squeaky toys. lol. Really.
 

Brattina88

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#8
:D congrats! We get sooooo many photographers in the school - the staff have their favorites with who is good with the children and who isn't. I think it sounds like you'd be good at it!
 

maxfox426

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#9
Thanks everybody! I'm excited and anxious to see how this pans out. Thank you for all the positive thoughts and encouragement!
 

maxfox426

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Well, today was the first day of the two-day gig. I'm exhausted.

And to tell the truth, I don't know how much I helped. I don't think it went badly AT ALL, but I don't know how to tell how well it actually went. I mean, I think it went okay. There was some confusion along the way, but we got most of the portraits done that we had on the list to do for Day One. So... success! LOL

I also found out that this photographer is getting out of the business. Her other at-home jon is in advertising and marketing, and she has decided to focus on that instead of the photography moving forward.

So I get home, worn out, and tell this story. Now I am being encouraged to try to take over her client base, to take advantage of the situation. The problem is that I don't know if this is a gig I want or not, and I also have no equipment of my own. This was supposed to be an opportunity to gain experience so I could find out... not so I could jump in head first.

I hate to waste and opportunity, but I'm also somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of making a huge investment in something I'm still not sure about. I'm not prepared to do it RIGHT NOW, but the time to make the call is, well, right now.

So now I'm exhausted and stuck in the middle.
 

Barbara!

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#11
I mean, if you don't like it... You could just stop doing it. If you don't do it, you may always question "What if?".
 

stardogs

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#12
Are you sure you have to make the decision right now? Perhaps she'd be willing to loan you the equipment for a "trial period" so you can try it on for size a bit more before committing?
 

Taqroy

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#13
Are you sure you have to make the decision right now? Perhaps she'd be willing to loan you the equipment for a "trial period" so you can try it on for size a bit more before committing?
Or rent? That might be an option. I'd be hesitant to make that kind of commitment (especially OMGRIGHTNAO) as well.
 

maxfox426

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I mean, if you don't like it... You could just stop doing it. If you don't do it, you may always question "What if?".
Are you sure you have to make the decision right now? Perhaps she'd be willing to loan you the equipment for a "trial period" so you can try it on for size a bit more before committing?
Or rent? That might be an option. I'd be hesitant to make that kind of commitment (especially OMGRIGHTNAO) as well.

I think that all her equipment is already spoken for. In passing, she said something along the lines of "all that I have left for sale is the props." I may have misheard. It's definitely something I could as her about, but if she really is selling it all, I would have to act fast. Hence the "RIGHT NOW" aspect of all this. (Of course, if it's already all pre-sold, then I'm just out of luck.)

Yes, there is the "what if" factor, but there is also of the thousands of dollars worth of equipment I would need to obtain (from her or elsewhere). Especially if I am trying to draw referrals from her existing client base. At this very moment, I am simply not prepared to fill that role.

That, and I suck at being a "look before you leap" type of person. This is something I'd thought about before, but never researched. So to have it dropped in my lap (in a matter of speaking), I am now feeling intimidated and overwhelmed by the prospect.

I must also add, that I don't really think that SHE realizes I may be considering this. There was really no time to really think about it, never mind to discuss it, while we were working today. So part of the urgency is that I need to tell her something before it's too late.

TL;DR: I'm tired and don't know what path I should take.
 

zoe08

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#15
I would not invest thousands of dollar of equipment in something you are not sure you want to do. Are you really interested in doing studio photography? Do you have somewhere to store/set up the equipment? Are you more interested in on location, natural light shooting?

I wouldn't try to "take over" her client base or anything. If you are truly interested in starting a photography business...make yourself some business cards then give her a stack and ask her if she wouldn't mind passing them out to people when they ask for her services, but she is not available.

One thing to think about with a photography business that is great and bad at the same time is the hours that you would be working if you got to the point you had regular business. Actual shooting would mostly involve evenings and weekends. So it is great if your SO works regular weekday hours, so someone is home to take care of the baby, but then it also takes you away from spending those evening/weekend hours with your family. And depending how involved you get, you could be planning them months in advance. It is the number 1 reason why I have not been interested in starting a photography business. I like to spend my evenings and weekends with my family, and I would never want to plan to shoot weddings or events months or a year in advance because who knows when something with my family/friends might come up that I would like to attend. That doesn't even take into account the amount of time you have to spend editing and dealing with the business side of things, creating a website/blog/advertising/marketing/accounting/etc.

It IS overwhelming, so definitely not something I would try to jump into at all.
 

maxfox426

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#16
I would not invest thousands of dollar of equipment in something you are not sure you want to do. Are you really interested in doing studio photography? Do you have somewhere to store/set up the equipment? Are you more interested in on location, natural light shooting?

I wouldn't try to "take over" her client base or anything. If you are truly interested in starting a photography business...make yourself some business cards then give her a stack and ask her if she wouldn't mind passing them out to people when they ask for her services, but she is not available.

One thing to think about with a photography business that is great and bad at the same time is the hours that you would be working if you got to the point you had regular business. Actual shooting would mostly involve evenings and weekends. So it is great if your SO works regular weekday hours, so someone is home to take care of the baby, but then it also takes you away from spending those evening/weekend hours with your family. And depending how involved you get, you could be planning them months in advance. It is the number 1 reason why I have not been interested in starting a photography business. I like to spend my evenings and weekends with my family, and I would never want to plan to shoot weddings or events months or a year in advance because who knows when something with my family/friends might come up that I would like to attend. That doesn't even take into account the amount of time you have to spend editing and dealing with the business side of things, creating a website/blog/advertising/marketing/accounting/etc.

It IS overwhelming, so definitely not something I would try to jump into at all.
Bolded is what I was trying to say I would do regarding the business cards, but failed miserably.

I just woke up from a good, long nap, and I am feeling a little better about this. :lol-sign: The part that was upsetting me most, I think, was the thought of getting a sudden influx of requests for photography service while I'm still not prepared for it. And that's just it. I'm not prepared for it. If I decided to jump in right now,

Could it work? It could. My husband works from home, so childcare isn't a major issue. I don't have space for an in-home studio, but I don't mind doing things on-location now and then. Someday, a full studio may be in my future. It is something I am definitely interested it (or I wouldn't have been as torn as I was today), but now just isn't the time.

Also? I already have one photography gig as it is. I shoot for a local high school marching band, capturing their camps and performances. I already know that I enjoy that kind of work. What I need to do FIRST is focus on getting the equipment that will improve what I am doing there, and then look for more work in that genre.

TL;DR: Sleep is good, and it will all be okay. :p


Thank you, everybody! The support and encouragement has been awesome. :hail:
 

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