But it sure can be fun.
I don’t assist very often, but every once in a while a project comes along that is too good to pass up.
Unfortunately, while there were no non-disclosure agreements involved, I’m not going to be “that guy” that spills the beans.. so I’m going to tell this tale a la The Usual Suspects.. piece by piece… starting with the end.
This was a shoot for the November issue of a major magazine, and, like I said, to be involved was too good to miss, and, the moral of the story is that while I can’t recall a more grueling four days in recent memory, I had a blast, I met a lot of great people, and I learned a lot. Sometimes stepping away from the camera, and getting a different perspective on things, can both educate and inspire.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work for, with, or beside many very talented and successful photographers, from my first mentor, Brian O’Mahoney (without whom I would probably not be a photographer), to my first internship with Bob Nash and my time as a first assistant to Pat O’Connor. I have experienced everything “from the Thrill of Victory to the Agony of Defeat” as the introduction to Wide World of Sports used to say. In the course of telling this story, I intend to share some tips on assisting - from preparation to paying attention - how an assistant can go a long way to help make (or break) an assignment. From start to finish, this will be an informative crash course in being a positive contributor to any photo shoot.
Anyway, I can’t give it away right now, but I promise, it’s going to be very, VERY cool.. and I’ll tell you many stories - the Good, the Bad and, yes, even the Ugly - and I will share some tips and tricks as I unfold this story.
I hope you’ll enjoy this series of posts - if there’s something you’d like to know, feel free to ask - I’ll answer any questions you may have.
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In the mean time, the Victor Bailey shoot, for his upcoming CD, finally happened - Victor’s my neighbor and he’s a very cool customer.. no surprise given his status in the jazz and session industry. We shot in and around his apartment - Kena Sage was along, keeping his wardrobe on point - and we got a lot done, in just a couple of hours, on Wednesday afternoon. I’ll be posting the final CD artwork when it’s done but in the mean time, here’s one of the photos that I liked…
Victor Bailey by M David Leeds © 2008
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