If you are a smalltime photographer, then chances are you do not currently make use of assistants. In regular portrait photography, this may not be a problem. Generally, you can handle sessions like seniors, engagements, family, and children on your own. However, there is one type of photography when you need to seriously consider making use of at least one assistant.
Wedding Photography
Wedding photography can be the most strenuous, stressful sessions that you could ever shoot. Generally, wedding photography lasts for more than 6 hours, and you have to be shooting the whole time. If you do not have an assistant, that means you have to pose and shoot every image. You cannot be everywhere!
If you are wondering if you truly need the expense of an assistant, then here are some things to consider. These are just a few of the things that could go wrong if you try to shoot a wedding all on your own.
- You get tired after a few hours and find that you cannot keep up with the events.
- You miss out on certain shots because you are following the bride and groom, so you did not see the people decorating the car or preparing the food.
- You are too busy to pay attention to every detail when posing the wedding party and you completely missed that the bride’s veil is sticking up in an unsightly way.
- You have a list of important family pictures, but you forget to consult it and you accidentally leave out the groom’s grandparents.
As mentioned, these are just a few of the things that could go wrong if you do not have help with your wedding photography. In truth, a wedding is too much for one photographer to handle on their own. Even if you choose to shoot all the images yourself, you should consider an assistant to help with posing and to help with remembering which shots you still need to get.
Do you need an assistant even if you are a smalltime photographer? If you plan on shooting weddings, it certainly would not hurt to have someone come along and help you with the small details. Weddings are once in a lifetime events for couples. You will want to make sure that you provide the perfect images, so you need to be willing to do what you must to make this happen.
