Most things can be done alone in photography. Sure, it would be nice to have someone lug all the equipment around and do little things like set up the tripod, get filters out of their containers and even simply pass you your camera when you need it.
A servant to make coffee when needed would be an asset too.
But we dont have the luxury of such slavery. And we are, most of the time, on our own. When help is needed then it should be asked for and subsequently appreciated.
I have an assistant in the form of my lovely wife. She lets me get on with most things and her interest in photography is minimal. But she knows that she is the first person I call on in the studio when I need someone to hold the reflector.
She is always poised and ready. The inevitable instructions range from up a bit to for goodness sake, can you at least do this properly if you are going to do it at all.
Despite all this she remains calm and level-headed.
She is unappreciated, I feel. A studio session can last anything from half an hour to two hours. During that time she has to deal with abject boredom, aching arms and incessant happy speak between photographer and model. There are better things she could be doing, such as watching TV, playing with the kids or simply sipping red wine in front of a roaring log fire.
And I am sure she would measure a poke in the eye with a sharp stick to be preferable to the studio task she has to do.
Ill get round to thanking her... One day.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com
