one more thing…

Assisting is not a substitute for basic training. Period.

 

Auto Erase

Ingest non-raw photo only + a card full of raws+ auto erase = apocalypse… and your job. No kidding. fyl, fml, lmfao.

 

f/1.2

There’s a reason why there’s even a term for this. Out Of Focus, OOF, get it?

Just because you can tone the shit out of your photo won’t hide the fact your picture is oof. Okay, post made it all theatrical-looking and you want to showoff your brand spanking new 85mm f/1.2 Mark II. But it’s pretty stupid to shoot at f/1.2 when you can’t even get anything in focus with your 18-55 IS kit lens. Don’t even try to blame it on the autofocus.

Now go shoot some flowers and your dog at  f/1.2. I am sure you’ll get 4,500 comments on flickr and maybe Getty will request your image via flickr for $0.99.

Alternatively, you can also post it on Facebook and get 143 likes.

PocketWizards and AA Batteries.

Never, EVER, leave home without extra AA batteries for your wizards. Especially those stupid PLUS IIs with no battery gauge. Why? because these wizards will go nuts one day without prior notice and you can’t just run out of the set to buy some because there are 45 people on the set waiting for you still guys to finish your job.

Replace the battery when it start misfiring.

Hot Keys.

Keyboard shortcuts is a good tool to impress your boss and the client. No joke.

RTFM.

 I don’t think i need to explain further as to what RTFM means. 

The bottom line is, you should take some time to understand how your $3,000 camera operates. What’s CFn13-0??? Well, my friend, RTFM!

Sorry for the rant. I have to say that my photographers knows their cameras, but I also know many of my peers that have no clues all these neat little features. I am not criticizing anyone here, but knowing your cameras, gears would really make it difference when you’re assisting.

Oh Hey.

Photo Assistant Rule #1. Keep you mouth shut.

I know. The talent is really cute, the AD is really annoying, and you wanna leave a good impression to the client.

Oh yes, I am sure you really wanna say/do something, like your inner urge to crack a joke to lighten things up. But check this:

They’re all bad idea.

Your job is to work in the back backing your boss, not trying to be visible and vocal during the shoot… Well, unless you’re being asked. Be smart. Don’t be a retard.