Over the years that I’ve been assisting photoshoots, I always thought technical skill was the most important — setting up and tearing down efficiently, the ability to troubleshoot any lighting set up or IT problem, and of course having enough muscle to haul gear from point A to point B.
But I’ve come to learn that being a good assistant is not so much the above — when it comes to unfamiliar kits, I’m slow to set up. When people use Apple or Sony, my brain floats into limbo and I can’t do much to help without furious Googling. As for muscles? I can lift some, but not very much.
Overall, my assisting abilities is probably mediocre at best. Yet, I keep being asked to assist not just on photoshoots, but even in departments that are far from my primary role.
As it turns out, my best asset when it comes to assisting, is that I am an exceptional emotional support animal. Instead of anticipating what gear and lighting changes are needed and being quick about it all, I am actually better at providing calm moral support.
Yesterday, I accompanied Hampus on a lifestyle shoot that in actuality, needed little to no assist. The lighting set up was easy, and I didn’t have any clue how he packed his gear, thus was unable to find anything to be helpful in a timely manner. He ended up setting most of it up himself, and for the most part, I was just on stand by with a grey card.
However, I can read a room. I can feel where he is tense and when he tripped up on his words, and able to offer seamlessly bridge the gap in communication between him and the models. I can read his level of stress like the back of my hand, and would position myself in a way where he knew I was right there if he needed something. This, I realized, was something that I simply did without realizing.
And suddenly, I remembered how Pauline told me on multiple occasions, “You have a soothing effect on my mood.” Which at first I thought was absurd, but through observation, I have to concur.
I was basically able to remind him if he overlooked because I could tell when he was anxious and when he wasn’t. As someone who presents so confidently most of the time, it was insanely clear to me when that confidence dipped because there was too much going on, too many people in the room, or if a light wasn’t working out the way he planned.
There are many times when Mik hired me for props, knowing full that I have little to no object permanence, and couldn’t be bothered to fix things unless it was with snot tape. When other people in the art department asked why, he just said, “Trust me, she’s shit at props but valuable in other ways.”
Well that’s just one of the nicest things anyone has ever said.
What I lack in practical skill, I can make up for as an emotional support llama. Truly, it comes from me observing people and figuring out why they do the things they do. This is probably why I excel at BTS photos — I’m but a creep with pure intentions.