Do you have an assistant for family shoots?

[mandyatm]

I have recently decided that I need an assistant for outdoor family shoots with little kids. I can get their attention, until my head is back behind the camera! I hate swapping heads! I feel like if I had an assistant to get their attention then my job my be a whole lot easier for those everyone-look-into-the-camera-at-once shots that moms seem to want. Or just someone to hold my equipment while I chase a toddler around.

Does anyone have an assistant? How much would I even pay such a person?

[candleman]

yup.. i pay above minimum wage per hour shooting.
travel time is free... i dont pay if i'm not being paid.

[SusanH1970]

Child labor is a beautiful thing, LOL! On family shoots my nearly 13-year old son assists with holding the reflector, carrying gear, and helping me round up kids.

On other shoots such as maternity and newborns I've winged it on my own (most preggers moms don't want a preadolescent boy there, so not so professional LOL), but have toyed with the idea of contacting the local high school for preferably female photography students to assist. Haven't decided on payment yet; I'd probably discuss it with them and see if we could work out a teaching vs. payment thing....like I'd teach them a bit so I wouldn't have to pay them as much.

I'm tired and it's late so if this makes no sense then.....whatever, LOL!

[naeno]

Pretty much always. I don't want to have to carry gear, corral children, or attempt to hold a reflector and capture the picture at the same time. I generally use either a high school student or college student.

[bhursey]

My wife is always my assistant and small shoots. at wedding i higher one or 2 extra photographers.

[mandyatm]

Wow, that's great! So I am not weird. Now to find someone that can come with me on a whim. My next door neighbors daughter is 19, maybe she would like a little extra money. Not sure how much it would be to make it worth it for her to get up early in the morning for only 1 hour!

[funcrunch]

I wish I'd had an assistant on today's family portrait shoot. Trying to shoot a couple with their three-year old - lots of good candids, but trying to get the kid to hold still and smile for the camera the same time that the parents are - argh!!!

[jenwilsonphoto]

I've always shot by myself, without an assistant. It does seem like it would be nice to have someone carry stuff - but the interacting with the kids? That I want to do myself for the best expressions.

jen

[AnneWynne]

I don't use an assistant. I use a lot of the suggestions by Sandy Puc to get kids to stop and either look at me or look at what I want them to look at (ie, someone off camera, look at sibling, look at a book). Sandy Puc is amazing...I highly recommend any of her videos...Tots to Teens would show you a lot of how she works with kids. She also has a new family dvd, and there is also Bellies and Babies for working with maternity and newborns.

I also work to capture a more natural look, so I am not a strict poser, but allow a lot of flexibility when working with kids.

Also, try working with a tripod and a remote trigger release. Get your kids where you want them, focus on the eyes, step away from the camera, say something to the kids to get them to giggle, and fire the remote trigger release. It may work, but you do risk loosing sharpness.