When I started Project 52 Pros back about 7 years ago, I knew I wanted it to introduce a wide variety of commercial photography to photographers who were not steeped in that tradition.
It is difficult to find assistant gigs, and even harder to find them when you are no longer 20 years old and unencumbered with the various challenges life throws at us daily.
But I didn’t think that should stop anyone from wanting to take their creative talents and earn a living from them.
So I threw food, and architecture, and editorial portraiture, and catalog, and product, and lots lots more genres at the students – one assignment per week for a year.
Recently while collecting some material for an article on Unsplash (pro, not con) I asked for some feedback from the students both past and present as to what their last gig was, and this should be a paying gig, not a ‘book shot’.
Here is the list of assignments that were recently completed by a current or former student. One assignment per student and this is only a small selection.:
- A set of images of specific jewelry for a custom jeweler.
- 5 shots of a specific band for a new CD and branding.
- Shots of a specific person for a website with layouts furnished by the art director.
- Photographs of a famous ‘medium’ as he prepared for and gave a concert.
- A Gardening assignment with specific flora.
- Hair care products for a local salon, with specific instructions for layout.
- A chef and a few of his hand-prepared dishes.
- Industrial shots of a manufacturing plant being remodeled.
- A magazine cover with an artistic brief to be renaissance looking and shot to magazine cover layout,
- 6 Website header shots of a client’s online catalog using the client’s product.
- Headshots of a company staff for their HR department.
- Two back-to-back business events.
- Lay-flats of children’s clothing for a client’s web and catalog use.
- A branding shoot including headshots for classical musicians who were just signed to a major label.
- Handbags made by the client and to be shot within their brand style.
- Macro shots of custom handmade pottery.
- 10 Sandwiches with specific ingredients and 5 lifestyle shots produced to storyboard.
- Book promo with a specific firearm in position for the book title.
- PR shots of specific individuals in their startup with additional headshots, and pick-up products.
- Custom table and bench for a children’s furniture website and social media.
- Pharmaceutical ad for a specific client with their product as hero.
- Ten specific recipes to be shot for a catalog.
- An AirBnBb shoot for a local couple who are renting their guest house.
- Magazine and editorial shoot for a garage showing employees working on various tech gear.
- A Gourmet Chocolate and Nuts store in NYC. Shots of their products.
- 18 product shots dropped out for a large outdoor/indoor catalog.
- The ‘after’ shots of a before and after weight loss product. Specific guidelines and image requests for each of the people being photographed.
THIS is why we make sure there is a variety in our assignments.
Being prepared for a wide variety of work is what keeps the studio in cash flow. And yes, I want you to specialize but I also want you to keep your skill sets high in other areas. Especially if you do not live in NYC.
A NOTE ON UNSPLASH;
I hope you recognize that not a single one of these assignments could have been completed with a stock image from Unsplash. These are ASSIGNMENTS with specific products, or people, or locations, or ingredients. This is what assignment photography looks like. Not always glamorous, but always specific.
I’m outta here – see you next time.