my photography assistant

Did I mention at any point that I have a photography assistant? He’s creative, a problem solver, a giver of feedback and he genuinely likes my work (or so he tells me).

I like to think of him as an intern - you know, someone that dedicates approximately 6 months of his/her time to unpaid work. I imagine an intern to have initiative and drive and enthusiasm in his unpaidness. Following the internment, he may graduate to a fully-fledged assistant. You know where I’m going here, don’t you?

So, by now you know that I'm talking about Gary. He's the perfect assistant. Fundamentally, he understands that it is his job to make my job easier. How good is that? He creates set ups - usually from makeshift cardboard pieces and foamcore cutoffs, helps to style my subject and determines from which angle the light is falling on the subject. He sees me standing on my tiptoes trying to get a higher angle and grabs a step-ladder to help me get that angle. He anticipates what I need before I even know what that is. He makes me coffee when I need it most - because a day without coffee is like...just kidding, I have no idea.

starting a side hustle

Last week I articulated some of the reasons why I love photography. You’re probably thinking that it’s a pretty big step from liking something or spending your free time doing something you love, to actually starting a business doing it. I agree with you. It is! What possessed me?

Over the years I’ve been a bit envious of people who had their own businesses but I never, ever entertained the thought of going down that route. I loved my job. It was meaningful. It was purposeful. It gave me a steady income. Don’t get me wrong - my job is still meaningful and purposeful and I work alongside some amazing people. But I’ve also developed this love and passion for creativity and I guess I wanted to formalise it a bit.

I enrolled in Mamamia’s online six week Lady Startup Course. It’s an online course that fast tracks you to actually launch your own small business or lady startup - the right way - the first time. Yep, the marketing campaign that Mia Freedman (co-founder of the Mamamia Media Company, and the woman behind Lady Startup) was very clever and targeted me to a tee. It gave me the impetus I needed to get off my butt and actually do something.

she even articulated some of the things that had been stopping me from starting my own business:

you lack confidence or self-belief
you’re completely overwhelmed with information and advice

So, why photography?

My top ten reasons:

I love it! It impels me to really look at the world around me…to notice shapes, colours, tones, the various persepectives and light - especially the light
An image can tell a story without a single word - there's no language or cultural barrier. Photography is an international language