IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

This is Ian. He flies with me. We ride in taxis together. We stay in hotel rooms that are adjoining. We compare Sky Miles. We sip whiskey and roll smokes together. We eat the same thing for breakfast. We laugh at each other. We make jokes about people we meet along the way.

Yeah, he's my travel companion, but he really does much more. On a photo shoot, there is a lot of shit to think about. The more stuff that clutters my mind, the less room there is for important things like taking a good photo, keeping it in focus and making clients happy.

I'm a big believer in the small things. The small things are really what make the biggest difference. People always ask "Do you really need an assistant while you're shooting?' And honestly, the answer is no. I could do it by myself. I could shlep my camera around, point it and shoot it. But when it matters the most, having help is an invaluable resource that i choose not to give up nor take for granted. So, thanks Ian for being there for those moments that it mattered most.

Here's a random list of things that Ian is responsible for at any given moment....

carrying heavy shit. everywhere.
charging batteries. a lot of them for a lot of things.
driving rental cars.
finding things I lose and possibly taking the blame for it.
set things up.
tear things down. numerous times.
loading film in old cameras.
keep track of that film.
switching expensive lenses while balancing 5 other things I have him carry.
hold things high up in the air. for a long time.
small talk with models, athletes and anyone he has to stand close to for an extended period of time.
bring everything we brought for the shoot to obscure locations. just in case. then only to realize i will only need one camera.
download thousands of images.
back them up.
again and again usually after midnight.
wake me up to do it again.


thanks dude. couldn't do it without ya.