Skip to main content

My Work Experience Week by Hester Sharpe


A week in the life of a Photographers assistant, is not all about saying cheese!

I’m Hester Sharpe, currently at JCC but took a week out of normal school life on work experience to be a photographer’s assistant and learn the bits behind the camera, photograph and the process to get to the end result.

During my week of work experience in photography I have learnt that there is a lot more than just taking the pictures and printing them. The steps in between are the key to getting the perfect photo. For example the photos have to be cropped, tweaked, edited, colour corrected. That is just a taste I have had in the processing of the photos and there is a lot more than just those things. Those processes are the most time consuming part of the photograph and a tremendous amount of detail is put in to the picture but all the hours spent are paid off with the end result; a perfect picture.


It isn’t just how the picture looks; presentation is a key to photography too. Selecting the best way to present the images is key, as the aim is to give the customer the best experience, whether this be a DVD on which is a slideshow accompanied by music, or a small keepsake album.

I also got to experience what it would be like working with clients during my week, particularly working with children. I was invited to go to Cadeby Stepping Stones’ playschool with Christina and Andy. Here I experienced setting up the equipment for the photos to take place. I even got to take pictures of the children myself while they were playing and posing! This taught me how to use the camera and made me realise that I would have to capture moments quickly before the children moved. I certainly got used to taking pictures quickly!

However, that wasn’t it for that day; I had more photographs to take later in the afternoon when my sister came over to have a photo ‘shoot’. We got home from the playschool, grabbed a bite to eat (you don’t have long to eat when you have a schedule to follow!), and Christina left me to set up the studio like it was at the playschool all on my own. I did quite well, with only a little help from Andy. It’s essential to be a quick learner in the world of photography, having to learn about the camera and having to grasp the complex photo editing packages. Once I had finished shooting my sister, it wasn’t long before the next client came round for her photo session, my friend Emma. We took a few photos in the studio with the white back drop but earlier in the day we had found some great blue doors that Andy showed us when we went to look at the turf he had laid the previous day, so Christina packed her equipment in the car and we took a trip over to the blue doors! Another thing I have learnt is that it is near impossible to travel light when you’re a photographer, first of all the camera is quite heavy but all the different extras you need like reflectors and flashes, if its gloomy light, and tripods all pack into a small suitcase which has to be carried round. We got to the doors which were in an industrial estate, people must have thought we were quite dodgy taking pictures against some worn blue doors but they were perfect for Christina, she loved them. I enjoyed taking pictures out and about in the environment and we made great use of the things around us. The doors would look rough to anyone else but to a photographer they are the perfect background for a natural photo.

The photographing was fun, but I spent the whole of the next day processing the images and a whole day wasn’t enough for me. It took me a whole day to process a small number of images compared to school photos or a wedding album, then to process all of a schools images it takes a week if not more of intense work. Christina has showed me that photography isn’t all about relaxing around in your own home or studio, its about keeping to deadlines and on top of your photos and placing orders so the images arrive in time for clients and she has showed me about the business side of the photography too as we went to meet her local framer in Hinckley and her printing lab in Coventry.

I have certainly experienced a working week and I have thoroughly enjoyed my week shadowing Christina and also working on my own taking and processing images. I have learnt a lot about photography and I think this week has benefitted me a lot. Being a photographer can also benefit your family as you are quite flexible as to when you want to work but, when you do work, it is very long hours. I have enjoyed this week an awful lot and I think it is a career path I would consider. Through my experience I have learnt that a lot of work is involved in photography. It’s not all glitz and glamour!

Comments

Hester, it was a pleasure working with you and I am really glad you contacted me about doing your work experience with us. I never would have thought I had that much to offer.

You did so well throughout your week and I think you did a great job on your blog entry. I am very impressed with all that you have learned and subsequently written about. Your photographs are of a very high quality regardless of your level of experience and I am very proud to have them displayed on my blog.

So thank you so much for everything, your help, this experience and my goodie bag which is nearly all eaten now.

Keep in touch.

Sincerely,
Christina
Unknown said…
Knowing that Hester was pursuing her work experience in the field of photography, we knew that she would give it her all.

The photos and commentary are very impressive and it sounds as if this was a great experience for both Hester and for Christina.

When Hester travels to the USA we will look forward to some more skilled camera work.
Great job Hester!
Alison and Khaled
eswall said…
From Granny and Granfy.
It was a great pleasure reading your blog Hester.We had no idea what your your work experience week would entail. However,you seem to have packed in a great deal and learnded a tremendous amount under Christina's guidance.It was a wonderful experience and we are sure it will benefit you in so many ways. Well done Hester.We look forward to posing for you soon!!

Popular posts from this blog

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see.  I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to

Headshots and Portfolio Shoots: Here's What we Offer

Headshot requests are becoming more frequent so I thought I'd put together a post to share some recent work and explain the packages I offer in greater detail. Headshots are typically a simpler and quicker session so my packages are also a little simpler than what I offer in my full studio sessions. If headshots are what you or your child need its really important that you get good quality headshots that can stand out amongst the crowd. A headshot is a representation of you and often the first impression you are giving out to your audience, whether its casting directors, agents or college officials considering your application. A good headshot is more likely to get you noticed and ultimately get you further along your path. Making your headshots the best they can be should go a long way in helping you progress in your chosen path. I offer 2 different levels of service in order to make it as affordable and appropriate as possible. The first is a simple straightforwa