Category News

Elevating Your Brand with Maine Headshot

Maine Headshot

I’m thrilled to announce the website relaunch of our sister brand, MaineHeadshot.com.  A few years after establishing Fitzgerald Photo, I recognized a gap in the Portland area for specialized studio headshot services. That’s how Maine Headshot came to life, catering specifically to the unique requirements of business professionals and actors.

Many clients come for their first shoot and often return for updates.  We always ask for feedback and consistently find that clients enjoy the experience, despite some initial reluctance to step in front of the camera. At Maine Headshot, I relish the opportunity to work with individuals who may not require the custom location work of Fitzgerald Photo but still value a portrait that seamlessly aligns with their style and business brand, effectively connecting them with their customers.Maine Headshot

Seeing the many ways these headshot portraits are used is the highest form of praise. From print publications and book jackets to LinkedIn profiles and business websites, they are used everywhere. Maine Headshot operates under the motto “Portraits that Work,” but the phrase we often use is one that I love—courtesy of entrepreneur Bettina Blanchard–is, “Portraits that Work Harder than You Do.” I couldn’t agree more (Thank you, Bettina).

If you’re seeking a fresh look or embarking on a new business venture, visit MaineHeadshot.com. We offer options for all budgets, and our convenient booking system makes scheduling your session a breeze.

Maine Headshot

You’ve Hired Us. Now What?

 

Beach Path
© Brian Fitzgerald

If you’ve made the decision to hire a professional commercial photographer for your brand, company or organization, you’re likely wondering: what happens now? At Fitzgerald Photo, our goal is to showcase your brand and make your products, people and services shine. In order to do so, we follow a well-defined path that we know leads to great results.

Onboarding
As soon as the ink is dried on your contract and terms, planning starts in earnest on your project. From your perspective as the client, you can expect to receive regular and clear communication from your visuals team. If you’ve never worked with us before, you’ll get a welcome packet with information about our company, the services you’ll be using and our workflow. We use specific software and other tools to collaborate on projects and this is where you’ll find out how that all works. You’ll also discover the answers to many of the logistical questions you might have; everything from the size and type of image files you’ll receive to our post-production process and the protection and long-term storage of your image assets.

Planning
Planning for success includes meetings to discuss expectations, goals and logistics (whether in-person or, these days, online or over the phone).  We’ve found that the more work and care put in at this stage, the smoother (and better) things are when it counts—on shoot day.  These meetings don’t have to be a huge time commitment; we have no love for unneeded meetings and can guess you don’t either.  Depending on the project, this may simply be a series of detailed emails outlining and getting consensus on the shoot day plan.  At no point should you be wondering why you haven’t heard a word from your photographer a few days before a big shoot.

Scouting
Site visits are an important part of the planning process. There’s nothing like seeing the spaces we’ll be shooting in to prepare us for the possible hitches we may encounter or the opportunities we can take advantage of.  In cases where an in-person visit isn’t possible, we may request phone snapshots of the site(s), which in combination with Google street view images help form as complete a picture of the location as possible.

Useful Communication
We believe in clear and appropriate communication. This means that you’ll know when and if anything changes that might affect you, from the weather on shoot day to unanticipated changes that affect delivery schedules (unlikely, but it can happen). You’ll get confirmation every step of the way, including the shoot day schedule, the specific team members you’ll be dealing with, as well as arrival, setup, breakdown and departure times. While we can’t keep surprises from occurring, we can minimize the amount that occur just through regular communication.

Shoot Day
Shoot day often involves last-minute, unexpected and unanticipated events. These can be as minor as a model getting delayed in traffic by five minutes or as dramatic as a power failure that shuts down the site an hour before shoot time. Most are somewhere in between. You’ll be prepared because we will have outlined what to expect should many of these minor or major events occur, ahead of time. You can trust that we have the experience to roll with whatever changes come;  in fact, we welcome changes and believe that flexibility leads to more creativity and better results. The last thing we want to do is be so rigid in our planning that we stick to the schedule no matter what, instead of taking advantage of a better visual opportunity—or a serendipitous need—that arises on the fly.

Having a solid plan, but being flexible to changing the plan as needed, enables shoots to proceed and be successful no matter the circumstances. Unplanned changes often mask new visual opportunities that may end up showcasing your brand in ways we hadn’t imagined, but end up being far more interesting, genuine and authentic.

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Want to know more about our process? You might be interested in our post on the questions to ask yourself before hiring a photographer what to expect on shoot day, or what happens after the shoot is complete.

Before hiring a photographer, interview yourself

 

Tough Guy
©Brian Fitzgerald

Hiring a photographer can be a challenge. For those who don’t go through the process very often, it usually means spending hours on Google or social media to find qualified professional photographers; having multiple discussions; then vetting estimates that (hopefully) come in under budget and on time. That’s in addition to whatever work is already on your plate.

Things change quickly  in the photography world. If you don’t regularly work with a preferred photographer, you might find that the one you last relied on is no longer in business, or is too busy to take on new work. You’re soon typing terms like “best commercial photographers” into your search bar and scratching your head at results that include everything from weddings to pet portraits to products for catalogs.

Sorting all of this out takes time, and then once you’ve connected with a likely short list of photographers, the process of outlining goals and requirements begins. This is followed by evaluating the estimates, which can vary wildly between photographers due to their varying backgrounds, experience and preferred ways of doing business.

I’ve written before about the questions to ask when hiring a professional photographer. Before your initial conversation, here are a few tips to better prepare you for the process of determining the “best” photography professional for your needs. Doing just a little prep work before you make that call or send that email will reduce your effort, frustration and will maximize good results.

Where are your photographer leads coming from?
You can make some quick assumptions depending on where your leads are coming from.  Referrals from a trusted colleague or other source are great because you can assume the photographer is a known quantity, and move on from that basis. Referrals from a professional photography association or paid listing website (ASMP, APA National, NPPA,
, and others) allow you to view photographers by specialty and portfolio. You can assume these are experienced pros that have the experience to guide you through the requirements process and will ask questions you might never have considered. The most common referral source, Google and social media, is great but requires a bigger investment of time to sort, weed out and establish fit. I’d recommend it as a supplement to the first two sources.

What is your brand all about?
How would you describe your brand and brand mission? What key adjectives best describe your brand? What are your long-term brand goals and objectives?

What are your goals for this project?
Is this photography project a quick one-off or are you building a brand-consistent visual library that you’ll use for years to come? If you’re after a quick hit, you can always pivot if it doesn’t work as you’d like, or if the photographer isn’t the best fit. If it’s the latter, choosing a photographer for a long-term relationship is a better approach.

What is your budget?
Photographers will always ask—or should. Knowing your numbers isn’t a license for the photographer to charge the maximum fees they can while hitting strategically below your top line. What it does is put you in the driver’s seat. Of all the variables that comprise a good estimate—time, money and quality—a photographer needs to have a sense of your limits and expectations for all three in order to come up with an estimate that works best for you. A budget helps orient your photographer and gives them necessary information. Is the budget close to what they feel the job is worth, requiring a little negotiation or adjustment of services to meet? Or is the gulf between the two so vast that it’s a waste of your time and theirs to proceed? It’s helpful to know this fairly early in the process. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortable; for professional photographers it’s a routine and necessary question and they’ll respect you for having defined what you can spend ahead of time.

What are the ideal outcomes from doing this project?
Do you hae specific outcomes in mind (selling a service or product), or more general (creating brand awareness)?

How long do you plan on using the images?
Will these images really be useful to you in a couple of years? What about after 10 years, when (perhaps) many of the team members in the images are no longer with the company and the clothing/hair styles start to look a bit dated? Depending on your brand and industry, images may age very quickly or very slowly.  Knowing the answers to this question can save you money, since in most cases the longer you use an image (i.e., the more value you derive from it over time), the more it can cost. 

How do you plan to use the images?
Are the images going to be used for a specific print or online campaign? Will they be part of a display ad? Or will they be added to your library, to be used in less specific and more numerous ways for years to come?  Will they be part of local or regional advertising or will they be used nationally or world-wide?  


Who are your target audience/clients/customers? Why are you reaching out to them?
Who are you trying to reach?  When they see these images or video, how do you want them to feel?  Do you want them to take specific action (buy something) or to emotionally connect with you and your message, building a long-term relationship?

What problems can the photographer help you to solve?
Professional photographers are more than just button pushers. We are masters of organization and logistics. We help hire models, makeup stylists, arrange for locations, art direct, and can help strategize with you on the creative direction a shoot should go in. We can be a straight service provider, creating images to a pre-defined specification, or we can be a creative partner using their vision to create something unique. What is helpful to you, your brand and your organization at this time?


These are the types of questions that you can expect your photographer candidates, in one form or another, to ask to you. Knowing what photographers are looking for and the information they most need will help you to be prepared to make decisions based on your brand values and goals, and will lead to a much better process and estimates, too.

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Want to know more about our process? You might be interested in our posts on what to expect once you’ve hired a professional photographer,  what happens when shoot day arrives or about our process once the shoot is complete

Working Together in the Time of COVID-19

Over the past month, we’ve been busy here at the studio preparing for a safe and responsible return to business.  I can’t predict what’s going to happen in the foreseeable future, but it’s clear that COVID-19 will continue to impact our families, our clients and our daily life in ways small and large.

As Maine enters the second phase of business reopenings, we’ve posted our COVID plan along with a Q&A section on our website. In the plan we detail the efforts we’re taking per state and federal guidelines to mitigate any spread of the Coronavirus as we take on limited shoots here at the studio and on location.

We’re also working with clients in other ways, from utilizing their existing imagery where possible, to scheduling shoots outdoors and even doing planning, production and image review sessions virtually.  I will expand in future blog posts on how some of these new processes and workflows work for us and how they could be adapted for use by our clients and others.

Please read more about our COVID-19 plan here.  Continue to stay safe. 

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Introducing: Light Matters

Light Matters

 

It’s been a very eventful week for me personally and professionally.  On October 2, I published my first book, Light Matters: A Photographer’s Guide to Lighting with Flash on Location .

Light Matters is more than the realization of a childhood dream to write and publish a book.   It’s my approach to lighting when on assignment, reduced to actionable tips.  Each suggestion is informed by my own experiences and, often, by my missteps and mistakes over 20-odd years as a shooter.

My working title for the book was simple: Move, Light, Shoot.  Purposeful experimentation keeps one from getting stuck and kicks creativity in the behind.   You can’t master flash—or anything else—without taking direct action, assessing the results, and adjusting your approach.

To that end, the guide is full of tips and practice exercises that any serious amateur or natural-light pro would find useful as they stretch their lighting muscles.

I write in the intro that I wish I had a book like  Light Matters in my camera bag when I was coming up.

Most photo book contain endless lighting diagrams, three-point lighting setups and exact recipes allowing readers to duplicate the example photographs.  I’d rather give readers tips that force them to think and tools to help them succeed.  A simple Google search will provide any number of lighting setups.  Few resources give you tips on shaping your shoot, dealing well with your clients and with the many inevitable issues that arise on location.

Above all I hope the guide is useful. That it prompts photographers to think and to stretch themselves. If it saves a photographer just a smidge of the grief that would have otherwise come to them, then I’ll be happy.

I’m so thankful to my group of advance readers–my Dream Team–comprised primarily of photographers I know and trust around the country. Their feedback helped shape the final product and made it shine.

I’m grateful that during its first week of publication, Light Matters reached #1 in two categories in the Kindle store. Mind blown.

As a companion to the book, I’ve created two resources. One is the page on my site, www.lightmattersguide.com, where I’ll be posting additional information about the book, downloadable excerpts and other resources as they come available. The other is a private Facebook group  Light Matters , set up to discuss the exercises and concepts in the book.

Please check out Light Matters on Amazon, and let me know what you think.

2017: A Look Back

As fall morphs into winter and the holidays begin, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that is coming to a close.

It’s been a great year, though I’m getting a little sick of the term “fake news”. Who’s with me?

I’m very thankful for my many clients, both in Maine and elsewhere. Among other thing I had the opportunity this year to photograph:  a luxury high-end yacht company, a major-league bat-maker, an immigrant and former refugee from Egypt; cancer survivors and caregivers, Portland restaurateurs, a bunch of Maine Masons including Bob Crowley of Survivor fame; students in Port Clyde; some really cool structures, and many, many fun and interesting people whose portraits I made both on location and in the studio—200 and counting, to be precise.

The greatest thing about doing what I do is the inspiring and fascinating people that I get to meet.  The images I get to create are kind of the bonus extra, like the chips that come with my Chipotle burrito.

On a personal note, my daughter Maggie is gunning for ‘high honors’ in her fifth grade year and the smart money is definitely riding on her. She’s way smarter than dad. Beth finished her intensive year of training to become a full stack web developer and already has a dozen clients (my plan to buy a limited-edition golden Leica, a photo vest and fedora, and then retire to a life of gentleman photographer is well on track).

Until that happens, though, I’m going to keep on doing what I love and what keeps my clients happy.

So here’s to an eventful year and one that I’m grateful to so many for—my amazing clients, my family, and to the efforts of so many folks besides myself.

 

Bernstein Shur: letting clients help tell the story

Bernstein Shur: letting clients help tell the story

 

One of the largest single projects I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with over the past year was a branding redesign for Maine-based law firm Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, P.A.

I was contacted by Thinkso!, a New York creative agency, to produce all of the imagery for a comprehensive rebranding effort. Working with their creative team and with the amazing people at Bernstein Shur, we photographed all of the firm’s attorneys in Portland,  Augusta and New Hampshire. We also spent time with several of the firm’s clients, photographing their operations over the course of several months.  This project was unique not just because of its scope and size, but also because of the opportunity to work with Bernstein Shur’s clients in the course of showing the deep relationships involved.

The rebrand was rolled out at the end of 2015 and looks amazing. I’m grateful to have been a part of such a monumental effort and for the chance to visually tell the story of this proud Maine firm.  See below for examples of the work in action.

 

Bernstein Shur: letting clients help tell the story

 

Bernstein Shur: letting clients help tell the story

 

Bernstein Shur: letting clients help tell the story

No, I was not attacked in Iraq

[rev_slider iraqslider]

 Note:  the above images are mostly outtakes from my time embedded with troops from the 737th Transportation Company from January-March 2004.  All images © Yakima Herald-Republic.

CORRECTION:  I mentioned “bulletproof” vests in my article.  The troops at the time had fragmentary resistant vests, later upgraded to the type of vest I wore–a ballistic vest with ceramic plates in the front and back.    Also, a soldier with the 737th pointed out that he had never heard a mortar ‘whistle’.  While the sound is clear in my memory, I’d have to describe it more accurately as a loud hissing noise, increasing in intensity to a roar.  In any case, terrifying. 

Like many of my journalist friends I’ve followed with fascination the controversy over NBC anchor Brian Williams’ misrepresentation of his role during an incident in Iraq in 2003.  As someone who spent 16 years as a photojournalist and photo editor, I’m particularly sensitive to the topic. Just a few months after Williams’ incident, I was also an embedded journalist, living with and reporting on troops in Kuwait and Iraq.

Everyone remembers incidents differently over time.  Ask a cop whether eyewitness accounts are reliable.   Williams’ account isn’t the first time that someone with an incidental role in a major event ends up over time recasting themselves closer and closer to the action.   But I’m hard-pressed to remember a time when a professional journalist of such stature—someone paid to bear witness and to tell truth—has so been accused.
It’s not just his dramatic retelling that happened in the years since the episode. For me, it’s interesting that in the report Williams aired immediately after the incident, he reported that the chopper ahead of his had taken fire and was forced to land.  It implied that he witnessed the scene as part of the convoy rather than on a ‘following’ chopper arriving later at the scene.      I suspect that Williams’ error has less to do with some moral failing and a lot to do with the nature of TV news.     The emphasis is for TV journalists to be in the picture, part of the scene, and encourages them to imply an immediacy that may be misleading.    It’s a desire to be part of the story, and is in contrast to the type of journalism practiced by print and photo-journalists whose emphasis is should be on the subject and never on themselves (with some exceptions, I’m sure).
I witnessed both approaches during the time I spent embedded with troops of the 737th Transportation Company back in 2004.   I was one of two journalists from Eastern Washington state given the opportunity to document the lives of some 160 Army Reservists whose unit had been last called to active duty during the Vietnam War.      The goal was to tell the story not of the war, but  of the men and women from my community who put their lives on hold for a year (or more) to go to war far from home.   My sacred mission was to keep the focus on them and not on me.   Looking back, it was easier for me as a newspaper journalist to do that—to stay behind the scenes, watching, reporting, photographing.    For a TV journalist it’s not so simple.   Embedded with me was Patrick Preston, a reporter from KXLY-TV in Spokane, Washington.    Both of us were doing double-duty:  I was photographing and writing stories and he was filing reports on air and handling his video camera and gear.   After looking at his bags of gear, I realized that I had the better end of the bargain.  Even with my RBGAN satellite data phone, my voice satellite phone, two cameras, lenses, laptop and backup drives,  I was 10 times more mobile than Patrick (see his picture, above).    I also could ‘embed’ easier, hanging out the soldiers, photographing them as they went about their business.  Patrick had to do a lot of stand-up interviews, usually at 5 am each morning in time for the Spokane broadcast.  He also had to be in front of the camera, essentially narrating and shaping each broadcast while I had the luxury of letting my photos tell the story with a little help from a caption or two.
This gave me a distinct advantage, and allowed me to grow closer to the troops.  For Patrick, his broadcast time restraints and his heavy gear all made it tougher for him to just be one of the guys.  During a convoy escort mission into Iraq, Patrick and I were given space in separate Humvees.  The reason was simple:  a journalist doesn’t have a weapon, and so you spread them out so that you’re only missing one rifle in each gun truck, rather than two.     The First Sergeant told us in no uncertain terms to stay awake.  His theory was, if a hostile is looking for a weak spot in a line of trucks, they’ll go with the one that has one less rifle–especially if they see a civilian not paying attention.   Because Patrick had to do daily early-morning stand-up reports, he tended to pass out after hours in the Humvee.   Eventually, the First Sergeant got so frustrated that he came to my Humvee, pulled out a solider and traded spots with him.  He was worried that Patrick’s Humvee would be hit, and he didn’t want to tempt fate.
Through it all, I think Patrick did a great job with very little resources or sleep.   I had the easier time.   But having gone through that experience, I can understand some of the context around Brian Williams’ faulty memory.  To me, it’s really not about a faulty memory.  It’s about an emphasis in TV news about being on screen instead of behind it;  about being part of the story instead of simply reporting it.
Patrick and I spent about five weeks with the 737th, living with them at Ft. Lewis, Washington and deploying with them overseas to Kuwait.  We actually feared that we wouldn’t make it to Iraq at all, given the fact that the mission changed, and changed again after our arrival.    The last week of my embed—the very end of February, 2004—we were given the mission to escort a convoy into Iraq.   We were nervous, excited, but happy to be given a chance to show the folks back home what the Iraq experience might be like for their loved ones.
We spent five days in Iraq.   During that time, we ate a lot of dust, saw a lot of destruction and saw the troops perform admirably.   We were subject to two incidents: one in which unknown persons hurled a large rock from an overpass in Baghdad, hitting the windshield of a Humvee (not mine, nor his), and another in which two mortars were lobbed indiscriminately from beyond the perimeter and landed among our lines of trucks at the motor pool at operating base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq.    In that incident, we were relaxing and awaiting departure when we heard the whistle of incoming mortars.  We were unprepared.   Many soldiers were missing their Kevlar helmets and others (probably me among them) had taken off our uncomfortable bulletproof vests.   There were casualties with minor injuries, as the rockets landed a hundred yards away between lines of fuel tankers.  It could have been much, much worse.
We were lucky, and neither I nor Patrick ever ‘conflated’ our role in either incident to one of prominence.   After all, it was about the troops and not about us.   Whatever happens to Brian Williams, I hope the incident isn’t cast as a simple failing of an egotistical TV personality.  It should be a reminder for all journalists, TV or otherwise, of something my ASU journalism professor Bruce Itule always told us:  “It ain’t about you.”
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Announcing: Pro Photogs, Beer, Reviews, ASMP

 

Maine ASMP Breakfast Club

 

Join Maine ASMP members as we mix it up during our bimonthly gathering.

This time around, we’re foregoing breakfast in favor of beer.  Peter Dennen,
of Pedro + Jackie Photo Consultants, will be on hand to give ten-minute speed-style portfolio reviews for six selected attendees (Thanks, Peter!).    Professional photographers, students and others are welcome to attend.   This is event is for ASMP and non-ASMP members.  Find out more here.

About the ASMP

The American Society of Media Photographers is the premier trade association for the world’s most respected photographers. ASMP is the leader in promoting photographers’ rights, providing education in better business practices, producing business publications for photographers, and helping to connect purchasers with professional photographers. ASMP, founded in 1944, has nearly 7,000 members and 39 chapters.

About Pedro + Jackie

P+J is the dynamic duo photo consulting team of Peter Dennen and Jackie Ney.  Their mission is to help build the careers of the photographers they engage with through sound advice, strategic initiatives and infusing our creative minds into the business of those they serve.  To learn more, check out http://www.pedroandjackie.com/

 

When

Wednesday, May 21, 2014
5:00pm-7:00pm

Where

Brian Boru Public House
57 Center Street
Portland, ME

Questions? 

Contact Brian Fitzgerald, breakfast coordinator



Looking for assistance, and assistants

Fitzgerald Photo Assistant
Charlie, striking a glamour pose during the ubiquitous light test.

It wasn’t long ago that the thought of hiring someone to schlep my gear, set up lights and help me out on location seemed as strange and unnecessary to me as paying someone to walk my dog.   As a photojournalist, I travelled light–my only lighting provided by my camera’s flashes and whatever ambient light I encountered at my shoot location.   I felt good that I carried my own gear and I imagined that the complication of having another person to manage on a shoot would get in the way of creating good images, of connecting with my subject.

I’ve modified my stance somewhat, in part because of my experience with Charlie Widdis, my current assistant, and Ayla Kelley, my former one.  In my bones, I’ll always be a photojournalist.   But now I understand first-hand that the right application of assistance is critical.     Having an assistant means showing up at a day-long shoot fresh, not worn out already from lugging gear from studio to car to location.   It means having more options in terms of setups during a shoot.  It means looking more professional, and having an extra pair of eyes to spot any of the inevitable myriad issues that come up on location.  In short, consider me converted to the pro-assistant crowd.

And now that he’s hooked me on having an assistant, Charlie is moving on.   Charlie is a talented landscape photographer just beginning his professional career.  He’s also got a huge interest in video, and has spent a lot of time this past year doing Haunt ME, a ghost-hunting video series.  It’s good.  Good enough that Charlie got hired to be the video production guy for, get this–a treasure hunting expedition.  You know, the guys who spend millions locating and then diving on shipwrecks on the ocean floor in search of valuable loot.  How cool is that?   I’m happy and proud of Charlie, but I gotta face facts.  I need a Charlie, or a Charleen, II.

Honesty time:  this isn’t a gig that will make you rich.  Rates range from hourly to day-rates depending on the job and client.   The pay is pretty good, but it isn’t scheduled daily work.   For that reason the ideal person will A) have another job that is very flexible or B) have a trust fund that enables them to assist and hang out at coffee shops all day.  Don’t worry; I’ll still pay you.  The good news is that I don’t believe in making you work for free.  I don’t do free tryouts or anything like that.  If I use you, even if you break some gear, I’m going to pay you (even if I don’t want to call you back the next time).   The other good news is that you’ll learn a tremendous amount from a working, busy commercial and editorial photographer who does a lot of location work and loves to use strobes.

What I’m looking for is one or hopefully more people that I can tap from time to time to be my photo assistant.  The work is pretty straightforward—pack and unpack photo gear, prep cameras and gear for location shoots, keep releases organized,  lug said gear, and function as a VALS, or Voice -Activated Light Stand.  Stuff like that.   Any candidate would need to have the following going for them:  The ability to carry heavy bags, lift heavy objects over their heads, and they need to have…hustle.   That means you need to have more than one gear and the ability to smoothly transfer into and out of that higher gear as the situation dictates.   I’m not a get-set-up-and-shoot-in-one-single-spot kind of photographer. I like to move.  I change my mind (too much, I know Charlie is thinking).   So the ability to roll with it and be flexible is always good.  I need someone who can be a chameleon and fit in to whatever environment we’re shooting in.   This means you can dress up for the corporate stuff and dress down when we’re shooting from a moving car.   I’m not looking specifically for a photographer, though a passion for visuals and an understanding of exposure, artificial lighting and professional camera gear is a huge, huge plus.  I don’t care what lights you may or may not be familiar with; that I can teach.   In fact, you’d learn a lot on the job, so a teachable attitude is necessary too.

Oh, and…one more thing.  You need to have good social skills.  You need to have a sense of humor.  This should really be at the top of the list.   It’s not necessary, but a bonus if you like music like Johnny Cash, the Pogues and Flogging Molly.  I’m just sayin’.   However, Charlie likes techno and Queen, so obviously I won’t get hung up on that last one.

If you’re interested, email me at brian@fitzgeraldphoto.com, please, by the end of December.   Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested.   No calls, please.   In your mail, tell me what your work situation is, ideally what you’re looking for in an assistant position and any limitations you have (can’t work on Mondays, can’t do overnight travel, etc).   Tell me a little about yourself.   I’ll take a look at what you send me and will do interviews after that point.

Thanks!