Book Review - The Photographer's Assistant Handbook by Matt Proulx

Must-Read For Prospective Assistants

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone looking at becoming a photographer's assistant. Matt has worked for many different photographers in the New York area. His advice is right-on and his long list of humiliating accidents covers the full gamut of what NOT to do. I didn't come to this book as a prospective assistant but rather as a professional photographer hoping to pick up a few tips and tricks from the author's experience with other photographers, a good spy novel in other words. Therefore, I was most looking forward to Chapter 9, Tips and Tricks. I found a few neat ideas, but nothing that Earth-shattering. Of course, mileage may vary and I readily admit the target audience is for assistants-to-be. If you are coming from that perspective, you unquestionably want to read this book and break out a box of highlighters. It would also be a great read and general overview for high school students thinking about entering the field. The only downside is that the book doesn't cover the digital era, so there is a lot of information about digital workflow and different photographer's preferences in that area which is missing.

Buy it on Amazon

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is make huge waves in the photography community, and I personally LOVE the product. Here are some links for anyone interested in Adobe Lightroom:

Lightroom-News

Adobe's everything-Lightroom site is a great resource for keeping up-to-date on Lightroom announcements.

Adobe Training Videos

Free videos on Lightroom

Lightroom Galleris

Web and flash gallery templates

George Jardine on Lightroom and Digital Photography

Audio and video podcasts on Lightroom