During my internship with Jane Beilse I was able to go to some extravagant houses during my time there. But one that will always be remembered is the penthouse that overlooked Central Park. Not only was this my first time on the job going into New York City, but it was an amazing house with an amazing view.
When I first got dropped off at the house I was told to bring as much equipment upstairs as possible by myself. As I entered the elevator, I was unaware of what the house was above. I hit the fourth floor like I was instructed, and when the elevator opened I was in this family’s living room. I was very confused- I had never seen a family’s house, a full floor in an apartment building. There I was, staring out the window over Central Park in one of the most expensive houses in New York. I was amazed and scared at this opportunity I was in.
As I waited for Jane to come upstairs with the rest of the equipment, I looked around and realized no one was home. I decided to set up the camera and tripod. On this set, I was Jane’s assistant and was there to be her right-hand man. As the shoot continued to progress, I became more and more comfortable in the environment and was given a bigger role. Jane began to ask me questions and ask for my opinion. Usually, I was just told what to do, but this time, I gave my opinion on the photo. I said to her, “We should take that blanket out and replace it with a pillow”, and she loved it. From then on, she continued to ask for my opinion for the rest of the shoot that day. I was never given a role this big on a shoot before.
After this job, I realized that my opinion was valued by the photographers when they asked, and to be willing to give my opinion- because a second opinion can make or break a photo. During the rest of the internship, I was a photographer and assistant to a photographer by Jane’s side. This internship showed me what it was like to be a photographer’s assistant, as well as working freelance as a photographer, and the struggles and difficulties that come with it every day.
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