Glad to Help
[by Todd Joyce]
Environmental portraits in nineteen cities in three months was the commitment. It seemed easy… Nineteen in twelve weeks. After about three weeks, it was apparent that the client was dragging their feet and was taking their time in getting the info for me. As the deadline was approaching, it was obvious that I was going to have to do some “hoop jumping” to meet the deadline.
The client wanted to book my travel so there were times that I was being told where I was going, the day before I was leaving. “You’re going to Atlanta tomorrow and your flight leaves at 7am” was the kind of call I would get. It was quite a commitment for me, but without ASMP, I would never have been able to do it. Every time I would find out where I was going, my first call was usually to the ASMP area president to get recommendations for an assistant and a makeup stylist. Every time I would call one of the presidents, I was treated wonderfully. “Sure, I’d be glad to help” often came the reply.
One last minute notice came on a Tuesday evening, that I was going to Las Vegas the next morning to shoot the next day. If you are familiar with ASMP chapters, the nearest chapter to Vegas is Los Angeles, which is over four hours away. I knew I needed to find someone in Vegas to recommend an assistant and a stylist, instead of someone in Los Angeles. In a bit of a panic, since it was almost 5 pm in Vegas, I called an ASMP member there. He answered and was very nice. I told him what I needed and he said, “can I call you right back?” I said “sure, I guess.” I mean, I was desperate because of the last minute nature, but I was asking him for the favor. As I waited, I looked for another member to call. I tried another and no answer. It was now after five and I knew I was in trouble. As I was looking for another member to call, the phone rang. It was the first photographer I had spoken to, calling me back. His first words to me were “I have an assistant and a stylist booked for you.” I was astonished. He wasn’t putting me off, he had asked to call me back so he could make a few calls to set up what I had needed. He said he understood the position I was in and just wanted to help. “I’m glad to help a fellow ASMP member,” was how he said it.
Todd Joyce is a recent Past President of ASMP and specializes in conceptual people photography for advertising. See Todd’s work at joycephotography.com and contact him at todd@joycephotography.com
