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GETTING TO THE TOP IN PHOTOGRAPHY: INSIDERS' ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE IT FROM ASSISTANT TO PHOTO SUPERSTAR

Peter Gambaccini '72, Amphoto, 1984. $22.50 (cloth), $14.95 (paper).

If becoming the next Peter Turner, Anthony Edgeworth, or Gregory Heisler is a goal for your future, then this book is definitely for you. Even if you just have some curiosity about what really happens in "big league" photo studios, you will find this lively collection of interviews entertaining.

Gambaccini's basic prerequisite to reaching the top of the ranks is to spend some time assisting one of the photographers already there. Given this premise, he interviewed close to thirty of the Big Apple's best and about-to-be best. Well-known to regular readers of American Photographer, Gambaccini is a master at writing colorful and insightful profiles. He continues this tradition in this book by providing a variety of answers to how photographers and assistants got where they are, what an assistant does, what is expected of a job applicant, and what some of the "perks" are likely to be. He is clear about the hours (long), the social life (non-existent), and the pay (low). Gambaccini outlines some of the differences one music photographer will hire only photo school grads while another immediately disqualifies them the prejudices against hiring women (which, though increasingly less prevalent, still exist) and the similarities (who you know remains one of the most important skills).

The most helpful advice for the aspiring pro is the profiling of photographers by specialty fashion, music and theatre, illustration, portraiture, food and still life, and journalism. He specifically explains the different responsibilities of an assistant and what can be learned in each area allowing an aspiring employe to select the type of studio that would be most beneficial to him or her. Throughout these sections Gambaccini throws in a few tips of the trade, like using glycerin for dew drops, known to most professionals but handy info for a neophyte.

My only complaint about the book is that it is exactly what its title says how to get to the top. Given that only a few hundred people will ever get there, the career advising tone, most prevalent on the book's dust cover, is almost a bit irresponsible. Nonetheless, the profiles of the makers and shakers at the top of the heap provide a fascinating portait of the industry.

Nancy Wasserman is a free-lance photographer living in White River Junction. A regular contributor to this magazine, her workhas also appeared in such publications as Vermont Life, Country Journal, and Newsweek.