One of the most common questions that I get is "can I be your assistant?" Let me be the first to tell you, being my assistant is not fun. It is work, all the time, for the whole time we are in the field. 10, 12, 14, 18 hours a day, every day. Sick, well, hungry, tired it doesn't matter. We work. It is the only way to get a big story done. Add to that injury, lack of food and sickness in remote locations and you can see that assisting me is tough. Luckily I've had my share of very good assistants. Photography is often a team effort and assistants are the unsung heros of any story.
The photo above is my long time assistant Alan Cressler undergoing emergency surgery in Belize's Chiquibul forest. He had stepped on a vine that shot a thorn into his calf. The expedition doctor had to cut into his leg right there on the forest floor. Alan convalesced in camp for a couple of days and then was back carrying heavy lights through the jungle and caves.
Not sure what we would have done without the doctor, not sure what I would have done without Alan.
Stories like Chiquibul, or Oman, or Krubera or Stone Forest don't happen without many people working very very hard.
Thank you to all who have helped me put a story together.
-Stephen Alvarez
Soo.. Can I be your assistant?
Posted by: Alex Morrison | December 18, 2009 at 11:41 PM