The 2 names you mentioned are undoubtedly the best in the industry.
I got the term "VA" from misterkodaker Master Jo.
I attended his class and love his work!
I loved the way he coined the term "VA"
and refused to come up with another term to mean the same thing.
What do my VAs do when they join me?
Most of the time they just observe and eat gourmet food!
My VA's are not required to shoot, hold my bags, burn CDs or any of those things.
I do not treat them as assistants, I treat them as companions.
Somebody to fill in the empty chair because clients usually give me 2 seats in the dining table.
Arriving alone means I have to eat 2 plates
and that means my blood pressure shoots up the next day.
What my VAs learn instantly is that most clients in Noodletown are a different lot.
They do not want to see photographers disturbing the event.
They do not want choreographers telling them what to do.
They do not want rehearsals or any activity that will rob them of their time.
Celebrations held by Noodletown people are social activities, often full of camera-shy people.
Often, the gathering is an opportunity to rub elbows,
eat the finest food, wear the finest clothes and jewelry,
talk about their accomplishments, their children's accomplishments,
and business opportunities.
Nowhere in that list of activities include posing for the camera.
Again, they hired you to do the job without being distracting and imposing.
There are also a lot of Noodletown folks who are not trend-savvy,
and usually come in T-shirts and jeans and ungroomed during parties.
This is frustrating for photographers who are accustomed to taking glamour shots.
So what my VA's do is hold a camera and wait for somebody
to call them for an extra shot for their personal collection.
I take care of the table hopping group shots and the activities.
VA's can shoot the same things I do as long as they are not in the way.
They can compare their shots with mine and learn from there.
It is not a surprise that VAs can take better photos than I do.
But one thing I assure everybody, my clients will always call me and not you, why?
Because they are my friends, they know me, and they have MY WORD.
So with that in mind, I graciously teach you the ins and outs of photography without worrying about my business or career.
YOU decide your own path and where you want to go.
It is always nice to have a mentor to show you the ropes.
And I'm offering this opportunity only to the PinoyMTBiker photographers, and not to members of other forums, why?
I have had the bad experience of getting a VA from the photography forums.
The guy borrowed "emergency" money from me and disappeared.
I ended up doing the layout myself and lost nights of sleep
because of the promise of layout work that never became a reality.
I don't want to mention names but his surname is
SAYAT.
He supposedly come from a decent family of artists.
It's been 3 years and he still haven't showed up to pay me back.
I can safely say that his family had the poor fortune of having a con-artist in their midst.
Which was just too bad considering his real talents.
Lesson learned: Don't judge a person by his talents, judge him by his character.
This is what I'm trying to share as a photographer, biker, and as a friend.
Build your character and your talents will follow!