Arts, A/V Technology & Communications

Crystal Self

Photographer’s Assistant

High School: L.C. Bird (’05)

Career & Technical Ed. Program Studied:T&I (Photography) (at L.C. Bird), Commercial Photography (at Chesterfield Technical Center)

Additional Studies/Training: On-the-job training

Photo Opps

Students have to live with their school pictures for the rest of their lives —so it’s a good thing Crystal Self is there to make sure they don’t have a “rooster tail” spoiling the special shot. She’s a portrait photographer’s assistant, and as she explains it, “I travel with the photographer, help with setup, then work with all the kids to make sure they look good before we take the portrait.”

Once the photos are taken, she helps process the orders: “I look at all the photos – and make sure everything looks good before we send them out.”
And by the way, she does this for about 4,000 sittings a year (not to mention assisting her employers with other commercial and portraiture assignments).

Crystal became prepared for this job with studies at Chesterfield Technical Center, where she enjoyed the comprehensive scope of studies. “They teach you the photography side AND the business side of it, which is nice.”