What I learn at the Lofts in a week or a month is more than 3 years at an art school and $90,000 less than I would owe in tuition. Every day, I meet new and important people, and I get a chance to work with the best. The good thing about working with the best is you learn from the best. Before I came to the studio, I didn’t even know the basics! What is a “C-stand”? What is a “Pack”? What is a “Head”? I knew nothing about grip equipment. Nothing about camera equipment or basic lighting. I came to Hollywood thinking I was going to be a photographer, when really a photographer is just a small portion of what I want to do in the industry. When you limit yourself to one profession, that closes you out to many other sources of income and experience.
For example, my boss, Peter Dokus is a commercial photographer, photo tech, and studio owner. I have never seen a photographer bust his ass as much as this guy. He taught me that being a photographer takes a long time. You don’t start from the top, you work your way up from the bottom!
It was not what I wanted to hear, but he has a point. Yeah, I am starting out cleaning toilets, cleaning the studio, and doing all the work that no one else wants to do. But it builds a respect for the industry and it makes the “higher ups” notice my hard work. Being exposed to the experienced people helps me learn what I can, where I can.
