UBC prompt important activity "photographer + prod. technician"

Tell us more about ONE or TWO activities listed above that are most important to you.

Please explain the role you played and what you learned in the process. You will be asked for a reference who can speak to your response. (maximum 2100 characters)

Fly, fly, and be captured by my mechanical eye. As a gig photographer and production technician, I have two habitats: behind the camera and the laptop.

I've been a hobbyist photographer since 12, but 3 years ago, I started interning as a gig photographer. I shadowed and worked shoots for clients, including Doordash, private clients, and local businesses. I would be responsible for staging shots, handling lighting, capturing the moment, and editing to ensure that it matches the client's vision. Through the local photography community, I eventually met like-minded individuals who ran a production company named Trifecta. Eventually, I would be asked to help as a freelance production technician. I would be responsible for setting up 4k PTZ multicam cameras, RED and ARRI cinema cameras, running wires, IT assistance, and doing background work on local infrastructure.

Behind the camera, it's all about planning and communication. Although you're taking the shots, the client is calling them. Whether shadowing a senior or eventually solo jobs, I learned that effective interpersonal communication is more than vital. It's necessary. Yet, it was also essential to gently nudge the client into the direction they really wanted. I also learned valuable conflict mitigation skills. Sometimes, demanding clients appeared, or issues would occur in production. Finding the right balance between diplomatic and assertive taught me to be confident in facing adversity. Unlike photography, I often did technical work in teams. Although there was less work overall, commitment, trust, and communication became homologous to success. I quickly realized how paramount my competence was to the team's ability to work. Finally, I learned to deal with deadlines, conflict, and stress at an elevated level. Although they weren't commonplace, sometimes, there were pressure-cooker situations that demanded absolute calm. However, the experience was highly enriching. I've become more independent yet impeached at operating with people and respecting differences to achieve a common goal.

When there is an option to highlight one skill in the essay, always go for the topic that can be fully discussed and enhanced as per the prompt requirement. It is more important to create an impression with one focus rather than present 2 activities, with one having less than stellar exposure. The first consideration can easily be forgotten in such a case. In this instance, there is more substance to your time as a technical photographer assistant job who learned the ropes rather than participating in any actual camera work .

I believe the emphasis should be on the latter as it better applies to college preparation in terms of dealing with adult responsibilities and conflict resolution. Both of which are common situations a new college student must be able to deal with.

While an interest in photography as a hobby led to the internship via technical work, it was not really the highlight of the activities. Since the overall discussion was not about gig photography as an activity, it should not have a lengthy sentence presentation since it should only be used to lead into how you came to work with the professional team as an all around assistant.