Scott Grummett

Photographer and director, Scott Grummett, specialises in food & drink. Grummett graduated from NUA back in 2010 and from there started his career as an assistant. Now he has a team who have been at the forefront of the modern revolution in commercial food presentation, creating graphic, stills & film for clients in the UK and internationally. 

Grummett gave us some tips on assisting photographers which I found very helpful and didn't consider myself. 

He mentioned that even though the assistant wants to be there, the photographers wants you more. The photographers job is important and sometimes limited to time therefore an assistant is there to help set-up, perhaps drop an idea in and so forth. 

When applying to be an assistant, you need to check your personal social networking sites in case there's something that might jeopardise your position. 

The email you wish to send them on behalf of the position needs to be something along the lines of what you know in the area of photography, and what you can offer to the photographer. Perhaps you have past experience useful to the photographer needs. DO NOT brag. Bragging is not good, the photographer doesn't care about what you achieved, it's what you know.

Grummett said he likes his applicants to be chatty but professional, reflecting a personality that he could be able to work with without hesitation but present themselves as a professional. Writing up the email must be of a professional standard, even if it means getting someone to check the email for you to make sure that all capitals are there, spelling checks have been made and the right punctuation is added.

Honesty is key, don't tell a photographer that you have experience in something if you don't. You will only be wasting their time. They'd rather you be honest as they are more than happy to show you how to set-up equipment. 

As well as commercial work, Grummett also concentrates on his personal work featuring crime scenes. The images he takes are inspired by photographer, Wigi. 

These shots are very interesting and certainly a jump from his food photography. 

I really like his composition, especially within this photo of the old man lying his head on the table. It's quite an antique set up with the floral patterned mug slipping into the frame bottom right, and more ornaments behind the man sitting in between the shelves. These have a massive impact on the image itself creating quite an innocent appeal to the image.

Grummett has also been called in to work for kings of chicken KFC and Nando's for creative advertising and PR work in the UK. He's also created advertisement for Weight Watchers' Super Bowl campaign in the USA where he was commended for his directing part of the job.