Solar Six, the production company that makes my cosplay photos, YouTube episodes and short films, is hiring.

Solar Six has made images of my cosplays like this one:

And this one:

And they have created videos like this one:

ARE YOU THE PHOTO HERO I AM LOOKING FOR?

This part-time position is perfect for a photographer, photo editor or retoucher who’s looking for a new challenge that is definitely different than typical commercial or product photography. You don’t have to have a multimedia degree, but it helps.

You should be someone who moves comfortably inside Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and maybe even Davinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere. You don’t need to be a fancy DSLR shooter. Working with your smartphone is fine. On this job you will learn more advanced elements of photography, but you should come in with a solid skill set before you apply.

My brand of storytelling is a hard remix of superheroes, queerness and very dark sci-fi. If you are not excited about all three of these areas, you should not apply.

You will be working directly with me, Pablo Greene, on photo shoots that require production and art design, lighting, styling and camera work. Here’s what it’s like:

When you work with me, you will get the pleasure of working on projects that happen on time, get paid out on time, and which are made by an artist who is gay, queer, and a person of color. But I am not always easy. My working style is very precise, requires a lot of interaction with me, and may sometimes feel like it’s so detail oriented that you just want to take an Advil. I will also ask you to read through written materials when we do planning on shoots or I create specs for the art direction. If you’re not a fan of reading, this is not your place. When you work with me, you will not be getting emails from me in the middle of the night, but when the work is happening, I will push you to your limits to get the best work from you. It’s a hands-on way to learn how to work like a pro. At the same time, I treat all my employees with respect. I welcome employees of any gender expression, sexuality, and of all backgrounds, religious affiliations. I strongly discourage bigots, homophobes and prudes from applying. In other words, if you are close minded and hateful, step. My photo shoots are rated PG-13, and they don’t feature any frontal nudity, and they occasionally feature fetish ideas and imagery.

LOCATION

Shoots will happen in my Chicago photo studio or on location around Chicago, weather permitting. For location shoots, you are expected to have your own means of transportation to get there. No worries, they are all reachable via CTA. If you’re not based in Chicago but you are good at photo editing and retouching, I may also still be interested. If that’s you, please submit your application following the instructions below.

WORKING STYLE

Studio and location shoots will be very detail oriented. Most shoots take about 2 hours, and are scheduled throughout the week. For any work that’s done remotely, I work exclusively using Slack. I don’t use email or text for projects. Slack allows you and I to have a nice separation of work and personal life. I use Slack only during general business hours, unless we are doing a night or weekend shoot.

PAY

This is a freelance/contract gig, and I pay a flat fee or hourly rate, depending on your level experience. If you’re new to freelancing, please keep in mind that you will have to set aside money and pay your own taxes. Some of the more complex shoots will have a flat fee instead of an hourly rate, which we can negotiate based on experience.

HOW TO APPLY

Send an email to this email address, and please include the following:

🔎 A link to your Instagram or photo portfolio site. Only show me your best work

🔎 Tell me your dream. Is it to be the best photographer in the world? To make YouTube videos? To be a drag stylist? Tell me.

🔎 Tell me who is your favorite visual storyteller, and why

🔎 Include links/samples of videos you have made for social/YouTube

🔎 A short description of your working style when it comes to editing a photo in LIghtroom or Photoshop

🔎 Take a look at my YouTube channel and Instagram and tell me two things you would suggest to improve their visual storytelling

NEXT STEPS

If we at Solar Six like what you bring to the table, we’ll reach out to you. We do a sample photo edit test to see what you can come up with. For this test, I’ll send you a RAW photo, and you will be asked to edit it according to the specs we send you, but it will also give you a chance to show us your creativity. No stress, just super fun work in Lightroom and Photoshop. If the applicant passes that test, well then we’re good to go, aren’t we?

I’m Hiring A Photo Assistant, and I Need A Freakin’ Hero