Margaret Bourke-White, one of my favorite photographers, took amazing photographs of people and the world they lived in. This is one, taken by her assistant, of her shooting an urban landscape from atop a modern gargoyle attached near the top of the Chrysler Building in Manhattan . She was fearless.
Assistants do not always have it easy. The one above wasn't as far out as Bourke-White, but pretty darned close. Once I was with my boss, I was an apprentice, because his real assistant became ill and could not go with him to photograph Machu Picchu. I was in the plane with him as he prepared to shoot when he yelled grab my belt, pointing to the small of his back. I did. He then signaled the pilot who immediately turned the small plane, no windows, on its side and he photographed straight down from above Machu Picchu .
It scared the beJesus out of me.
Later, when I asked why he hadn't told me what he had planned he told me that I probably would have had doubts. I then asked him about what would have happened if I couldn't hold on and he replied that the shot was more important to think about. I then drank way too much of the local brew. The photographs were breath taking.
BTW, the pilot, on looks alone, wouldn't have been able to even get an interview with Wings of Herb Airlines. On his best day. But he took off, flew and landed. For $35.00. Which included gas.
Margaret Bourke-White would've flown the plane, photographed and landed by herself.
