Education · 1 of 4

The path

Nobody hires you off a diploma. They hire you off photos of faces you have done and off who vouches for you.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Art, theater tech and chemistry. Do makeup for every school play and every friend who will sit still, and photograph all of it.

2. 2

   Get licensed if your state needs it

   6 to 12 months

   An esthetician or cosmetology program. Texas requires 750 hours for an esthetician license plus a written and a practical exam.

3. 3

   Build a portfolio and a kit

   1 to 2 years

   Test shoots with photographers, student films, theater. Free work is normal at this stage and should stop within about a year.

4. 4

   Assist working artists

   1 to 3 years

   You carry the kit, you clean brushes, you watch. This is where you learn set etiquette, continuity and speed.

5. 5

   Log days toward the union roster

   3 to 5 years

   In Los Angeles one route is 60 days a year in three different years within the last five, documented with pay stubs and call sheets.