I don't use an assistant I prefer to photograph on my own for two main reasons. First, because I feel it's easier for you to feel at ease and get to know and trust just one person. Secondly because I can keep track of exactly which shots I have taken. Just so you know all my cameras have double card slots so that the photos are recorded onto two different places. That means that there is a back up of the session if one card fails (extremely extremely really really rare !!!)