What exact days are your guys' birthdays on? That's so absurd~
Danaaa maybe we'll have a meet in Portland and one in Esther Short park. I'm fine with going to Portland but I really want to get some cool pics at Esther Short, I love it there.
Oct 9th in Esther Short Park in Vancouver looks like it would work for me. I like the idea of having both a Portland day and a Vancouver day. For me, the best time to have the Portland day would probably be either Sat Oct 23 or Sun Oct 24. Time and location to be determined.
Regarding the other question about what the assistant would do . . . different photographers want different things. For me, the assistant will do a variety of things: a lot of it is holding lighting equipment, but it can also be other things too, like helping out with safety (spotting the models if they are in a situation where they might fall, or helping the model navigate in a costume that is difficult to see out of). It's also good to have someone who can deal with props and help make sure that the model's hair, make up, and costume are right.
Tom