A photographer is a person capturing stills images for production. They make sure that the shot is framed well, the camera is focused, and the composition and light balance on the camera are all correct. The photographer is essentially managing the shoot, organising the assistants and digitech and making sure that models and clients are happy.

While the basics of Photography are the same – lighting, framing, iso etc. Photographers specialise in certain genres, some examples of this are: product photography, live events, models, street photography, and documentary-style.

 

What are some of their responsibilities?

• Checking SD card for faults – making sure that the SD card can capture the footage, sometimes they may choose to carry a spare for emergencies
• Communicating needs with DigiTech and Assistants – making sure they know what is wanted of them for the shoot and ensuring the lighting is set up
• Discussing shooting requirements with directors and producers
• Help the production crew set up equipment and space
• Checking equipment is working – do some test shots and check the images come through and are able to be stored in the correct location
• Making sure the camera is on the right settings – resolution and frame rate vary by region
• Framing shots and capturing shots as directed– they must be able to know what looks good in a shot, the rule of thirds, and placement of objects make a difference to a viewer when capturing footage
• Producing footage according to schedules – there is a timeframe in which everything is scheduled to be shot, and going over schedule is costly to a budget
• Ensuring focus – being able to make sure the camera is always in focus
• Light balancing – being able to white-balance the camera and make sure the light levels are correct, that it is not either too bright or too dark, or too warm or too cold
• Making sure that the client and producer are happy – ensure that the work is up to standard and running on time

 

Who do Photographers work alongside?

• Lighting Assistants
• Camera Assistants
• DigiTech
• Makeup Artists
• Stylists
• Producer
• Art Director
• Models

 

What makes a great Photographer?

Camera operators should understand the technical knowledge of different popular cameras in the industry, they should have an in-depth understanding of the latest cameras, lenses, monitors, and lights in the industry and be able to assess what is best for differentiating productions.

Some companies may provide equipment but it is rare, having your own equipment is a great investment!

If companies don’t provide the equipment, there are rental houses that are able to provide equipment for you.

• CaptureOne – this software is the industry standard for the industry. This software allows you to edit raw images from the camera as well as to organise, catalog, and categorize images.
• Adobe Photoshop – you need a competent level of understanding for this editing software
• Adobe Lightroom – to organise, store and retouch images, a good understanding of this enables you to streamline the editing process

 

How to become a Photographer?

A degree

• It is not essential to have a degree to become a Photographer. There are, however, degree courses that specialises in photography that you may consider as to enable a better understanding of the industry before you go into it (https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/ba-hons-digital-photography)

 

Networking

There are different ways to network –

• Attending events is a fantastic way to meet people in person
• LinkedIn – make connections!
• Facebook Pages – join a group and they will post jobs and advice!
• Talk to previous clients about extra work – sell yourself!

 

Work Experience

• If you don’t have any experience on set, you can see if you can shadow a photographer on set
• You can take on a role as a camera assistant or set assistant – this enables you to get on set and see how it works – make sure to ask questions!

 

Courses

• Companies such as ScreenSkills offer training with all sorts of roles – ScreenSkills have a great reputation among training centres and have been known to be recommended during university degrees for extra learning Here is some information on cameras! https://www.screenskills.com/training-and-opportunities/?q=Camera
• Capture One also offer free Webinars and Tutorials – https://learn.captureone.com/

 

Showreel

• A visual representation of your work helps to sell yourself – Behance or TheDots are great platforms to utilise
• If you don’t have many images to put into a portfolio, you can organise shoots for unpaid work – models are always wanting to build up their portfolio, network and exchange your work!

 

How do I book a Photographer?

If you would like to enhance your project, here at Yellow Cat we have a wide network of talented Photographers to suit all client needs. We have a rich talent pool for client’s to hire freelance Photographers. For more information regarding Photographers, their market rate and the availability of freelance Photographers, please contact us.