Behind the scenes with Rickon and Dennis.

Working as a behind-the-scenes or “stills” photographer is an entirely different experience to most usual photography jobs. As photographers we naturally tend to take charge of the creative direction, and are used to getting our own way. Working BTS requires you to work within different dynamics, not least of which involves being surrounded by other creatives, each with their own opinions and ideas. Here are some of the best and worst things you can expect whilst shooting behind-the-scenes.

The main difference when you’ve been hired to work as a photographer on someone else’s set is that your needs are secondary to that of the rest of the crew. On an ordinary assignment, I’m used to being responsible for assembling a creative team, overseeing everything from booking in a location, to selecting the subjects, directing the shoot, and so on. When shooting behind the scenes at a music video or short film, that’s not so much the case. Turning up on the day, you can expect to be just one member of a large team of people, most (if not all) of whom you will never have met.

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Team Player

The sooner you realize that your job extends so much further than taking photos, the better. Be prepared to double up as the water boy. Productions considered large or important enough to require a behind-the-scenes photographer are often pretty hectic and it’s highly likely you’ll be roped into carrying out tasks that you’d ordinarily expect a runner to take care of. Carrying bags, moving the set around, locating members of the team, the list goes on. And let's not forget members of the crew spotting you with a camera and asking you to take photos of whatever they’re up to.