This beginners guide to unit stills photography is intended to help anyone who wants to become a unit stills photographer.
Introduction
I’ll start by introducing myself. I’m Ray and I’ve been a photographer since childhood, which was many years ago. It’s safe to say that I’m at the slightly older end of the spectrum age wise! Despite that, I became a unit stills photographer in the 2020’s, meaning it’s never too late to start.
However, this beginners guide to unit stills photography is for younger photographers looking to get into the industry too.
What is unit stills photography?
Unit stills photography consists of two basic categories. Firstly, it’s shots taken during live takes (or rehearsals). Secondly, it comprises of behind the scenes photography shot between takes, known as BTS in the in the industry. Both are equally important for the successful promotion of a production.
Definition: Wikipedia
Why unit stills are vital
Unit stills are vital for the publicly team to help market and sell the production. These days that largely means for streaming, social media, press releases and internet marketing campaigns. However, printed media is still a major part of the process too, especially for larger productions destined for cinema release. Equally, low budget productions need unit stills photography as an essential part of the package needed to secure a distributor.
Is unit stills photography for you?
The first question you need to ask yourself is whether unit stills photography really is for you? It sounds glamorous, right? But, as we say in the UK “it’s like Marmite”, meaning you either love it or hate it. This is not something anyone can teach you, it’s something you need to find out for yourself when you first get on set.
Furthermore, there’s a ton of skills you need to learn or have naturally to begin with. Importantly you must be good with people, have a thick skin and have an instinct for etiquette on set. No matter how good a photographer you are, without this basic skillset you will not make it. This might sound harsh, but I’m just being realistic. If you have what it takes you will flourish and it will be the best thing you ever did.
How I became a unit stills photographer
I became a unit stills photographer quite by chance after receiving a phone call from a movie producer. He’d been looking for a local photographer and this website came up on his search. It turned out that he liked my UK street photography and my approach to visual storytelling resonated with him. He then hired me for one day, a day that changed my life. That’s how I became a unit stills photographer and how I fell in love with the industry too.
How you can become a unit stills photographer
I was lucky, but for most photographers the way to break into the industry is by networking locally and working on student films and shorts. In fact, I don’t rule out this kind of work, even now. Be humble and available!
Portfolio
You need a portfolio to get on set, but you can’t get on set without one. It’s a “chicken and egg” scenario for anyone starting out. Ok, I was lucky with how I was first hired, but it’s not the normal way of entering the industry. So, what can you do? Basically, you need to hustle and get involved with local and low budget productions. Also, you need to attend industry events and network like crazy.
Even then, once you are hired, you cannot publish any images until the production is released. It was a 2 year wait until I could publish the first work I did. There are no shortcuts and you have to accept that getting started is a very slow burn.
Website
Once you have a portfolio you need a website that looks great and showcases your best work. Some say that your website should ONLY be about unit stills, which is good advice if that’s all you do. However, my website existed before I became a stills photographer. In fact, it was my street and travel work that got me hired on set in the first place. Therefore, the genres that first defined me are as important as ever and remain a key part of my website.
Who to contact
Who do you need to contact? That’s a great question and one that I’m still learning about after a few years in the industry. The bottom line is that there are no shortcuts and nobody is going to provide you with a list of contacts.
Producers and publicity
However, I will say that unit stills photographers are normally hired by a producer or the publicity department. It’s your job to find these people, the same applies to me too.
Where to find contacts
So, how do you find these contacts? Well that’s down to hard work, persistence and networking. Skills you’d need to survive once you arrive on set anyway. However, I’d suggest social media and industry events would be a good place to start.
Unit stills equipment
Whilst equipment doesn’t define the photographer, you need sufficient equipment and backup to be a unit stills photographer, which you can borrow or hire when starting out. You can learn more about camera equipment for unit stills photography here.
Conclusion
In conclusion, unit stills is one of the most exciting photography genres, but only if you find that you love being on set and have the personal and creative skills to thrive in this space. I hope you have found my beginners guide to unit stills photography to be useful.
Learn More
You can learn more about my work as a unit stills photographer here and my work as a behind the scenes photographer here or more of my photography tips and tutorials here.
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