How to Be a Movie Still Photographer

Movie Fan Collectible's guest blogger is Glen K. Richards, a 2010 graduate of film school in Pittsburgh, with a degree in cinematography. Glen was kind enough to give us his perspective on what it was like to be a movie stills photographer on some of his recent film shoots. Movie still photographers take publicity photos while the film is in production for use in later film promotions and movie marketing. Original vintage movie stills from Hollywood studio press kits are now highly collectible. Glen's blog will be of interest to stills collectors and aspiring movie film unit photographers. Click this line to check out our inventory of vintage movie stills.

I hate being that guy who is in everyone's way all the time! That is how I feel when I am doing production stills. As the on-set still photographer, I need and want, to be where the action is, right there next to the camera or standing over the director's shoulder. As the director, this can be very annoying, especially during one of the many stressful moments during the shoot. But I can't get that perfect picture by staying out of the way.

There are two really difficult things about being the on-set still photographer. The first is that I really want to capture the action from the actors. What is so hard about this is that it is often impossible to snap a picture during a take. The extremely powerful and sensitive microphones that are used on film sets will almost always pick up the shutter noise.

The second part of on-set still photography that can be difficult or frustrating is that I often feel as though I am in the way. There is a lot of stress on the set of a film, no matter how well things are going, and the still photographer's job is usually looked at by the rest of the crew as the least important. I'm not saying that my job is the most important, but it is not expendable. I frequently find myself standing between a grip and the stand that he is trying to move.

The two kinds of behind the scenes photos that are considered "good" by the film world, are ones that show the crew working very hard, or ones that mimic the shot that the cinematographer has created for the film. The first of these is the easier shot to get. There are so many opportunities to snap pictures of the crew working hard. Right before the director calls action, or right after he/she calls cut, is a perfect opportunity to get great crew captures.

It is much harder to see through the cinematographer’s lens. Unless they are not recording sound, I cannot snap a picture during a take. So I have to interrupt the shoot to get the actors to pose as they are going through the scene. The best way to get this shot is when the director is having his final rehearsal before the first take. I will set up right next to the cinematographer and mimic his angle and lens choice as much as possible, or sometimes I will sit right in front of the cinematographer’s camera.

While shooting on-set stills I have used both film and digital. Although I prefer film when I shoot other things, I use digital almost entirely for production stills. The main reason is because of the ISO capabilities. Digital camera manufacturers have made a lot of progress in the last few years with their high ISO performance. 1600 ISO with my digital camera looks way better than 1600 ISO film. Although the scene is usually very well lit and looks beautiful if the cinematographer has done his job, the area where the crew is located is generally not nearly as well lit and requires the much higher ISO to get the appropriate exposure.