Recently, I was in Japan shopping for used cameras. I was chatting with a clerk, Wilson, at Five Star Camera in Shinjuku. He asked about my work, so I mentioned that I was the photographer for the Tonight Show. His eyes lit up with excitement. He was curious how I got the job, and then asked what kind of skills you needed as a photographer to work on a TV show.
My work
It's probably useful to describe the work I do on the Tonight Show. I photograph everything involving Jimmy and talent, from rehearsals, candid moments backstage to interviews, comedy, games and music performances.
In addition, I photograph quick portraits of our guests backstage with our “blue wall photos” that usually happen after every interview or performance. I do formal portraits of Jimmy a few times a year, like before the Met Gala.
My work on the Tonight Show is different than other types of set photography for a feature film or non-talk show television, so it's worth keeping that in mind. Finally, my background is in music photography. I've never worked on a TV show before starting at the Tonight Show.
How to become a unit stills photographer
People always ask how they can become unit stills photographers or set photographers, and I don't really have a good answer. I got a cold email asking if I wanted to trial for the role. So, rather than give advice on how to get the job (which I cannot give with any authority), I want to share the skills that I rely on day to day.
Skills for unit stills photography
Overall, anticipation, responsiveness and an ability to get along with different personalities come to mind as some of the most important skills for my job. I'll go into more detail about the individual skills, character traits and other things I rely on as the set photographer for the Tonight Show.
Technical knowledge
The job as the show photographer can be technical, as much as any kind of job operating a camera can be. The main use of my images are from the JPGs straight out of camera, so it's valuable to have color and exposure as perfect as possible for the workflow of the images.
Basic technical knowledge like how to use a flash, how to freeze motion and so on are valuable. Some of the problem solving that I discuss later involves technical solutions.
And personally, I'm a very technical photographer — but the technical aspects of the job feel like only a very small part of what's important. Everything else that follows feels far more critical and as always, the technical aspects are the easiest ones to learn in this job.
Compromise and adaptability
Unit stills photography is often an exercise in compromise and being able to adapt.
On the floor of the Tonight Show, there are at least five cameras operating at any given time. It's my job as the unit stills photographer to tell the same story as those five cameras. This means looking for the opportunities of the second, third, fourth position and so on at any given moment.
Being able to plan out positioning and a plan for working during rehearsals is hugely helpful for new, complicated or risky camera movements.
Beyond being able to calculate compromise, adaptability and enter into a new situation while still coming away with the shots is a valuable skill in my roll.
Finally, I feel like one needs a lack of ego in this role, which ultimate is a factor in understanding compromise in one's place in the production.
Problem solving
With this focus of compromise, one of my favorite parts of the job as the set photographer is solving problems. Solving problems of angle, framing, position, exposure, timing and even social interaction. There's always a new problem to solve and something new to consider.
Problem solving works in tandem to enable compromise and adaptability, but I point it out separately as unlike the camera operators, there's no director in my ear calling the shots moment to moment. So the ability to make determinations for how to create the best image is critical.
Readiness & anticipation
The Tonight Show is not filmed live, but it is essentially live to tape, meaning most of what's shown happens in one take and is then edited down for broadcast. For the production, there aren't really do-overs (and certainly not for my situation), so being hyper alert and responsive while the show is taping is imperative.
A lot of the job is trying to anticipate the images that will tell the story or describe a moment most ideally. Maybe these are a quick look out to the audience in my direction, a smile, a moment of stillness or a display of emotion in the studio.
Backstage, it's listening to anticipate a reaction for a candid moment, or being ready for a flash portrait. And always changing exposure preemptively in anticipation of a moment when we move into a new lighting scenario.
Spatial awareness
For camera matching shots, I want to be where the A camera is already positioned. So the next best spot for a similar angle is to be right next to them in many cases. With cameras moving on the floor, lots of crew members moving gear, set pieces and more, not being in the way or bumping into something or someone is an important part of my job.
During changeovers in between acts, there can be a lot of activity on the floor and bottlenecks like the exit to the studio. Cameras may be moving, utilities are wrangling cables or making new connections, hair and makeup are coming in for last looks, etc. We all do a choreographed dance.
Spatial awareness of where you're stepping, the position of cables, where I can squeeze or when I need step aside are crucial for a smooth flow on the floor and no mistakes that can affect the production.
In addition, I'm often the only person moving on the floor, or moving the most, as most of the other camera ops are stationary. Every movement is a potential distraction, so I try to move as efficiently as possible, with exactness.
Social awareness
As Miles Davis once said, “It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play.” I think about this quote all the time as a photographer in this job.
For behind-the-scenes work and making candid photos, I shoot sparingly. The ability to time shots is valuable, but overall the most important part of the job is making people feel comfortable. In this context, it's paradoxically more important to not photograph certain moments than it is to capture them.
You have to know when people want photos and when they don't, not just what moments are important.
This aspect of knowing when to sacrifice the shot also applies to the production and simply getting out of the way or choosing a worse position to minimize risk.
Affability
When I first started trialing for the position as the photographer for the Tonight Show, I googled what set or unit stills photographer did. After all, I'd never done it before.
I came across the Medium article “When Behind-the-Scenes Movie Photos Finally See the Light.” Out of everything in the feature, this one quote by David Strick stood out to me the most, and four years later, I feel it to be accurate:
“Unit photographers are basically always the nicest person on any given set,” Strick said, “because if you’re a photographer, you’re sort of by nature in the way a little bit. You’re not part of the actual production process. You’re the person that’s moving around behind the camera, that distracts the actor, or you’re the person that wants to shoot somebody candid between scenes. So they tend to have to be people that everybody on the crew just loves, to forgive them for being interruptive. And they have to find ways of being harmless and nice.”
Self-managing
Day to day, I have to keep up on the schedule to understand when and where I need to be. No one is really managing my time (which I love) or checking in with me. The vast majority of the time, it's up to me to make sure I'm keeping up with the goings on of the show so that no photo coverage is missed. So it may be obvious, but the ability to self-manage my time and schedule is a factor of reliability and trust in my role.
End notes
There are other nuanced aspects of being a set photographer, but these are some of the most important skills or traits that I rely on every day at the Tonight Show. When I first started in this role, I recall thinking to myself, “This isn't my dream job, but it's someone's dream job.” After all, I'd thought of myself as music photographer for so long. But years in, I genuinely feel so lucky to work on this show. It really has become a dream job.
I always joke, I'll keep showing up until they fire me. Until then, it's really a pleasure to work with the very best of the best across so many teams and individuals that make the Tonight Show possible night after night.
