Recently, I was in Japan shopping for used cameras. I was chatting with a salesman, Wilson, at Five Star Camera in Shinjuku (the best). 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.
I had to give the question a little thought, as no one had ever asked me this particular question before. I realized that they weren't the aspects that felt like the most obvious answers. Or, at the very least, they weren't the ones that I would have guessed before I started in this role.
My work
It's probably useful to describe the work I do at 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. Most of these portraits take about 5 seconds or so, from the first frame to the last.
In addition, I photograph lit studio portraits a few times a year. One of my favorite shoots we always do are the formal portraits of Jimmy just before he leaves for 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, I want to share the skills that I rely on day to day.
Skills for unit stills photography
Every day, there are some skills, knowledge or traits that I feel come in useful for me in my job as the photographer for the Tonight Show. Some come naturally to me and some I've learned. I feel that for the most part, most of what's outlined here can be learned.
In no particular order:
- Technical ability
- Adaptability
- Problem solving
- Anticipation
- Spatial & situational awareness
- Social awareness
- Affability
- Self-management
Technical ability
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, making determinations for WB and how to freeze motion and so on are valuable. Some of the problem solving that I discuss later involves technical solutions. I do lit portraits periodically, so understanding of studio lighting comes in useful.
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. Or, I should say that they feel like the least challenging part of what I do. Everything else that follows feels far more critical and as always, the technical aspects are the easiest ones to learn in this job.
* One reason that I love using Nikon is that the color out of camera looks amazing. It's always a benefit, but especially for professional situations like this where process and workflow dictates only minor tweaks, I love knowing that my color is absolutely dialed in for the studio and skin tones and the overall look will always look great.
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. When these cameras are already occupying the ideal positions for their shots, it means I have to be able to compromise and find the next best position or angle 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 entering into a new situation while still coming away with the shots is a valuable skill in my roll. Sometimes, I may come into a shoot with talent and see a setup for the first time. In these scenarios, I have to make an educated guess on the spot for how and where I can shoot without disrupting the shoot.
Finally, I feel like one needs a lack of ego in this role. A lack of ego, or at least an appropriate level of ego lets me understand my place in the production. Understanding my place is what lets me make decision for compromise and when to even bail on a shot or moment entirely. More on this later.
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. This aspect is also what makes the job so fun; I'm constantly challenged and engaged while I'm working.
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 moments that will tell the story or convey the character of a guest. Maybe these are when a guest will look out to the audience in my direction, flash a smile, or being prepared for 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.
I love that from pre-show to when the cameras are rolling, this role requires being extremely “on.” It's exciting. In this role on set, I have to perform and execute every night, and that's part of the fun.
In the film “Gosford Park,” there's a quote I love delivered by Helen Mirin's character, the head housekeeper. She says, “What gift do you think a good servant has that separates them from the others? It's the gift of anticipation. And I'm a good servant. I'm better than good, I'm the best.
I'm the perfect servant. I know when they'll be hungry and the food is ready. I know when they'll be tired and the bed is turned down. I know it before they know it themselves.”
Spatial & situational awareness
Having a high degree of spatial awareness feels really essential for my role and it's something I rely on heavily. Not getting in the way is a huge part of the job. Being aware of my surroundings lets me get into the most ideal positions close to broadcast cameras and their operators. But this physical awareness also minimizes risk to prevent accidents on the floor that could compromise the production.
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 organizing cables for new camera positions or making new connections, hair and makeup are coming in for last looks, etc. We all do a choreographed dance.
Especially while photographing music performances, when the floor is often most dynamic with the highest number of camera moves, spatial awareness it really key. It's objectively risky to work close to the broadcast cameras, because blocking their movement or worst case, a collision on the floor could ruin a shot. Understanding the position and movements of all the cameras lets me work most closely to them, which I feel results in the best shots.
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. I try to keep track of everything on the floor so I can step over cables without looking, walk backwards past a camera op using peripheral vision and so forth.
During interviews, I'm often the only person moving on the floor, or the person moving the most, as most of the other camera ops are fairly stationary. Every movement is a potential distraction to talent, 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, or to not take a shot at all.
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-management
This is the most boring skill I use. 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 seem obvious, but the ability to self-manage my time and schedule is a factor of reliability and trust in my role.
The ability to self-manage is what makes me dependable and reliable to the show, not just in delivering the goods, but being everywhere I need to be to do so.
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. It would be hard to rank these aspects. I will say that one doesn't have to be equally good at all of these things, if that's even possible. And a deficit in one are can be made up by strength in another.
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.
The people who work on this show are the best. Night after night, week after week, I'm continually amazed at the work that goes into putting on this show. But I'm never surprised; it's far from a miracle. It's simply what happens when everyone involved, top to bottom, is so very good at their job. Miracles happen with luck. Quality and consistency are the products of a lot of talent and hard work.
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. I'm grateful that they continue to forgive me for “being in the way a little bit” every night.
