Photography has plenty of different specialty areas—portraits, sports, fashion, food, still life—to name just a few. In today's show we're going to investigate a specialty that involves all these subjects, while calling for a photographer who is technically precise, emotionally intuitive, and practically invisible, all at once.
It's a corner of the industry people rarely consider, but one that holds massive influence over our cultural lives. This is the domain of the Unit Set Photographer: the person responsible for the pictures that sell a film or a show before anyone else has seen a frame of it.
During a spirited conversation with photographers Myles Aronowitz and Cara Howe, we pull back the curtain on what it really feels like to toil on set, build trust with talent, and come away with great images under conditions that are rarely in your favor.
In addition to learning the origin stories to their intense, multifaceted careers, we distinguish between work on feature films and tv productions, reveal the secret superpowers of stealth and stillness essential for success on set, describe how to build alliances across an film entire crew, and talk about value of the global shutter to combat banding with LED lights.
Or, as Myles sums things up in a nutshell, "One of the great things about being a still photographer on set is you're basically observing everything. I think of it as a learning experience every day."
Episode Timeline:
3:26: Defining the role of a unit set photographer and how it fits into a larger film or tv production.
8:24: How Myles first got into photographing stills for movie sets in the analog days.
11:22: Cara's career path to working on films, joining the union, and becoming a unit set photographer.
16:54: Digging deeper into the multifaced role of still photographer on movie sets.
20:50: Does your work on a film set affect how you experience the finished production?
22:28: Making distinctions between work on a feature film set vs a tv production.
35:40: The importance of relationships with other crew members, from the assistant director to the lighting crew to the sound department.
40:35: Episode Break
41:22: The sound blimp days of working with film and DSLRs before the switch to mirrorless.
52:37: The cameras and lenses Myles & Cara work with on set.
57:12: Booking gigs, work schedules & downtime between jobs in both feature films and tv productions.
1:00:03: Post-production and turn-around time for delivering files.
1:02:41: Pathways for joining the Cinematographers Guild—IATSE Local 600.
1:05:53: Myles's post-retirement life and the importance of personal work as part of his vision.
1:10:28: Cara's personal projects and connections to the Hudson Valley art community.
Stay Connected:
Myles Aronowitz Website: https://mylesaronowitz.com/
Myles Aronowitz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mylesaronowitz
Myles Aronowitz Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/mylesaronowitz?fl=pl&fe=po
Myles Aronowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myles-aronowitz-0779499/
Myles Aronowitz on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0036938/
Cara Howe Unit Stills Website: http://carahowephoto.com/
Cara Howe Personal Website: https://www.carahowecreative/
Cara Howe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carahowephoto/
Cara Howe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carahowe/
Cara Howe on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1244868/
