What the stills are for
Marketing starts selling a film long before the edit is done, and it needs images to do it: a first-look photo for a trade announcement, press kit images, festival catalog photos, streaming thumbnails, and eventually the poster. The unit still photographer produces most of the raw material. The job title on Local 600's rate card is Still Photographer, and it sits in the camera department, though day to day the photographer works closely with the unit publicist and the studio's publicity team.
The photographs have to look like the movie. That means matching the DP's lighting and framing closely enough that a still of scene 42 feels like a frame from scene 42, while also getting clean, readable expressions that work at thumbnail size.
Shooting on a working set
The photographer's biggest constraint is noise and space. They shoot during blocking and rehearsals when they can move freely, and during takes with a silent shutter or a sound blimp. On "rolling," they settle into a spot they've cleared with the camera operator and 1st AD, usually just beside the lens or over the operator's shoulder with a longer lens, and they stay out of actors' eyelines. When an actor has an emotional scene, the photographer checks with the 1st AD before working in close, and some directors ask that they shoot only rehearsals for those scenes.
Sometimes the best shot doesn't exist in the scene as blocked. If two actors are never in the same frame in the coverage, the photographer may ask the 1st AD for a minute after a take to pose a two-shot on the set with the lighting still up. Those requests go through the AD because they cost set time.
A realistic day
| Time | Work |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | Crew call. Reads sides, asks the publicist which scenes are priorities |
| 7:15 a.m. | Shoots the blocking rehearsal for scene 42 from wide positions |
| 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Shoots takes silently beside A camera. BTS of the director with actors |
| 1:00 p.m. | Lunch. Backs up cards, flags strong frames |
| 1:30 p.m. | Asks the 1st AD for two minutes to pose Maya and Joe in the booth |
| 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Afternoon scenes. Shoots a practical effects moment from two angles |
| 6:00 p.m. | Wrap. Edits, captions, and uploads selects |
Editing, captions, and approvals
A day of shooting can mean well over a thousand frames. Say the photographer shot 1,200 frames on the diner day. They cut that to 150 selects, removing near-duplicates, soft frames, blinks, and anything showing crew or equipment. Each select gets a caption with the production title, scene description, character and actor names spelled exactly as the publicity department lists them, and the photographer's credit.
Then approvals. Actor contracts often give performers approval over photos of them. The publicist sends selects to each actor's representatives, who approve or kill images. If Maya's actor kills 40 of the 150 and Joe's actor kills 25 of the remaining 110, the publicity team has 85 approved frames of the diner scene to work with, and the killed images are tagged so no one uses them by mistake.
Specials and key art
For posters and campaign images, studios often schedule a separate special photography session: a portable studio set up near the stage or at base camp, costumed actors, and lighting built for posed portraits. Sometimes the unit photographer shoots these; on bigger films the studio brings in a specials photographer. The 2nd AD schedules actor time for these sessions on the call sheet, because they compete with hair, makeup, and shooting for the same actors.
Who they work with
The still photographer coordinates with the unit publicist on priorities and approvals, the camera operator and director of photography on where they can stand and what the lighting is doing, the 1st AD on set access, the actors and their teams on comfort and approvals, and the production office on image delivery and releases for any people photographed on set.
Continuity photos are a different job: hair, makeup, wardrobe, props, and the script supervisor take their own reference images for matching, and those aren't publicity material.
Pay and the union
On Local 600's 2026 to 2027 Western Region rate card, Panel 1 (features and one-hour episodic, studio-local), effective August 2, 2026:
| Schedule | Per hour | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule A, daily (1-1/2 after 8, 8-hour minimum call) | $81.10 | $648.80 per 8-hour day |
| Schedule B, weekly | $75.23 | $3,009.20 per week |
A footnote sets the weekly guarantee for Still Photographers at 40 hours with an 8-hour minimum daily call, so 40 times $75.23 is $3,009.20. Photographers usually supply their own camera bodies and lenses, which production pays for through a kit rental.
Still Photographer is one of the classifications Local 600 lists as requiring Industry Experience Roster placement in Los Angeles and the Western Region. The paths are 30 days of union work as a still photographer within one year, or 100 days of union or non-union work in the classification within three years, applied for through Contract Services with employment verification letters. After placement, you have 60 days to join Local 600.
How photographers get the job
Unit photographers usually come from editorial, portrait, or event photography and build a portfolio of set work on independent films, series, and commercials. Publicists and studio photo departments hire them, so getting a strong book of on-set images in front of publicists is how careers usually move. Set etiquette counts too: when to stay still, how to hear "rolling" through walkie traffic, and how to work around a camera crew without slowing it down.