BTS (Behind the Scenes) photography involves taking pictures of the unseen parts of a creative project, showing the process that leads to the final result.
As an expert in this type of photography, at Fixthephoto my role is to capture spontaneous moments, interactions, and detailed aspects that tell the story of how the project is made. Whether it's a movie set, a wedding, a photo shoot, or any other type of production, BTS photography provides a look behind the scenes at the hard work, creativity, and teamwork involved.
If you're new to BTS photography, my guide will help you learn how to blend in naturally, pick the right gear, capture personal moments and intricate details, and edit your photos to create a clear and interesting story.
BTS photography is important in many parts of the creative process. From my experience, each creative project must be documented for promoting on Instagram or TikTok nowadays.
Taking BTS photos gives a complete look at the effort, creativity, and teamwork needed to complete a project. Whether it's a wedding, a film shoot, or a cooking show, these photos show the journey from start to finish.
I often look back at my BTS photos from past shoots to see how my techniques and approaches have changed over time. It's like keeping a visual diary of my career.
Using BTS photos in photography marketing helps humanize the brand and connect with the audience by showing the effort and creativity behind the final product. When I share BTS photos on social media or in ads, they often get a lot of interest and interaction.
People enjoy seeing what happens behind the scenes, and these photos help build a bond with the audience. They can see the dedication and passion put into each project, making the final result more meaningful. Sharing BTS photos from a wedding shoot gives potential clients a glimpse into my work style and the atmosphere I create during shoots.
To track how effective these BTS posts are, I use tools like Google Analytics and Bitly. Bitly shortens links so I can see how many people click through to my website from social media. Google Analytics shows me how visitors engage with my site after seeing BTS content.
Behind-the-scenes photos help people understand how professional shoots work. I often use my BTS photos when teaching photography workshops or making online tutorials. These pictures help me explain specific setups, lighting techniques, and how shoots involve teamwork.
In a food photography workshop, showing BTS photos of how the lighting was set up and how props were styled gives students practical tips they can use in their work. It’s a way to make the process clear and share knowledge with future photographers.
Taking BTS photos is more than just snapping a few pictures. It's about capturing the essence of the process, the team's dedication, and the story behind the final product. Over the years, I’ve learned several techniques to get the best BTS shots. Here are some key tips that have been very useful in my experience.
The key to good BTS photography is to be as unnoticed as possible. Your goal is to capture real moments without interrupting the shoot. When I take BTS photos at a small, elegant wedding, I wear neutral clothes and move quietly. This helps me stay in the background and capture genuine moments without being noticed.
While the camera body is important, the lenses and other gear you use can affect how well you capture a scene. Here’s a look at some essential gear I prefer to use in my work.
Lenses. A zoom lens, like a 24-70mm lens, is perfect for me. It lets me take wide-angle shots of the whole set and close-ups of small details without changing lenses often. During a product shoot for an ethnic accessories brand, this lens allows me to quickly switch from capturing the overall setup to focusing on the tiny, detailed parts of the product styling.
Lighting. Besides lenses, portable lighting equipment is essential. Speedlights or small LED panels can add extra light in dark places. For example, during my recent nude photography BTS session for an underwear brand, portable lights helped me highlight the artistic parts of the shoot without using harsh lighting.
Smartphones. For quick behind-the-scenes shots, I often use my smartphone to capture candid moments or videos. Apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile let you make quick edits on the go. This makes it easy to share BTS content in real time on social media like Instagram or TikTok, keeping your audience engaged with immediate updates.
Tripods and Monopods. These provide stability for your camera, ensuring sharp images in low light or with slow shutter speeds. When shooting product photography BTS, a tripod helps me take consistent shots of the setup, which is useful for creating a time-lapse or a series of images showing the setup's progression.
If your camera has a silent mode, make sure to use it. This is especially helpful during quiet moments like wedding ceremonies or in calm studios where the noise of the camera click could be distracting.
I love to show the interactions between team members and others involved in the shoot. These moments add a personal touch and show the teamwork behind the scenes. When taking BTS photos at a wedding, I focus on the candid moments between the bridal party, the shared laughter, and the quiet, intimate preparations. These interactions create a rich story that complements the formal wedding photos.
These close-up shots can capture different elements, like a makeup artist's tools, a photographer adjusting their camera, or the setup of lighting equipment, which are all crucial in my experience.
At a culinary show, I take photos of chefs carefully preparing ingredients, the arrangement of cooking tools, and the final presentation of dishes. In fashion shows BTS, I capture designers making last-minute changes to outfits, models having their makeup touched up, and stylists arranging accessories, giving a peek into the fast-paced fashion world.
During film production BTS, I focus on photographing the detailed setup of scenes, such as prop masters arranging items or makeup artists perfecting actors' looks. These details show the meticulous work that goes into every scene.
At concerts behind the scenes, I document roadies tuning instruments, lighting crews adjusting spotlights, and sound engineers working at the mixing board, emphasizing the efforts contributing to the show.
Don't just take photos from eye level. Try different angles and perspectives to make your BTS photos more interesting. For example, during a dance rehearsal for a contemporary ballet company, I climbed onto a scaffold to take pictures from above, capturing the dancers' formations from a bird’s-eye view.
I also lay on the floor to take low-angle shots of their movements. These varied perspectives highlighted the dancers' artistry in new ways and added depth to the story of the rehearsal.
In sensitive shoots, like nude photography BTS, it's essential to be respectful and professional. Always talk to your subjects and make sure they are comfortable with you being there. Respecting their boundaries will help you capture more genuine images.
Once you finish taking photos, the next step is crucial: carefully pick and edit your BTS images to create a story that shows how things went and captures important moments. I have some tips for editing photos in Lightroom for BTS photography.
Wedding BTS. I adjust the color settings to keep everything looking natural, especially the whites of dresses and tables. I also add a bit of sharpness to bring out details and enhance colors to make them stand out without being too bright.
Food show BTS. I increase the intensity of colors to make the food and props look vibrant. I use sharpness to emphasize details, particularly in close-up shots of the chef’s hands and the food presentation. Adjusting textures helps highlight finer details without making the picture look too rough.
Concert BTS. I adjust the camera settings to handle the bright stage lights by reducing how much light comes in and fixing areas that are too bright. Since it's often dark, the photos might look grainy, so I use a tool to reduce the grain while making sure the photos stay clear.
Fashion show BST. I make the textures of the clothes and details on the models' outfits clearer by increasing the settings that make the photo look sharper. I also take care to make sure the skin colors look normal and good by adjusting the HSL panel in the editing program.
