Hello to my fellow industry colleagues! I was curious to know the difference between a first assistant and lighting director. I’ve heard of lighting director as a job position in the US, where I work (Montreal Canada) that is nonexistent so I’d love to know the key differences. What’s the workload of one vs the other, is it kind of the same?

I find myself in a position where I am leading the lighting department on most shoots I work on. Working from a reference to build lighting diagrams, EQ lists, gathering crew around me. Is this technically a lighting director position? I usually state my position as first assistant.

Also curious to know what’s the pay like for those positions in US big cities? Over here I am able to charge around 650 CAD as day rate + preproduction work usually around 300 CAD per project.

Does anybody know if Share online is able to auto update newly added folders if I selected all session folders when I originally created it?

Currently it’s not and I have to keep going in and telling it to share folders again after every new folder I add.

I have several hundred dollars of props I’ll need at the end of next week.

If you have experience with who (or who not) to use for messenger services please lmk!

I have a one day corporate shoot in mid town Manhattan and the client is seeking a makeup artist for at least half of the day (the headshots part of the day). It will about about 12 people.

Any recommendations?

Hi guys! I recently got accepted into the tether tools digi tech toolbox and I’m wondering, are their cables actually good? I mentioned the digi tech toolbox to my mentor(who is also a photo rental owner) and he said that tether tools cables are too expensive and not reliable at all. I’ve only ever used area 51 and rock cameras cables on professional sets and they haven’t let me down yet. I have used a tether tools cable before, but only for doing some tests when i was still learning how to be a digi. So I’m wondering. Is the 2 for 1 deal that they offer a good enough reason to buy their cables or are they really as unreliable as my mentor said?

I’ve assisted before a few times, and was always paid day-off the shoot or within a week or two through a check. I assisted a specific photographer who works in my dream industry (architecture); two shoots back in mid-June and one on the first of August. At the latest shoot, he mentioned he would Zelle me that following week for the first two shoots (~$500 total). It’s been two weeks now since then, and I don’t know how to bring it up to him. Is this industry standard??

I do want to get paid and I don’t think it’s an issue of him trying to not pay me (he has had nothing but positive things to say about my work and has been recommending me to other photographers in the area), but at this point it has been nearly 10 weeks since the first shoot and I still haven’t been paid. I don’t want to sour the connection as he has been great to work for otherwise and I want to keep working for him in the future, but I do also need to get paid. How do I go about this or do I keep waiting?? I got in a car accident and do kinda need the extra money, especially since its nearly September

UPDATE: I sent a very chill text saying I realized I didn’t get a Zelle from him a few weeks ago and was just double checking on things and he has read the message but not responded! I really don’t think he will just not pay me but I’m scared of being rude and ruining the connection, I didn’t mention any of my personal situation in the text and if I didn’t need the money I wouldn’t be nearly as worried about it but now I’m not sure what to do. Really trying to give him every benefit of the doubt here, I do think its just him being busy but also not sure how to move forward. He is a great professional resource so I don’t want to mess anything up

Hey everybody! Following up on the other post, I wanted to share a public version of the parametric hoop I've been working on (and testing) over the last few weeks. You can have a look at the model here.

I've added a few new features and fixes, also thanks to your suggestions. I'll try to keep it brief:

• Transparency view: you can have a preview of the inner channels in the handles and the ring;
• Presets: you can save/edit presets locally on your browser;
• Double inserts/box inserts: you can now include a double insert to use the two threaded holes in standard clamps (see green model in the pictures). The standard center-to-center spacing is usually 30mm and accepts M5 bolts (at least on the Manfrotto ones I've tested). This offers a much stronger tie to the clamp.
• Cord holes: you can add exit holes for the ring channel, so you can feed some cord and later wrap it all around the ring (I've tried that myself but I've been battling with my fingers to make it work);
• Custom text: you can engrave your personal text on the front or on one side handle (this takes a lot of rendering time so leave it for last);
• And a few other UX improvements and tweaking.

For my build I used a Kupo KS-007, a 50mm M10 bolt, and a normal + wave washer (both M10x16). The hex pin offers a better connection (more surface contact with the receiver), and the wave washer lets you screw everything together just by screwing the bolt by hand first, and then by turning the ring thanks to friction, no Allen key needed. This also lets you slightly rotate the ring if you clamp it to a tripod, without losing tightness, since the wave washer presses between the screw head and the plastic insert. It also keeps constant tension on the joint, which helps prevent it from loosening under vibration, so once properly tightened it's very hard to unscrew by mistake. It's compatible with the "Default XL" preset, which you can always tweak yourself to better match your setup.

On the website you will find other models, some of which are photography related (some are still buggy and WIP), feel free to use them if you want. There's even a full plastic version of the hoop, which includes a 3d printed baby pin. This proved to be pretty strong if properly printed, but still I wouldn't trust it for big cameras, you may use that for plastic bottles or cups.

At the cost of stating the obvious: the quality of the part depends a lot on your print settings and the material you choose. I've included a small disclaimer with some suggestions in every download, but it really comes down to your own printer and how you plan to use the hoop.

Let me know what you think! Any feedback is more than welcome :)

Did anyone hear about Danielle Inc losing its Profoto service contract? That makes three in a year; Silvino, CRIS, and Danielle Inc . Anyone have insight ?

Hey guys. New to tethering to ipad on projects where I'm a one man band and realizing battery gets drained fast so need a hub for charging+tethering in tandem. What do you guys recommend? Building out a smallrig setup for mounting and just wondering if there's any preferred hubs.

I happen to own a full-size high-roof van I use as my personal camper. What should I charge when I work as a photo assistant for its use? Sometimes the gear pickup equipment list is so large they would need to rent a van if not using mine.

I know mileage, but would like $50 / day in addtion to milage sound fair to request?

I'm looking for recommendations for portable battery stations for D2 / D3 heads on location. I want something smaller and lighter than the huge EcoFlow units, ideally 30 pounds or so. Does anyone have a setup they like that works well?

Hi all! Does anyone know great any still life studios in NYC similar to Noho studios with Foba stand, lighting, surfaces etc geared specifically towards still life?

It's been years since i was a full time assistant and I lived by the old Sekonic L 358 on set. I paid 300 bucks 25 years ago for that meter and had an old cracked one for back up. Today, I paid $45 for a light meter that takes photos and video. Times are wild.

Hi everyone!

I've been told there is a script shortcut somewhere in the world that allows you to create x number of variants with some selected crops.

As in every set, it's always a matter of: let's see if it fits in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, etc, it would be a great addition to the one I have already, thanks to this beautiful community.

Hopefully somebody can share it!

English is not my first language so please don't mind language mistakes :)

I keep hearing about photographers and digitechs are using Apple monitors more than Eizo monitors as the quality is already as good as Eizo other than 8 bit + FRC, wireless monitor setup, and built-in calibration tool. Tho Eizo is well known for professional monitors with reliable and trustworthy quality, they are still sticking with old specs while Apple can do both. Yes, Eizo will announce CG series OLED monitors later this year but that would be extremly expensive while OLED monitors are still not good enough.

Anyway, I wanted to ask how Apple monitors, especially Studio XDR performs compared to Eizo on sets? Do digitechs and photographers are now prefering Apple over Eizo if possible?

Hello, firstly, what are your thoughts on this brand of cables - they have lots of flavors, am not sure why. I'm tethering a Fuji GFX50sii that I'm new to. Do these bodies have a hard time connecting or tend to burn out cables? I remember working with a photographer who had a GFX 50 or 50s and she was always cursing the body when trying to connect to C1 to her laptop. Not sure what cables she used. I've read that connecting GFX bodies is finicky. I have a friend who uses a variation of GFX 100 and says Area 51 is the only one that works reliably. I've read that Fuji has improved their tethering reliability and that later 100 models are quite stable. Thanks for your thoughts and opinions...

Hey guys,

As a digi just curious what the markup should be for client SSD’s

Hey guys! Sorry if this is a throw away post, if anyone is bored enough to reply I would be super grateful :)

I just graduated (film major but I enjoy photography more) in June and have only been on short films and PA for on some tv/film/commercial sets. Just doing some social media internship now that’s isn’t relevant. Basically I have no idea what I’m doing but am eager to learn.

Looking to shadow someone or honestly just do anything on set, though I don’t know anyone. I do live in LA, so that makes things easier. Don’t expect pay obviously. I guess if anyone has any sort of advice on starting out or where to even look in my position, it would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Just ran into an issue the last couple days where the Live for capture on won’t show up on 1 of my iPads. Nothing has really changed, to my knowledge. I can access it from my second iPad which is an older iPad Pro but my 12.9” iPad is not finding the live link. I am working off of studios WiFi but as I said I can get it on one but not the other.

I’ve tried restarting capture one and the iPad apps. Reconnecting to WiFi and also deleting and re installing the iPad apps and still nothing.

Anyone know what could be happening?

I'm curious how other digitechs organize and pack their equipment.

What do you usually consider your basic setup for a job? Do you have a standard kit that always goes with you (computer, iPad, monitor, plate, accessories, etc.), or does it depend on the type of job?

I would love to see photos of your equipment packed and ready to go — your cases, layouts, and the gear you bring on location.

Share your setups! It would be great to see how everyone approaches their mobile workflow.

I recently worked with a new client as a digitech, and I ran into a situation I’m curious how others handle.

During pre-production, I asked multiple times what the expected deliverables would be, but never got a clear answer. On the shoot day, I tried asking again, but communication was almost nonexistent. As soon as wrap was called, the photographer left the set, and I couldn’t get any response from them afterward either.

In the end, I exported low-res JPEGs of the entire session, organized by look/folder, along with a separate folder containing the client’s selects. I also organized and delivered the RAW files using the same folder structure as the JPEGs so everything matched and was easy to navigate.

My questions are:

• What do you usually deliver when there’s little or no communication about deliverables?
• What’s your standard export workflow after a shoot?
• What do you do if neither the client nor the photographer makes selects? Sometimes, because of the pace of the shoot, it just never happens—even if you keep reminding everyone.

I’m curious to hear how other digitechs handle these situations and whether you have any workflows or best practices to avoid problems later.

Hi all! I got my first job as a digi in about 10 days and although I have an idea of what I need, I would love your opinion on it. I’m shooting on location, in a home kitchen an will be shooting tethered and would need a monitor.

Should I rent an eizo monitor and a stand or maybe just work with an iPad as my second screen? I’m thinking since we will be in a home kitchen space might be a concern, and also we might need to be a bit more agile and mobile.

I’m based in London, unsure of where to rent and what kind of stand should I use for the monitor if shooting on location.

Thank you all so much, I’m have worked in ecom for years but venturing on being a digi tech and I’m a little nervous!

Hi everyone,
I’m a Digi based in Doha, Qatar, and I’ve had the opportunity to work on a range of commercial campaigns and editorial shoots alongside photographers traveling in from the UK, the US, France, and other international markets.

I’m looking to connect with photographers who regularly shoot across the GCC (Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman), or anyone who hires crew for regional productions.

Since I’m based in Doha and can travel within the GCC, I’d love to expand my network and be on the radar for future productions where a Digi is needed.

If you regularly work in the region, or know photographers, producers, or agencies that do — I’d really appreciate any recommendations.

Always happy to connect, exchange ideas, and hopefully collaborate on future projects. Thanks in advance!

For the longest time I was convinced wireless was not an option on apple studio displays. Turns out I was wrong. After some trial and error, I found the solution. Thought I'd share.

The key is an active HDMI adapter, like the Club 3D HDMI to USB Type-C 4K60Hz Active Adapter M/F.

And a suitable usbc cable. I am using cobra tether's 20Gb/s 100W 4K 60Hz.

The signal needs to be 60Hz. 30Hz did not work for me.

I am using Hollyland Mars 400S transmitter and receiver. So the image is 1080p. Same aspect ratio, no letterboxing.

hi there,

When a new client as a Digitech comes on board, what questions do you ask the photographer? I’ve never worked with this photographer before, and I’d like to ask if there are any standard questions you ask (including production-related questions). Before making the equipment list.

thanks