How to Get Behind-the-Scenes Content as a Photographer or Videographer
If you’re a photographer or videographer, getting content of yourself actually doing your job is hard.
You’re already holding the camera, concentrating on your client and trying to create the work they’re paying you for. Pulling out your phone to capture your own marketing content usually isn’t exactly top priority.
So what are your options?
From tripods and camera glasses to assistants and dedicated BTS content photographers, here’s how photographers and videographers can actually build a library of behind-the-scenes content without spending half the shoot thinking about Instagram.
What is behind-the-scenes content for photographers
Behind-the-scenes content for photographers and videographers is photo or video content that shows you actually working
directing clients, setting up equipment, moving through a shoot, interacting with people and creating the final work.
It gives people a look at what actually happens behind the finished image.
And for photographers especially, that can be really valuable.
Your final gallery shows the end result, but BTS content can show the thinking, experience and expertise that went into creating it.
It can show that you’re the person making your clients laugh when they feel awkward.
That you’re constantly watching the light.
That you’ll move furniture, lie on the ground because you know the shot will be better.
It also gives potential clients a much better idea of what it might actually feel like to have you photograph them.
And while your final photos are obviously important, behind-the-scenes content can often be more interesting to watch online because people are naturally curious about what happened to create the finished result.
Why BTS content is especially hard for photographers
As a photographer myself, I know firsthand how hard it can be to actually get decent BTS content.
I have so many videos from the start of a shoot day.
And then… nothing.
Because I got wrapped up in actually doing the shoot.
Which is kind of the whole problem.
When someone is paying me to photograph them, my attention should be on them. I’m thinking about lighting, composition, timing, my camera settings, what my client is doing, what is happening next and whether everyone is actually having a good experience.
Remembering to also make content for myself is very quickly pushed down the list.
I’ve asked random people if they can quickly take a video of me and then pretended to take a couple of photos just so I have something.
I’ve put my phone on a tripod and let it record.
Which works.
Except now I have a 20-minute video I need to sit through later to find the seven seconds where I’m actually doing something useful.
Then I still have to edit that footage into content afterwards.
Or, possibly worse, I’ve set the tripod up, thought it was recording, finished the thing I wanted to capture…
…and realised it never recorded.
Amazing.
I’ve also used a phone mount on top of my camera, which can be really good for those “what I see vs what I capture” videos.
But I still have to remember to hit record.
And personally, I’m also not leaving my phone sitting on the ground at a busy event because I am absolutely convinced that one day it is going to disappear.
I’ve asked friends to come along to shoots too.
And I love them for it.
But they’re not photographers or marketers, so they don’t always know what is actually going to be useful afterwards.
So yes, photographers can absolutely capture their own BTS.
But there are definitely easier and harder ways to do it.
6 ways photographers and videographers can capture BTS content
1. Set your phone up on a tripod
This is probably the easiest place to start.
Put your phone somewhere in the room, hit record and carry on with your shoot.
Good for: studio shoots, workshops, smaller spaces and situations where you’re working in roughly the same area.
Pros:
It’s cheap, easy and doesn’t require another person. You can also end up with some really useful wide shots showing you moving through the space and working with your client.
Cons:
You’re mostly getting one angle, unless you remember to keep moving the tripod.
You can also end up with very long video files that you then have to go through afterwards.
And because you’re focusing on your actual client, it is very easy to forget to reposition it, press record again or check whether your body has been blocking the entire shot for the last 15 minutes.
2. Use camera glasses or a wearable camera
Camera glasses have become a really popular BTS option for photographers, and I completely understand why.
You can capture footage from your point of view without constantly stopping what you’re doing.
Good for: POV content, showing your shooting process and “what I see vs what I capture” style videos.
Pros:
There is very little set-up once you have them on.
You can start recording pretty quickly and they can capture things that would otherwise be difficult to film while you’re holding a camera.
Cons:
They can be expensive.
They also don’t really solve the problem if what you want is content that actually shows you working.
Most of what you’re capturing is what you are seeing.
They’re also not going to suit everyone.
I already wear glasses, so adding another pair of glasses into the mix is not exactly my dream set-up.
And some people simply don’t like how they look or feel comfortable wearing them while working with clients.
3. Ask your client, assistant or a friend
The classic:
“Can you quickly get a video of me?”
And look, it works.
If you just need a couple of clips here and there, asking someone else to grab them for you can be perfectly fine.
Good for: small snippets of BTS, casual shoots and occasional content.
Pros:
It is usually free and you can get footage that actually shows you in the frame.
Cons:
The person filming may not know what you actually need.
You might end up with one clip that is two seconds long, another filmed horizontally when you wanted vertical and a third where their finger is somehow over half the camera.
And if you’re asking your client to do it, you’re also pulling them out of their experience.
So I think this works best for the occasional quick clip rather than relying on it for your whole content library.
4. Hire a second shooter or assistant
If you already have a second shooter or assistant with you, you can absolutely ask them to capture some BTS as part of the day.
This is especially useful for weddings, events and larger commercial shoots.
Good for: bigger productions where another photographer or assistant is already part of the team.
Pros:
They understand photography and usually know how to create a decent photo or video.
You also don’t need to bring an entirely separate person onto the shoot.
Cons:
A second shooter is not automatically a BTS content creator.
Their main job is usually to capture additional client deliverables.
And that should stay their priority.
If they’re photographing the other half of a wedding, getting alternate angles at an event or making sure you have enough client content, they might not have much capacity to also spend the day documenting you.
You can definitely get some BTS this way.
I just wouldn’t assume you’re going to come away with a full marketing library unless you have specifically planned for it.
6. Hire someone specifically to capture you while you work
This is also the reason dedicated BTS content sessions are becoming so useful.
Someone else’s entire job is simply documenting you doing yours.
You’re not asking your client to hold your phone.
You’re not constantly checking whether the tripod is still recording.
You’re not trying to create a fake version of yourself working for the camera.
You just work.
And the other person captures it.
Depending on who you hire, that could include things like:
- you directing clients
- actually photographing or filming
- interacting with people
- moving around the space
- adjusting equipment
- setting up lighting
- showing clients the back of the camera
- detail shots of your gear and set-up
- vertical video clips
- environmental portraits
- candid photos of you working
- moments that show what the client experience is actually like
And for me, that last part is probably the biggest reason BTS content is valuable.
What kind of BTS content should photographers capture?
You don’t need 400 clips of yourself putting the camera up to your face.
Useful BTS should help someone understand more about you, your work or what it is like to hire you.
Some of the most useful things to capture are:
Client interaction
The bits that show how you actually work with people.
For clients who are nervous about being photographed, this type of content can be just as important as the finished photos.
They can actually see what being photographed by you looks like.
The actual photography or filming
Yes, get the classic photos of you with your camera.
- Changing angles.
- Moving through a space.
- Crouching down.
- Shooting through things.
- Switching lenses.
- Checking light.
- Adjusting settings.
- Using flash.
Whatever your actual process looks like.
Your process and expertise
This is where BTS becomes more than something pretty to put on Instagram.
You can show the thinking behind the work.
Solving the problems that clients may never even realise you solved.
That is the stuff that helps communicate experience.
The client experience
Your portfolio shows people what you create.
Your BTS can show people what it feels like to create it with you.
- How much direction do you give?
- Is the shoot relaxed?
- Are people laughing?
- Are you hands-on?
- Are you quietly observing?
- Do you show clients images as you go?
These are the things potential clients are often wondering about before they enquire.
Simple movement clips
Not every video needs to show something incredibly exciting.
Simple clips of you walking into a space, picking up your camera, photographing someone, adjusting a light or moving around a client can be incredibly useful when you start creating Reels, website videos or ads later.
The point is to create a library.
You don’t necessarily need to know what every single clip is going to become on the day.
Where can photographers use BTS content?
BTS content is obviously useful for social media.
Instagram Reels, TikTok, Stories and short-form video are usually the first things people think about.
But it can do a lot more than that.
You can use BTS photos and video on:
- your website About page
- your photography service pages
- Instagram Reels
- TikTok
- Instagram Stories
- Google Business Profile
- email marketing
- proposals
- ads
- educational posts
- launches
- case studies
- blog posts
Your portfolio tells them: this is what I create.
Your BTS can tell them: this is how I create it and what working with me actually looks like.
For a service business, that can be incredibly powerful.
The more someone understands your process, your personality and the experience before they reach out, the less of an unknown hiring you becomes.
BTS for photographers in Melbourne
If you’re a photographer or videographer in Melbourne and don’t want to capture all of this yourself, this is exactly the problem I created my Captured While You Work sessions to solve.
I come along while you’re doing an actual or staged shoot and document you doing your job.
You focus on your client and the shoot.
I focus on making sure there are actually photos and videos of you doing it.
You walk away with a library of edited photos and short video clips that can be used across your website, socials and marketing.
It gives you the ongoing, usable content that proves you actually do the thing your business says you do.
If you’re a photographer or videographer looking for BTS content photography in Melbourne, Ballarat or other parts of Victoria, you can find out more about my Captured While You Work sessions here.
Half Glass Studios by Tahlia Heitmann | Brand and Event Photography + Videography | Ballarat, Melbourne and Dandenong Ranges
Tahlia Heitmann
Tahlia is a brand and event photographer supporting passionate local businesses and event organisers.
