Small Crew Sessions

I respect genuine mastery of strobe lighting and studio technique, but my role models as I was starting out were more low-fi. I looked to shooters like Mary Ellen Mark and Larry Fink, whose less-is-more approach spoke to me. Their best photographs were surreal but grounded in a world that I recognized. To me this is what photography does best, creating a convincing picture of a seemingly fantastic scene.

Hence, as I developed my shooting approach I aimed to do much with little. I would bring limited equipment, and as few support staff as I could get away with. 

As I got to shooting more advertising projects the productions grew, and the crew size accordingly. At first I found it daunting, but soon embraced it, and learned to enjoy my leadership role setting a positive tone for everyone on set. 

But I still often shoot with a small crew, whether it’s an editorial session with a limited budget, or images for a personal project. It’s not uncommon for us to have as little as four people on set, including myself and the subject.

Shooting for advertising will begin again soon, and producing with small crews will be one of the ways in which we can increase the safety on set. Crew members will likely wear gloves and masks, and perhaps even bring their own meals, but a central factor in minimizing risk will be to have less personnel. 

I’m proud of the large range of material that I’ve shot with small crews, hence I’ve made a special section on my website showcasing over five dozen sessions with minimal crew (7 or less). Each image is captioned with the number of people on set for that photograph. 

Top Image: Chris Corsano, shot for The Wire Magazine. (2 on set)

Second Image: Deborah Fellner, with her father, shot for a mercury poisoning story, Mother Jones Magazine. (5 on set)

Botton Image: Portrait of Jomny Sun, for The New York Times Magazine. (4 on set)