BTS - yes, behind the scenes. BTS generally refers to content showcasing the inner workings of a production during that production. When we have a photoshoot or a video production, we typically will take photos of that process, to document how it all went down. Most people are familiar with this type of content since its pretty popular on social media. BTS is just photos during the photos, cause you know.... photos.
There are a lot of components to this - some of them happen organically or passively, and some of them only happen with planning and intention. I think that the scene and environment of an active shoot can be quite a spectacle, especially when it involves a large team and lots of equipment. It can be hard not to take pictures of all the craziness. These photos are usually used for posting to social media and to show off how cool/interesting the current production is. Its great for creating hype, feeding the social algorithms, and for getting that much needed internet dopamine. Artistic or "tasteful" BTS makes for really great marketing material. For me, however, I have always had an approach to BTS photography that positions me to slow down and think about things a little differently.
I find myself taking in the scene, spending time just noticing. When I take in the whole environment and think, “What do I notice?”, I can begin to look past the obvious. I seek compositions buried in the slices of in-betweens, interactions, and curiosities hiding in ordinary settings. I love this approach to behind-the-scenes (BTS) because it reminds me that there is almost always something beautiful or interesting to be found in ordinary moments and places. It feels a lot like flipping through albums in a record store or digging around the sand for sea shells.
This is an approach that I bring with me to any type of photo job, and simultaneously, the approach I take to photography when I'm just out shooting for fun. It is a form of meditation and practice in deliberate observation. Its beach combing. Its art. Its poetry. Its all the artsy fartsy stuff you think about when you find a dusty Henri Cartier-Bresson book at a thrift store and peek through the pages just long enough to feel like you've properly appreciated a novelty.
What I love about this approach to BTS photography is that it simultaneously scratches the itch to make art that has meaning to you while working in a commercial setting, and also does a lot of the work of your typical BTS photos as well. With enough balance, anyway. For example - one focus of mine is to highlight the monumental task of equipment handling that requires folks on set to work together, communicate, and work collaboratively. I love to see the moments of gratitude, hard work, and emotion that can go overlooked and under-appreciated if a production is seen only through social media as final client work or final portfolio pieces. Its like they say--its about the journey, not the destination. The people want to see "how the sausage is made".
Here's another thing I love about BTS: when treated correctly, with the right intentions in mind, BTS can serve as a way to bolster, uplift, celebrate, and highlight folks on a shoot. It falls in line with our Ethos; to make room for everyone, to celebrate others, and to seek opportunities to hype up our friends. Using BTS, we can use social platforms to validate the hard work of folks and their contributions to whatever type of production we're working on. This, in turn, sets a tone on set for the expectations of how we treat each other, and when seen through social channels (hopefully) there's a positive impact on the collective whole in the creative community.
For us, we tend to take an approach that gives nearly equal representation to both the final images or videos, and the behind-the-scene moments.
Behind the scenes is, at its core, a modern response to witnessing and being part of any cool experience - but can be a really powerful tool when used correctly. Get overly generous with tagging folks on social media, include everyone on set in the tags and mentions, give credit to all teams involved. The social media algorithm gods LOVE when you share a mention that some else shared that you've now engaged with with comments and re-shares. Everyone benefits from it.
