How to Film a Behind the Scenes Video of a Photoshoot

A behind the scenes video lets potential clients watch you at work. They see how you move and how you talk, and how you put nervous people at ease. A gallery can’t sell your style and personality like that. The danger is that the filming gets in the way of the job you’re actually being paid for.

This guide shows you how to capture it without slowing the session down, annoying the client or breaking any rules. It works whatever you shoot: portraits or weddings, families or headshots, commercial jobs or events.

How do you plan a behind the scenes video without disrupting the shoot?

Plan the film before the day, just as you’d plan the photographs. A rough list takes ten minutes. It stops you chasing moments you were never going to get.

1. Decide the purpose. Is this a reel for Instagram, a clip for your website, or both? The answer tells you whether to shoot vertical or horizontal, or some of each.
2. List five to eight moments to capture. Arriving at the location, say, and setting up the light. A quick chat with the client. A posed frame being taken, a candid laugh, the client checking a shot on the back of your camera, packing down at the end.
3. Choose the quiet moments. Film while you’re setting up or between set-ups. Leave the camera alone during an emotional ceremony or a key pose.
4. Warn the client. One line in your pre-shoot email means there are no surprises, and it gives you a chance to agree permission early.

Then build in a bit of slack. Even a few spare minutes in the timeline means the filming doesn’t eat into the client’s session.

What kit do you need to film behind the scenes?

Less than you’d expect. The best kit is small and quiet, and it’s ready to go the second you need it.

The essentials

• A recent smartphone. The quality is good, it’s easy to hold and nobody feels intimidated by it.
• A small tripod or clamp, so a fixed camera can sit in a corner recording while you work normally.
• A clip-on microphone. Sound is what makes a film feel professional, and a mic on your lapel catches the way you talk to clients.
• A spare battery and plenty of storage. A full phone halfway through can wreck the whole day.

Nice to have

A small action camera or a second phone gives you another angle. A gimbal smooths out movement, but only if you or a helper have time to use it. Skip anything that needs its own lighting. Extra lights fight with yours and distract the client.

Which angles and moments make the best footage?

You want viewers to feel as if they’re standing in the room. Think in layers. Trying to catch everything gets you nothing usable.

Start with a wide shot that shows the location and the set-up, with you and the client both in frame. Add some footage from over your shoulder so viewers see what you see as you compose the photograph. Then collect close-ups of the details: hands adjusting a veil, a lens being swapped, a light stand being moved into place.

Reactions are gold. A client seeing a favourite frame on the back of the camera is often the best moment of the whole film, and nobody had to script it. So is footage of you talking, whether that’s a short piece to camera or you giving direction, because that’s when your personality comes through most naturally.

A fixed wide angle on a tripod covers the whole session and gives your editor something to cut away to. A helper or videographer can wander about for the close-ups. Working alone? One locked-off camera plus a few handheld clips between set-ups is plenty.

Do you need client consent to film behind the scenes?

Yes. Ask. Anyone who can be identified in your film is covered by data protection law, and a client has every right to say no. The ICO says you need a lawful basis for handling personal information, and consent is one of several possible bases. If consent is what you rely on, the ICO explains that it has to be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. You also have to be able to show it was given, and people must be able to withdraw it easily.

On a real job, that looks like this:

• Put a short, separate line about filming in your booking form or contract, with a clear yes or no.
• Say where the film will appear, such as your website and social media.
• Keep a record of who said yes.
• Be extra careful with children, and with wedding or event guests who haven’t agreed. Keep them out of frame or cut them from the edit.
• If someone changes their mind, take the footage down.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. If you’re unsure about anything, check the ICO’s guidance or get professional advice.

How do you edit it into reels and a longer cut?

Shoot once and edit twice. The same clips can become a punchy social reel and a slower film for your website.

The short reel

Give each clip a few seconds, and hook people in the very first moment. Cut on movement. Keep captions simple, and end on your best image or your name. If the original footage allows it, crop to vertical.

The longer cut

A film of a minute or two can follow the whole session from arrival and set-up through the first frames and a laugh to the final image, with a few clips left to breathe so it doesn’t feel rushed. Add your voice if you’d like to explain your approach. This version works well on your about page and service pages, and in emails. Our behind-the-scenes videography for photographers does exactly this: one shoot, one set of footage, several finished films.

Always add captions. They help people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone watching with the sound off.

What should you know about music licensing?

This is where most photographers slip up. Liking a track doesn’t make it free to use in a business video. A song you’re allowed to use on personal posts may well be off limits for promotion.

Don’t assume anything. Popular songs are nearly always protected, and putting them in marketing may need a licence. Royalty-free music isn’t necessarily free of conditions either, so read the licence. See what it says about commercial use and social media. Then check what it allows on websites and in paid adverts.

Check each platform too. Rules vary between social networks and between personal and business accounts, and they change, so look at the current terms before you post. Save a copy of the licence or receipt with the project files. And think about going without music altogether. Natural sound or your own voice can hold attention better.

For a client film that will run on your website or in adverts, ask your editor to use properly licensed music and to confirm what the licence covers.

How we can help

The Limelight Company is a UK personal-branding and marketing agency. There are working photographers on our team, so we know how to film around a shoot without getting in its way. Through our videography for photographers, we can capture and edit your behind the scenes footage, then deliver it as reels and longer cuts. Before any work begins, we agree a clear brief with you, along with the scope and fee. For the wider picture, see our marketing for photographers overview.

Sources

• ICO: A guide to lawful basis
• ICO: What is valid consent?