You can find DigiTech’s on all sorts of stills photo productions -eCommerce, Campaign, Advertising to name a few.

DigiTechs manage the images that Photographers take on set as they’re being taken. Images come through on a monitor and they check for imperfections in the images such as bad lighting, blurriness or bad angles. They may be required to do slight re-touching of images in real-time.

DigiTechs are responsible for transferring the images to a computer, processing and organising the images and making various backups for a safety net.

What are some of their responsibilities?

• Support Photographer with prepping and breaking down the set for the day.
• Checking equipment is working – do some test shots and check the images come through and are able to be stored in the correct location
• Checking image quality – making sure there are no imperfections in the images
• Image re-touching – making adjustments to images in real-time
• Transferring images – moving them from the device onto a computer
• Organising images – re-naming images and organising them according to how the client/photographer wishes
• Making backups – making sure to have multiple backups on different devices in case a device becomes corrupt or you lose the images
• Supporting photographer with prepping and breaking down the set for the day

Who do DigiTechs work alongside?

• Photographers
• Art Directors
• Producers

What makes a great DigiTech?

• Some companies may provide equipment but having your own equipment is a great investment!
• If companies don’t provide the equipment, there are rental houses that are able to provide equipment for you.
• CaptureOne – this software is the industry standard for DigiTechs. This software allows you to edit raw images from the camera as well as to organise, catalog, and categorize images.
• Adobe Photoshop – to be able to do basic retouching to images.
• Adobe Lightroom – to organise, store and retouch images.
• It’s helpful to know the basics of the camera systems in case you are required to provide basic technical support on set.

How to become DigiTech?

• It is not essential to have a degree to become a Photographer. There are, however, degree courses that specialises in photography that you may consider as to enable a better understanding of the industry and it’s technology before you go into it (https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/ba-hons-digital-photography)

Networking

There are different ways to network –

• Attending events is a fantastic way to meet people in person
• LinkedIn – make connections!
• Facebook Pages – join a group and they will post jobs and advice!
• Talk to previous clients about extra work – sell yourself!

Work Experience

• Different production companies may offer work experience opportunities to build up your CV, enquire with them to see if they offer anything that may help! If you don’t have any experience on set, you can see if you can shadow a photographer on set
• You can take on a role as a camera assistant or set assistant – this enables you to get on set and see how it works – make sure to ask questions!

Get to know the equipment

• Stay up to date with the latest software and equipment – this enables you to be ready for if anything goes wrong
Courses
• Companies such as ScreenSkills offer training with all sorts of roles – ScreenSkills have a great reputation among training centres and have been known to be recommended during university degrees for extra learning Here is some information on cameras! https://www.screenskills.com/training-and-opportunities/?q=Camera
• Capture One also offer free Webinars and Tutorials – https://learn.captureone.com/

How do I book a DigiTech?

If you would like to enhance your project, here at Yellow Cat we have a wide network of talented DigiTechs to suit all client needs. We have a rich talent pool for client’s to hire freelance DigiTechs.