The Energy on Set: I Was Wrong

For many years, in the classes I’ve handled, I’ve always emphasized the importance of the photographer’s energy on set.

I used to tell my students that the photographer is the source of energy. The set often reflects what the photographer brings into the room. If you are sad, distracted, or uninspired, that energy can affect everyone around you. If you are excited and enthusiastic, that energy can be contagious.

I still believe there is truth to this.

As the photographer, you are often the person connecting everyone on the set—the model, makeup artist, stylist, assistants, and everyone else involved in the production. You are the one who has to bring these different people together and turn their individual contributions into one creative output.

You have to communicate with your model. You have to give clear instructions. You have to show appreciation. You have to keep the communication flowing and make everyone feel that they are part of the creative process.

For a long time, I thought this also meant that the photographer had to be the biggest voice on the set.

I was wrong.

Lately, as I’ve been teaching a wider variety of visual artists, I’ve noticed something that made me reconsider this idea.

Some of my students have very calm and almost placid personalities. They don’t have the loud, commanding voice that I once associated with strong leadership on a set. They aren’t constantly talking or giving energetic instructions.

And yet, they are able to communicate their vision just as effectively.

Their commitment is visible in the details.

They know what they want. They pay attention to the light. They observe the model. They notice the smallest changes in posing, expression, composition, and styling. They communicate when something needs to change, and the entire team seems to understand the objective.

There is no need to raise their voice.

There is no need to dominate the room.

Their vision itself creates the energy.

This made me realize that I may have confused being the source of energy with being the loudest person on set.

They are not the same thing.

Energy can be loud and enthusiastic, but it can also be calm and focused. It can come from excitement, but it can also come from concentration and clarity.

What matters is not how loudly you communicate your vision, but how clearly you communicate it.

A photographer can lead a set without dominating it.

You can be quiet and still have presence.

You can speak softly and still give direction.

You can be calm and still create excitement.

Perhaps the real responsibility of the photographer is not to generate the most energy, but to create an environment where everyone can contribute their energy toward the same vision.

That, I think, is what creative synergy really means.

The photographer remains the person who connects the different elements of the set. But connection doesn’t always require a commanding voice. Sometimes it requires listening. Sometimes it requires observing. Sometimes it simply requires being clear about what you are trying to create.

As I have said many times in my writings and teachings, I continue to evolve as a teacher. The more I teach, the more I learn—not only from my own experience, but also from watching how my students approach the craft.

And this is one of those lessons.

I was wrong about one thing.

The photographer doesn’t have to be the biggest voice on the set.

What the photographer needs to be is the clearest voice.

Because leadership on a creative set isn’t necessarily about making everyone hear you.

It’s about making sure everyone sees the same vision.

Keep on shooting everyone!