How to Become a Photography Set Designer

Once you gain a photographer's confidence, he may have you check proofs.

If you'd rather dress a photographic set than stand behind a camera, a career in studio set design will put the perfect frame around your future. Stylists play important behind-the-scenes roles, and many photographers owe some of their success to the colors, props, styling and creative ideas suggested by savvy stylists. If you want to command big salaries down the road, know your way around a camera and photo manipulation software, too.

Instructions

1. Get a bachelor's degree in fashion, photography, art or theater. All offer opportunities to learn aspects of design from the ground up. As a theater major, you'll build sets, construct props, light and dress stages. A degree in fashion offers opportunities to pose people, create backgrounds and choose appropriate props.

2. Take advanced classes in designing and propping fashion shoots. Many private schools offer such classes. You'll learn how to coordinate wardrobe colors, pick backgrounds and accessorize outfits. You'll even learn a thing or two about dealing with high-strung models and perfectionist photographers.

3. Study the art of food design for photography sets. Food styling classes teach stylists plenty of tricks to make food look great under lights, including how to keep greens from wilting under studio lights, ways to colorize drinks so they photograph well, techniques for adding sear marks to steaks with lighters or magic markers and ways to garnish food so it looks appetizing.

4. Learn the culture of the photography studio at your first junior job. Note the ways senior stylists select models, coordinate outfits, pick out props and scout locations. Tasks that might be described as intern-level will require you to show up at shoot sites long before the photographer and models arrive. If the weather's bad, you'll be the early warning system. The hours are unpredictable and the pay's not great.

Tips & Warnings

• These are typical tasks for a senior job as a photography set designer: Style, prop and create backgrounds for shoots, use irons, steamers, sewing machines and other appliances to maintain clothing, erect and tear down sets, repackage props and maintain inventory, attend pre-production and pre-shoot meetings, keep an organized work space, stay within budget and oversee junior staff.

• This field is extremely competitive. Tenacity is required, and if you live in a major city such as New York or Los Angeles, you increase your chances of landing employment.

References

• InsideJobs: Photo Stylist
• Photostylingworkshops: 2011 Class Schedule
• Digital Photography School: 5 Tips for Being a Stylist, Too; Elizabeth Halford
• LGBT Careerlink: Lead Stylist Photo Studio