Our Blog

The performance of craft

BTS content charms you, may not be an accurate representation of effort and/or experience, yes it does show off Equipment. Movement. Confidence.

It does not show you colour accuracy. Retouching discipline. Whether the delivery arrived on time, or whether the client had to chase for it. Whether the photographer knew why they placed that light there — or placed it there because it looks good on camera.

I've been on shoots where the person filming the behind-the-scenes got more direction than the subject did. The BTS was the deliverable. The photos were the afterthought.

That's not the norm. But it happens more than you'd think — because the incentive is real. A flashy BTS reel brings enquiries. Quiet, consistent quality brings referrals. One of those is faster.

Why this works on you (and me)

Photography is what economists call a credence good — a service where the buyer can't fully judge quality, even after receiving it.

Think about it. If you're an HR manager booking corporate headshots, you know your domain — people, policy, culture. You don't know why one photograph flattens a face and another gives it dimension. You're not supposed to. It's not your job.

So when you can't evaluate the craft, you evaluate what you can see: the performance of the craft. The gear. The energy. The production value of the marketing itself.

Which means — and this is the uncomfortable part — hiring based on a BTS video is hiring at your level of photographic judgement, not the photographer's level of skill. The video didn't close that gap. It just made you feel like it did.

What to look at instead

BTS content isn't dishonest. I make it too. It's a legitimate way to show personality and process. Just don't let it stand in for evidence.

Before you hire, ask for the things BTS can't fake:

• Finished work, in context. Not a highlight reel — a full delivered set from one real project. Consistency across 40 images tells you more than one hero shot.
• The boring questions. Turnaround time. Revision policy. What happens if the shoot day goes wrong. Professionals answer these without flinching.
• A conversation about your problem. A photographer who asks where the images will live — LinkedIn, a careers page, an investor deck — is thinking about your outcome. One who talks about their gear is thinking about their reel.

The best photographers I know are often mediocre at BTS. They're busy watching the light, not the second camera.

The takeaway

Enjoy the behind-the-scenes content. It's fun. Some of it is even genuine.

Just remember what it is: marketing about the work, not the work.

The work is the work. Ask to see it.

Artriva Studios builds visual assets that do a job — for hiring pages, brand campaigns, and the people behind them. If you'd rather see finished projects than a reel, ask us.