Emerson Miller, On-set photographer for TV drama series 'Yellowstone', on how a chance encounter led to working with Hollywood royalty

The Creative Blood Podcast

Welcome to the Creative Blood Experience. One culture-defining creative guest… One passionate host… And a deck of fifty question cards designed to yield incredible creative tips, real life experiences and untold stories from the artists working across the creative industries today!

Originally from the gritty favelas of São Paulo, Brazil, Emerson Miller moved to Los Angeles to chase his dream of becoming a photographer. While working at a car wash on Hollywood Blvd, he had a chance encounter with Nicole Muirbrook – the wife of Taylor Sheridan, creator of smash-hit TV show Yellowstone – which landed him the gig as the show’s on-set photographer, rapidly transforming dream into reality.

Since then, he’s shot everyone from Angelina Jolie to Kevin Costner to Dame Helen Mirren and Sam Elliott, with his work appearing in Vogue, GQ and Elle and on billboards all over the world.

The job of an on-set photographer is a little-known, but integral role for any TV show and film, with their photographs used across everything promotional – including billboards, social media, magazines, you name it! Here, Emerson shares his personal experience of how he works on set (spoiler: it may involve interrupting Kevin Costner’s reverie!), how he picks his moments between takes, plus, the charisma, talent and nerve needed to get that shot.

“Angelina Jolie said to me “buddy your job here is literally 99% of the marketing and if you want me to climb a tree, I probably will, because we are helping each other””
Follow Emerson @emersonmiller
EPISODE INSIGHTS

• A window into life working on a smash-hit show
• Learning on the job (fast) and on-set etiquette
• How to identify and capture ‘the moment’
• The value of a mentor
• How personal reinvention can take you where you want to be
• Why a photographer’s job is to remain open to the creative process

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EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway
Produced by Scenery Studios
Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown