Surveillance

Always watched, always watching the camera as document, record, and threat

Surveillance aesthetic photography reference
Referencesurveillance
Shoot Brief · Call Sheet● TC 00:00:00:00
AestheticSurveillance
Roll038
Status0 / 5 Shot
LightPractical fluorescent ceiling lights for t
WardrobeDeliberately ordinary clothing the surveil

Shot list

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FR·01A
Portrait shot from a high angle, overhead or elevated, simulating a security camera's viewpoint
FR·02A
Wide environmental shot with surveillance camera domes visible in the ceiling of a public space
FR·03A
Close-up of a CCTV monitor showing a figure in a corridor the screen photographed directly
FR·04A
Night-vision or infrared portrait where the only light is from an IR illuminator, faces rendered in green or monochrome
FR·05A
Long-lens telephoto shot from across a street, the subject unaware, the image grainy and voyeuristic
Roll
00 / 05
⌁ LightingPractical fluorescent ceiling lights for the institutional setting; switch to IR illumination for the surveillance night-vision aesthetic dedicated IR LEDs produce a fundamentally different quality than simulated green filters

practical fluorescent ceiling lights for t ✦

⌁ WardrobeDeliberately ordinary clothing the surveillance aesthetic is about the unremarkable individual being rendered significant by the act of observation

deliberately ordinary clothing the surveillance aesthetic is about the unremarkable individual being rendered significant by the act of observation

Director noteAttach a wide-angle lens to the camera housing of an old dome CCTV camera body and shoot through it the fisheye distortion and the housing's presence in frame provide an authenticity that digital simulation cannot reproduce

Locations

Car park with visible CCTV infrastructureEmpty corridor of an institutional buildingPublic square with visible camera hardwareBasement security room with banks of monitors

Explore the aesthetic

Style guide
Color palette

About this brief

How do I photograph the Surveillance aesthetic?
Always watched, always watching the camera as document, record, and threat. Attach a wide-angle lens to the camera housing of an old dome CCTV camera body and shoot through it the fisheye distortion and the housing's presence in frame provide an authenticity that digital simulation cannot reproduce
What shots should I get for a Surveillance photo shoot?
Capture: Portrait shot from a high angle, overhead or elevated, simulating a security camera's viewpoint; Wide environmental shot with surveillance camera domes visible in the ceiling of a public space; Close-up of a CCTV monitor showing a figure in a corridor the screen photographed directly; Night-vision or infrared portrait where the only light is from an IR illuminator, faces rendered in green or monochrome; Long-lens telephoto shot from across a street, the subject unaware, the image grainy and voyeuristic.
What lighting works for Surveillance photography?
Practical fluorescent ceiling lights for the institutional setting; switch to IR illumination for the surveillance night-vision aesthetic dedicated IR LEDs produce a fundamentally different quality than simulated green filters
Where should I shoot Surveillance photography?
Good locations include: Car park with visible CCTV infrastructure, Empty corridor of an institutional building, Public square with visible camera hardware, Basement security room with banks of monitors.
What wardrobe works for Surveillance photography?
Deliberately ordinary clothing the surveillance aesthetic is about the unremarkable individual being rendered significant by the act of observation

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