Film Stills Fast Track A ten-week online photography course
Accelerate your film stills career with professional photographer Nicola Dove
Would you:
Have you:
It's time to get clarity on how to Fast Track
Your Film Stills Career
Whether you’re a photographer who is completely new to the film industry, or you have been on set already, I can guide your next steps.
I have been a professional film stills photographer for almost twenty years, and will share my systems with you on how to take great images in every situation, how to build relationships that will develop your film stills career, and how to create and develop a polished film stills ready portfolio.
What will you learn on Film Stills Fast Track?
After Film Stills Fast Track you will have all the practical knowledge you need to build an exciting film stills photography career.
This is for you whether you’re:
Film Stills Fast Track - an online course with LIVE Q&A's
- You’ll hear it all straight from me – I'm sharing twenty years of knowledge directly with you over 10 weeks.
- One 60-90min module per week to watch at your own convenience, including a bonus poster shoot module.
- Each module is jam-packed with information, pictures, insights, stories, and guidance on all aspects of film stills photography.
- One live Q&A session each week, answering all your questions, sharing insights, and getting to know your cohorts.
- A fantastic guest speaker line up carefully chosen to give you the insider's scoop on the industry.
- An exclusive private FB group to share images, get feedback, and interact with your fellow students from around the world.
- The first 5 students get access to me for a 1:1 session.
- You’ll be able to ask questions about your work, and your situation so together we get you ready for the next step in your film stills career.
- The first 20 students will be eligible to take part in a group portfolio review session to get personalised feedback on their work from myself and Debi Berry from the BBC.
Hello, I'm Nicola
I’m a professional film stills photographer and I have worked on some huge films, including the latest Bond movie No Time To Die. But it wasn’t always that way.
In my late twenties, I was living in my small home town in New Zealand, busy not being a photographer and wishing I was one. I had studied photography but never really followed it through.
One day I suddenly lost all hearing in one ear. I had scans and they said it might be a brain tumor. Luckily it wasn’t, but the doctors couldn’t tell me why it had happened.
Afterward I made a decision. I wasn’t going to live a safe life anymore. I realized that at any moment your life can change.
I left my lovely little home town, with my camera, for the UK, and started shooting weddings, editorial and traveled shooting for various charities.
I also started shooting for free on short films, and slowly built my portfolio and networks. It took me a while but I got there.
I am still deaf in one ear, and I feel thankful every day for it (I’m always grateful it wasn’t an eye!). It continues to wake me up to the fact that life is for stepping outside your comfort zone and backing yourself.
I try to live by it still with how we raise our two kids for example and taking them on lots of adventures. They often travel with me to my international jobs, but that is for another story.
I’m looking forward to sharing more of what I know with you and inspiring you to reach your potential too.
Here’s the course I wish I had when I started:
Module 1: Let's get shooting!
Module 2: Who's Who


Module 3: Get Set Prepared
Module 4: Good Access = Great Pictures!
Module 5: An Inside Job
Module 6: Effective Workflow
Module 7: Deals and Delivery
Module 8: Portfolio Ready!
Bonus Module
How to Shoot a Stunning Poster
Guest Speakers
It can be very difficult to talk to people on the inside if you are trying to break into the industry. Here, we bring them to you!
Carl Palmer
Channel 4
Carl is the Senior Picture Commissioner for Channel 4 in the UK. He has 15 years experience in working closely with photographers across editorial and film and TV publicity.
Carl will be joining us for the Portfolio Review session, and will be giving you personal feedback on YOUR work. This is a hugely valuable experience that is difficult to achieve any other way.
Michael Singer
Unit Publicist
Michael is one of the most experienced Unit Publicists on the planet, having won the Les Mason Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He has worked with directors such as Oliver Stone, Terrence Malick, Gore Verbinski, Terry Gilliam and producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer for the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He will talk with us about the importance of stills photographers to the publicity of a project.
Stills Photographer
Hopper Stone
Hopper is not only one of the most experienced Unit Stills Photographers in the industry, he is also one of the best storytellers you'll hear!! He is ex-president of the SMPSP (Society of Motion Picture Stills Photographers), and has worked on films such as Ghostbusters, Khandahar, Hidden Figures, and Captain Phillips.
Kassandra Kernes
Photo Producer and Editor
Kassandra is based in the US, and is currently with Haus / Netflix, having been a photo editor and producer since 2012. She has extensive experience in the world of photography for film and television, including commissioning photographers and producing photo shoots.
Film Stills Fast Track
10 Recorded Modules plus LIVE group sessions on Zoom!
calls start the week of 24 July 2023
Film Stills Fast Track will be delivered as a combination of recorded videos; weekly, live online Q&A sessions via Zoom; and a private online group as a place for sharing images and information.
Time required - on average 3 hours of course time per week.
You'll become part of a film stills community where you can continue to ask questions, get support, and where knowledge is shared.
With all this inside knowledge you’ll have all the CONFIDENCE you need on set, which is critical to building a good name for yourself in the industry. That is how you’ll get your next job.
The two most important things you must do to build a long-term career as a film stills photographer are:
- Build your network.
- Create a stunning portfolio.
Both of these things stem from your on set skills.
If you know what you're doing on set, you build trust, and therefore the network of people that will refer you grows.
If you know what you're doing on set, you'll get great pictures and therefore build a great portfolio.
Let’s get started developing your on set skills together.
Learn the Art of Film Stills Photography with Nicola Dove
Film Stills Fast Track Course
- 8 x 60-90 minute Modules
- One BONUS poster shoot module
- A BONUS portfolio review
- 10 x Live Q&A sessions
- Lifetime access to the replays
- Community of fellow students
Film Stills Fast Track Course
- 8 x 60-90 minute Modules
- One BONUS poster shoot module
- A BONUS portfolio review
- 10 x Live Q&A sessions
- Lifetime access to the replays
- Community of fellow students
Film Stills Fast Track Course
- 8 x 60-90 minute Modules
- One BONUS poster shoot module
- A BONUS portfolio review
- 10 x Live Q&A sessions
- Lifetime access to the replays
- Community of fellow students
VIP Mentoring Students get the Films Stills Fast Track Course plus 4 x 1:1 sessions with me:
Description
Film Stills Fast Track plus Mentoring
- 8 x 60-90 minute Modules
- One BONUS poster shoot module
- A BONUS portfolio review
- 10 x live Q&A sessions
- Lifetime access to the replays
- Community of fellow students
- 4 x 1:1 mentoring sessions
- 6 places available for VIP
Film Stills Fast Track plus Mentoring
- 8 x 60-90 minute Modules
- One BONUS poster shoot module
- A BONUS portfolio review (for the first 20 students)
- 10 x live Q&A sessions
- Lifetime access to the replays
- Community of fellow students
- 4 x 1:1 mentoring sessions
- 6 places available for VIP
It can sometimes feel like a long and lonely road to becoming a successful film stills photographer, and you wonder if you are on the right track.
Use these sessions to:
- develop your portfolio further together with my feedback,
- get additional support for getting onto a film set,
- ask in-depth questions about any situation you are experiencing on set,
- get additional mentoring to develop your career.
Having an ally alongside you as you develop your film stills career can be invaluable.
Luma Brieuc Photographer, Canada
Luma shares her experience of the course, from her hotel in the Dominican Republic where she is shooting on second unit on a major studio film.
Matthew Towers Photographer, London, UK
Matthew is currently shooting a feature film, with others in the pipeline. He talks about which aspects of the course, and the 1:1 VIP sessions he had, that helped him the most.
Jax Photographer, New Zealand
Jax talks about how the course helped her land her first TV series.
Rich Lowe Photographer, Melbourne, Australia
Rich shares what he found most useful, and how its helped him get onto shorts and with a feature film lined up.
Julia Firak Photographer, Sydney, Australia
Julia talks about the results she achieved after the course and the benefits of learning with other photographers.
AJ Stetson Photographer, New York, USA
AJ went from having never been on set to shooting on three productions. He shares what insights he gained from the course and the 1:1 VIP sessions.
This course doesn't just fast track you it propels you on a hyper-speed journey into the world of film stills photography. Nicola's wealth of experience, along with the array of excellent guest speakers, has given me the knowledge and the confidence to get on set and shoot without fear.
David Gennard
Liverpool, UK
FAST TRACK ME!
FAQs
Four Lights PTY Ltd and Nicola Dove, trading as Film Stills Academy and this training is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook, LLC