Behind the Scenes

A look at how the work gets made: the crews, the locations, and the calm, chaos, and collaboration on set.

By the end of a shoot, my sets always feel like a community, a small chosen family for the day. This page is for the people who make that true.

Clapperboard listing Dawn Heumann as director moments before a take, photographed by Dawn Heumann Cinema camera on a slider with hand-labeled focus marks for each cast member Clapperboard about to mark a restaurant scene with four women at a styled lunch table Production crew group portrait in the gardens of a wine country resort Dawn Heumann shooting from a ladder set in a pickup bed over freshly cut farm fields Dawn Heumann waist deep in a pool with her camera up, tether line running out over the deck Camera and director's monitor set up on a cruise ship deck at sunrise Softbox and crew around a lounge interview set seen from the mezzanine above Dawn Heumann photographing a girl having cereal and milk at a kitchen counter Digital tech cart under a blackout tent with the day's selects on the monitor Crew silhouetted in tall grass at sunrise as Dawn Heumann shoots from the ground Full cast and crew wrap photo in a cruise ship dining room under the chandelier Dawn Heumann seated in a pasture photographing cattle and a rooster while an assistant angles a reflector A large overhead silk rigged above a backyard picnic scene with crew working the edges Cinema camera and monitor framing a bright kitchen scene on a motion shoot A very pregnant Dawn Heumann shooting from the top of a tall ladder over a backyard pool set Dawn Heumann crouched in an almond orchard shooting through low morning light Dawn Heumann and crew improvising wind with a leaf blower between takes in the studio Dawn Heumann standing on the dining table to shoot a holiday tablescape from directly above Crew walkie talkies labeled by name and department, food stylist included Dawn Heumann crouched on a ridge shooting straight into the sunset over golden hills Dawn Heumann on a ladder above a styled restaurant table with crew and clients gathered around Dawn on a ladder above the vine rows at dusk, photographing over the canopy Shooting furniture staged in a pickup bed in a brick alley, assistant holding a bounce Studio food set seen from above with an overhead camera rig, prop carts, and crew at work Dawn Heumann photographing sunrise over golden Sonoma County hills from a high ridge on a Dawn Heumann production Dawn Heumann shooting a rooftop family dinner from a platform above the string lights Dawn Heumann shooting a portrait session on white seamless, monitor in the foreground Two photographers leaning over a convertible hood to shoot the driver on a country road Stylist adjusting talent in a camp hammock under an octabox in the trees Dawn Heumann perched on the edge of a freestanding tub photographing a bath scene Dawn Heumann in a straw hat lying flat on a gravel road to get the low angle The slate drops into frame over a busy restaurant lunch scene with Dawn Heumann directing Motion crew working from ladders to film talent lying across a hotel suite bed Dawn Heumann curled inside the wheel of a combine tire with her camera on an agriculture shoot Crew cracking up beside the monitor on an office interview set A winery team hamming it up with bottles for a playful group portrait on set Dawn Heumann shooting from an apple box wedged into a restaurant booth Dawn Heumann crouched on an estate lawn photographing a woman in a garden chair while crew watches A precision product lighting build with curved paper bounces wrapped around one small product Dawn Heumann on a step ladder in a working dairy barn beside a vintage green pickup Two crew members in director's chairs turned back toward the camera while the set lights up Talent laughing beside the cinema camera between takes on a warm night scene Shot list taped beside the director's monitor as Dawn Heumann lines up a restaurant scene Blocking a scene on a ship balcony with crew crouched just out of frame Tether station monitors showing virtual reality gaming footage during a commercial shoot Cast and crew gathered outside Applebee's after a campaign shoot day Dawn Heumann shooting over a taster's shoulder at a flight of sparkling wines Dawn Heumann smiling behind the camera on the bow of a fishing boat at sea Dawn Heumann shooting a horse and rider in deep snow on a winter ranch production Crew and friends with wine glasses settled on a golden hillside above vineyard rows at dusk Play with fairies, ride a unicorn, be a photographer. A favorite tank top on a Dawn Heumann set, photographed by Dawn Heumann

Start a Project

Questions about how this comes together? The FAQ covers most of it.

Work with Dawn