Photographer-Turned-Gaffer Shaurya Chopra Puts the Image Before Gear

Shaurya Chopra helps make the light in films and commercials look the way the creative team wants.

He first learned to notice light while taking photographs.

Now, as a gaffer and camera operator in New York, he works on many kinds of shoots.

He knows how to use lots of lighting equipment and control systems.

But he says the equipment does not decide what an image should feel like.

He studies the scene and figures out what the light needs to do.

Sometimes he leaves parts of a scene dark instead of lighting everything.

If plans change, he looks for another way to create the intended image.

He also listens closely to the cinematographer and helps turn ideas into practical lighting choices.