@DominiqueFoster @KenGawne This is always a hard one. Because without the experience, you don’t get the opportunities and then you don’t get the experience. But! There’s lots of ways to get experience. If you’re at a production company, even if you’re not employed in a shooting role, make clear that you want to shoot more. Ask to borrow their kit for a morning, an afternoon, a weekend. See if there’s a friendly PD who’ll help show you the ropes. Some PDs have their own kits so could help

@KenGawne and if you’re on a production, ask the shooting PDs around you what they’re doing and why... can they show you? Can you have a quick go? Any opportunity to shoot, no matter how small, take it. Ask for feedback afterwards. It’s terrifying but the only way you’ll learn. I wish I’d done more of that sooner!

@RachelTracy Thanks so much for the advice! I seem to have ended up working on a lot of more high-end specialist factual shows where we usually have a DOP and things aren't self-shot or if they are they need to be self-shot to a high standard. Does it make sense to try to get work in a different genre that's more low budget/ self-shot just to try to get the hands-on camera experience?

Thanks for your question! @NiamhNí Ruadhagáin

@CharlieOulton And Maya - thanks!

@DominiqueFoster Thanks Dominque. Very helpful to know.

@DominiqueFoster Not wanting to be pigeonholed and moving around genres has allowed me to be a more well rounded storyteller but has perhaps stopped me building deeper relationships with specific people. and the ones that I do know well enough, have most often been in the ops doc world and more recently my best contacts have been on very long contracts that have conflicted with my own or been jobs that I have not been able to go onto.

@DominiqueFoster Thanks again for the talk earlier and your further help here, I have found in incredibly insightful and can now combat a number of my mistakes as well as seeing how others have overcome similar issues.