Photographers Assistant | Lighting and Digital Tech

Tim Gerard Barker

Resourceful and technically skilled Lighting and Digital Tech Assistant specializing in hospitality, architecture, and lifestyle photography. Experienced supporting high-end productions for hotels, resorts, and design brands. Tim combines strong lighting knowledge with a deep understanding of digital workflow, color accuracy, and client-facing professionalism. Thrives in fast-paced environments and contributes to delivering polished, publication-ready imagery that aligns with luxury branding standards.

Key Skills

Lighting & Grip

  • Proficient with strobe lighting systems (Godox, Profoto, Elinchrom, Bowens)

  • Skilled in balancing ambient and artificial light for natural architectural scenes

  • Knowledge of color temperature control, diffusion, and mixed light sources

  • Experience with flags, scrims, C-stands, clamps, and reflectors for precise shaping of light

  • Strong spatial awareness for lighting large interiors and exteriors

Digital Tech / Workflow

  • Proficient with Capture One Pro, Lightroom, Photoshop, CamRanger 1, CamRanger 2 and Photo Mechanic

  • Tethered shooting setup and troubleshooting for Sony and Canon systems

  • Experienced in color management and monitor calibration

  • Backing up, organizing, and transferring files using secure and redundant workflows

  • Quick, accurate file culling, metadata tagging, and exposure review on set

  • Experience with exposure blending workflows in architectural photography

Production Support

  • Communicates effectively with photographers, stylists, and hotel PR teams

  • Skilled in equipment logistics, packing, and international travel coordination

  • Understanding of interior styling and spatial presentation for visual balance

  • Comfortable working discreetly in luxury hospitality environments

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Tim Gerard Barker Photography & Film, Vietnam & SE Asia (2012–Present)

  • Commercial shoots for luxury hotels, resorts, and branded residences.

  • Set up lighting for lobbies, suites, villas, and exteriors during sunrise and twilight sessions.

  • Managed digital capture workflow with Capture One, ensuring accurate color and exposure.

  • Coordinated file organization and backups for multi-day, multi-location projects.

  • Adjusted lighting ratios and flagged reflections for glass and polished surfaces.

  • Collaborated closely with stylists and art directors to maintain visual harmony across scenes.

  • Supported lead photographer in architecture and lifestyle campaigns for global hotel brands.

  • Conducted tethered captures with real-time client review and metadata management.

  • Maintained equipment inventory and prepped gear for complex lighting setups.

  • Conducted preliminary exposure and color checks before post-production handoff.

Tim Gerard Barker Photography Assisting, London, United Kingdom (2010–2011)

  • Photography assistant for various photographers

Fairfax Community Network, Melbourne, Australia (2006–2009)

  • Casual real estate & editorial photographer for community newspapers in Melbourne.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Photography

RMIT (Royal ­Melbourne Institute of Technology) — Graduated 2005

LIGHTING PORTFOLIO

  • Experienced at coming up with solutions to light subjects with strobe in compact spaces with limited available light.

  • Experienced at capturing bracketed exposures in high contrast lighting scenarios to create natural looking blended images from multiple exposures.

  • Experienced at using gels and strobe to replicate natural looking sunlight for interiors images captured on overcast or rainy days.

  • Experienced at capturing a variety of exposures using strobe and colour temperature gels to balance to create natural looking comosited images using blended exposures.

  • Experienced at controlling flair when shooting into camera

  • Experienced at using CamRanger 2 to arrange props within a set to ensure pleasing composition.

  • Experienced at using fill flash to creating natural looking light indoors for lifetsyle images captured within hospitality environments.

  • Experience using strobe to create directional light during midday lighting scenarios for lifestyle imagery.

  • Experienced at using tungsten continuous light sources to enhance architectural scenes captured at twilight.

  • Experienced at rigging double c stand arms, flash extension heads, colour temperature gels and honey comb grids to create natural look light during lifestyle shoots captured at dusk.