What is a Digi Op (or Digi Tech)?

The person between the camera and the screen

A digi op, short for digital operator and also known as a digi tech or digital technician, is the person who manages the digital capture workflow on a photo shoot. They sit at the tethering station making sure every frame the photographer shoots arrives safely on screen, properly exposed, correctly colour-managed and backed up.

If you've ever been on a commercial shoot and seen someone hunched over a laptop with a calibrated monitor, adjusting settings in Capture One while the art director peers over their shoulder, that was the digi op.

Digi op or digi tech — which is it?

Both, depending on who's booking you. On UK and European sets you'll most often hear digi op or digital operator, while digi tech is the more common term in the US, though it's widely used and understood here too. They describe the same seat and the same job, so list yourself under whichever one a photographer is likely to type.

You may also see DIT, or digital imaging technician. That one is borrowed from film and TV, where the role covers on-set colour and dailies for motion work. It's a related job rather than the same one as a stills digi op.

What does a digi op do?

Before the shoot

Set up the tethering station: laptop, calibrated monitor, tethering cables, card readers, backup drives
Configure the capture software, which is usually Capture One, though some productions use Lightroom or Phocus for Hasselblad systems
Create the session structure, meaning folders, naming conventions and metadata templates
Calibrate the monitor with a hardware calibration device, such as an X-Rite i1 Display, so that what's on screen is colour-accurate
Test the tether, and make sure the camera-to-laptop connection is solid before the talent arrives

During the shoot

Monitor every frame, checking focus, exposure and composition as shots come in
Apply basic adjustments: exposure tweaks, white balance corrections and an initial grade, so the art director sees something close to the finished look
Manage selects, flagging frames the photographer likes, creating pick rounds and sometimes applying star ratings
Troubleshoot tether drops, software crashes and card errors, since the digi op is the first responder for all of it
Back up continuously, mirroring to a second drive as the shoot progresses, because losing a day's work is not an option

After the shoot

Take a final backup, with verified copies on at least two drives
Hand over the files to the retoucher, agency or client in the agreed format
Write session notes documenting any colour profiles, lens corrections or special processing applied during the shoot

What kit does a digi op need?

A working digi op typically owns, or has access to:

A powerful laptop, with the MacBook Pro as the industry default, carrying enough RAM and storage to handle high-resolution files without lag
A calibrated monitor. Eizo ColorEdge is the gold standard, though a well-calibrated Apple display covers most jobs.
Tethering cables and adapters: USB-C, Thunderbolt, and the specific cables for whatever camera system is on set. Always bring spares.
Capture One Pro, which the vast majority of commercial shoots run on. Know it inside out.
Backup drives, at least two portable SSDs, and some techs bring a RAID setup for larger productions.
A calibration device such as an X-Rite i1 Display Pro or a Datacolor SpyderX
A tethering table or stand, for which Tether Tools make purpose-built options
Gaffer tape, cable ties and a Sharpie, because every set needs them

Digi op vs photo assistant

The two roles are related and distinct. A photo assistant works mainly with the physical setup: lighting, grip, camera handling, set management. A digi op works mainly with the digital workflow: capture, colour, files, backup.

On smaller shoots one person might do both. On bigger productions they're separate roles at separate rates, and a digi op is usually paid more because the role needs specialist software skills and often their own kit.

Some people start as photo assistants and move into digi op work as their Capture One and colour management skills develop. It's a natural progression, and the two skill sets sit well together.

What does a digi op earn?

Day rates for digi ops in the UK typically run from £300–£500 for an experienced tech, with senior techs who bring their own kit commanding £450–£650 and upwards. London rates sit at the higher end, and rates outside the capital are lower though the gap is narrowing. For how this compares with assisting rates more broadly, see our guide to UK photo assistant day rates.

If you're providing your own kit, meaning laptop, monitor and drives, either charge a kit fee on top of your day rate or build it into a higher overall rate. Kit has a finite lifespan and calibration isn't free.

How to become a digi op

The most common route is:

Assist on shoots, to get comfortable on set and learn how productions work
Learn Capture One thoroughly, beyond the basics: colour management, session workflow, live view, output recipes
Invest in kit, because you'll need your own laptop and monitor to be taken seriously
Offer to run tether on shoots you're assisting, since many photographers will let you handle the tethering station if you ask
Build a reputation, because digi op bookings run on word of mouth much as assisting does

Demand for the role keeps rising as camera resolution climbs and clients expect polished images on set in real time. If you're technically minded and enjoy the software side of photography more than the lighting side, it's a rewarding thing to specialise in.

Finding digi op work — or hiring one

Digi tech bookings rarely appear on job boards. They run on word of mouth and on the photographers who already know your work, which is what PhotoAssist is for.

If you're a digi op, create a profile so photographers searching for crew can find you, and keep an eye on current assistant roles. List your Capture One experience and your kit, because that's what photographers filter on.
If you're a photographer who needs a digi tech for an upcoming shoot, browse assistants and digi techs by location, check their portfolios and get in touch directly, with no agency fees.