Game of Thrones photographer Helen Sloan talks about life on set

Helen Sloan has been the official Game of Thrones photographer from the beginning. Whenever you see a beautiful, glossy image that doesn’t look like it was pulled directly from the show, there’s a good chance she’s behind it.

Sloan recently talked to Wex Photographic about life on the Game of Thrones set, where there’s no such thing as a normal day. “One day we are exploding ice walls, the next day we are in a brothel…It’s different every day, and that’s fantastic because the excitement of seeing something new every day really helps you forget the early mornings and late nights!”

"In the morning I will pack the equipment into the car and drive to the location or the studio. There I’ll load the gear into my little specially modified cart with 12-inch all-terrain wheels for getting through Irish ditches and rivers of fake blood on battlefields! We shoot a continuous day with no break. I’ll cover scenes and also BTS (behind the scenes documentary), and maybe do some specials in my photo studio."

And after that, there’s still the matter of editing the images and tagging them with all kinds of identifying information. Sloan, who started her career in film photography taking photos of circus performers, is clearly passionate about her job, and it’s paid off.

Also, did Sloan say they were “exploding ice walls”? Read into that what you will.

In addition to the long hours, Sloan’s job also sounds like it can be physically exhausting, especially when shooting those crazy battle scenes the show is known for. “What you cannot see in the show is the 30-strong camera, sound, stunt, ADs and SFX teams all scrambling behind the camera lens, following the action as it plays out across the set,” she said. “Everyone’s trying desperately to read the crew around them, so that they can carry out their task without disrupting, distracting or falling over anyone else.”

"Your senses are being bombarded – all you can hear are the industrial fans. Your peripheral vision has almost completely been taken away – there’s often a huge sound blimp encasing your DSLR, both to silence it and to offer protection from swords, and your head and body are wrapped up in copious layers of rain gear and work boots. Then add 40 or more horses running towards you…"

We can only imagine the pressure of trying to get a good shot of the Battle of the Bastards before the horses started freaking out and running every which way.

Is there any time Sloan isn’t clicking away on set? As it ends up, yes. “The only time I don’t go on set are during nude scenes,” she says. “There isn’t really a reason for me to shoot that; it wouldn’t normally be something we use to publicise the show.”

To read more about Sloan’s work, head over to Wex Photographic.