Chicago & Phoenix Director of Photography, Cinematographer, Drone Pilot, and Video Production
Chicago Director of Photography
Production companies and agencies need a DP who shows up prepared, executes without hand-holding, and delivers footage that cuts together cleanly in post. Jamie Link is a Chicago-based Director of Photography with 15 years of on-set experience across commercial brand campaigns, corporate productions, broadcast, live events, and large-scale trade show environments. Available for hire as DP, camera operator, Steadicam operator, or full production lead across Chicago, Phoenix, and nationwide.
The production stack covers Canon Cinema camera systems, Steadicam operation, and FAA Part 107 certified drone cinematography including FPV. That means a single experienced DP who can handle ground-level cinema, dynamic Steadicam movement, and aerial coverage within the same production day, without adding crew or coordinating between separate vendors.
What I Bring to Your Production
Chicago-based DP and camera operator available for commercial, corporate, and brand productions.
Camera & Lighting
Canon Cinema camera systems operated with a cinematographer's approach to composition, exposure, and movement. Controlled lighting setups built for commercial and corporate environments, from studio builds to office interiors, event floors, industrial locations, and on-location brand productions. Color science and exposure matched to editorial standards so the footage holds up in post without heavy correction.
Steadicam Operation
Steadicam operation for brand films, live event coverage, product demonstrations, corporate productions, and broadcast. Smooth, controlled camera movement that elevates production value without slowing down the shoot day. Experience operating in demanding environments including trade show floors, outdoor demonstration fields, and large venue general sessions where the camera has to move with the production, not around it.
Drone & FPV
FAA Part 107 certified drone cinematography integrated into larger productions as a component of the overall camera plan, not a separate deliverable bolted on afterward. Standard drone for establishing shots, architectural coverage, and aerial cinematography. FPV capability for dynamic environments where the camera movement itself is part of the visual story. $5 million in commercial liability coverage with standard documentation available for corporate and venue productions.
Why Productions Book Me
Prepared at every call time
Productions run on schedules. Showing up camera-ready with a clear understanding of the shot list and the flexibility to adapt when things change is the baseline, not the differentiator. What matters is that the footage comes back clean, the coverage is complete, and the edit team has what they need without requesting reshoots.
Multi-discipline capability on a single day rate
Most productions that need a DP also need Steadicam coverage, aerial footage, or both. Hiring separate operators for each capability adds crew costs, coordination overhead, and inconsistency in coverage style. One DP who operates across all three formats keeps the production tighter and the footage more cohesive.
Commercial production experience at scale
On-set experience includes multi-day brand campaigns, large-scale trade show productions at McCormick Place, broadcast television commercial work, corporate event coverage across major Chicago venues, and field productions for industrial and manufacturing clients. The environments change. The production discipline stays consistent.
Direct and freelance availability
Available for hire direct through Jamie Link Photography for productions where a full-service production engagement makes sense. Also available as freelance DP or camera operator for production companies, agencies, and broadcast crews that need additional camera capability on a project basis.
On Set
Productions that have hired Jamie Link as Director of Photography or camera operator include Caterpillar, AGCO, the City of Rosemont, Chicago Dental Society, Crane Nuclear, Rust-Oleum, Dunlee, and Volatile Free, alongside work produced through Soaring Badger Productions and other Chicago-area production companies.
Production formats covered across those engagements include multi-day brand campaigns, broadcast television commercials, trade show and convention coverage, executive interview series, acquisition communications video, industrial training video, and FPV drone productions in controlled indoor and outdoor environments.
Camera systems in use include Canon Cinema on the ground and a matched cinema-grade drone package in the air. Steadicam operation is available as a standalone service or as part of a broader production engagement. All productions include standard pre-production coordination, on-set operation, and delivery of footage in the format and color profile specified by the post-production team.
Canon Cinema Systems
Steadicam Operator
FAA Part 107 Certified
15+ Years On-Set
How DP Engagements Work
Most DP engagements follow one of two structures. The first is a direct production engagement through Jamie Link Photography, where the full production is planned and executed under one roof, from pre-production and shot list development through on-set operation and post-production delivery. The second is a freelance crew engagement, where Jamie joins a production company's crew as DP, camera operator, or Steadicam operator on a day-rate basis.
For freelance crew engagements, the standard deliverables are straightforward: show up on time, operate the camera systems specified in the call sheet, cover the shot list, and deliver footage in the format the production requires. Rate, availability, and equipment needs are confirmed in pre-production. No surprises on the shoot day.
Productions outside Illinois are available nationwide. A significant portion of work is also produced in the Phoenix metropolitan area, where Jamie Link Photography maintains an active secondary market. Travel logistics for out-of-market productions are coordinated in pre-production on a project basis.
Our Clients
Recent Video Productions
The Great Escape | 9-Year Video Production Partnership
Nine-year production partnership including Product tutorials, store tours, brand messaging, how-to content, and cyclorama studio design producing 400 product shots per day, and a YouTube channel grown from 400 views to nearly 2 million, filmed and edited entirely by Jamie Link Photography.
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