National Geographic | Rise Again Unit Stills

Client: National Geographic
Role: Unit Stills Photographer
Project:Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer (documentary)
Year: 2020 | Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Output: Behind-the-scenes unit stills; one image selected for publication in National Geographic print edition

Overview

CreeseWorks served as unit stills photographer on Rise Again, a National Geographic documentary examining the Tulsa Race Massacre and the broader Red Summer of 1919. The assignment placed Christopher Creese on an active production set, delivering editorial-grade still photography under live filming conditions, with images reviewed directly by a National Geographic photo editor. One photo published in the print edition of National Geographic.

The Assignment

Unit stills work at the National Geographic level is among the most demanding in editorial photography. The photographer operates in a production environment with no control over lighting, timing, or subject positioning and must deliver images that meet the exacting standards of one of the world's most rigorously edited publications.

Over 3 days of production coverage, CreeseWorks delivered a curated selects package to the National Geographic photo desk. One photograph was selected for publication in the print edition of National Geographic magazine.

Deliverables

• curated selects delivered to the National Geographic photo desk

• Full-resolution files formatted to National Geographic's technical specifications

• 3 days of on-set coverage across Tulsa, Oklahoma

• One image published in National Geographic print edition [6/2021]

Results

Selection for publication in National Geographic's print edition is a direct measure of editorial quality. The magazine's photo editors review thousands of images per assignment; one being selected for print is not a courtesy, it's a standard being met.

The documentary Rise Again premiered on June 18, 2021 on Hulu, bringing the photography to a global audience.

Why It Matters for Your Project

This assignment establishes a simple benchmark: CreeseWorks has delivered photography that National Geographic published. If your production, editorial project, or institutional campaign requires a photographer whose work holds up to that standard, the reference point exists.