Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'Locations From a Movie I Never Made,' by David Graham (published by Kehrer Verlag). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.

I used to think photos couldn’t evoke true cinematic magic—until I saw David Graham’s work.

His photography doesn’t just capture locations; it transforms them into untold stories. Every frame feels like a scene waiting for its actors, its script unwritten but alive with possibility. With decades of experience as a location scout and photographer, Graham has mastered the art of turning reality into visual fiction. His pictures don’t just show places—they invite you to imagine the stories hidden within them.

But what makes his work so special?

Graham’s ability to merge the eye of a location scout with the soul of a storyteller sets him apart. He has worked on projects with directors like Spielberg and Ang Lee, honing his craft in some of the world’s most iconic settings. Through his lens, a quiet diner, a foggy road, or a deserted factory becomes a stage for cinematic magic.

If you’ve ever wondered how photography can transform reality into pure cinematic magic, this is your invitation to step into David Graham’s world. Through his lens, we’ll uncover the story behind the artistry that turns ordinary places into unforgettable scenes.

The Book

Locations From a Movie I Never Made is a captivating exploration of the cinematic possibilities hidden in everyday spaces. Created by renowned photographer and location scout David Graham, this collection blurs the line between reality and fiction, transforming quiet streets, empty diners, and forgotten corners into evocative scenes that feel pulled straight from a film.

With decades of experience scouting for directors like Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee, Graham’s work reflects his keen eye for mood, mystery, and storytelling. Each image in this collection invites the viewer to imagine the untold stories waiting to unfold within these striking locations.

Featuring 70 color photographs captured across five continents, Locations From a Movie I Never Made is both a visual journey and a meditation on the power of setting. Accompanied by essays from Graham and cultural commentator Leah Modigliani, the book delves into the artistic process and the ways in which photography intersects with storytelling. (Kehrer Verlag, Amazon)

Overview of the project: What inspired you to create Locations From a Movie I Never Made, and how does it reflect your experiences as both a location scout and a photographer?

Scouting for locations I take lots of pictures - up to 1000 a day. I am hired to find specific spaces in which it would be possible to shoot scenes for a movie or commercial. These images should be clear of as many people as possible, so that the director and producer can look at the location and imagine filling it with the people scripted in their stories. They are pitches for sets. As my hard drives fill up with all these jpegs, certain images begin to resonate on their own, hint at stories separated from the original prompt of the assignment. I began to focus on some of these pictures- again mostly empty settings, sets without actors in them. Collecting these photographs reignited my desire to tell a story, harkening back to my early film school days at UT Austin and after, when I wrote several un-optioned screenplays. Now these images stand as stories without a script, just a prompt to imagine what happens next. In addition, directors and producers began to comment on the quality of the photographs I submitted, triggering my desire to pursue my own body of work.

I took my first photo workshop with the photographers Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb in Barcelona. It was such a magical experience and they we are so talented and so lovely to work with, I took two more with them, one in Havana and another in Lodz, Poland-two unique locations in themselves. This further cemented my photography path. They elected to further mentor me, suggesting that I had possible book in my location scouting. Rebecca even coined the book's poetic title, Locations From a Movie I Never Made. I took the idea and ran.

Artistic vision and approach: Your photographs blur the lines between reality and performance. How do you decide which scenes and subjects to include to convey this hyperreal, cinematic quality?

When I am photographing, whether l'm scouting for a director, or working on my own project, I keep a sharp eye for anything exceptional when it comes to a setting and location. I'm trained to do this, since I have been doing this work for decades, so it's really second nature. If I'm in a place and I sense mystery or some prevalent mood I switch my camera setting to RAW and snap a few images. While waiting for scenes to clear of people, as I should do as a scout, sometimes I wait to let people enter the frame, and this takes the story one step further. My friend, the photographer Richard Rinaldi, commented he enjoyed the book and that it reads surprisingly dark - which initially took me by surprise, but upon thought, actually makes total sense. It's not an architectural survey of beautifully designed spaces. Its locations that could be scenes in a movie. And if I was directing movies, they would most certainly not be rom-coms, they would be a darker dramas or thrillers. It's what I respond to.

Storytelling in photography: Each of your images feels like a still from an untold film. How do you use composition, lighting, and subject choice to evoke these narratives?

Composition comes natural to me. I shoot wide and usually as far back as I can to capture as much of the location setting as possible. Its standard in scouting and that aesthetic helped form my own photography - a formal, distanced wide frame. Lighting is always natural; I have an eye out for anything dramatic and cinematic. As far as the subject, I can respond to anything from the unique, a moonlit dirt road peppered with sheep in the Isle of Skye, to the banal, like a dated corporate board room in a class C Midtown Manhattan office tower. The more idiosyncratic the space, the better for me... except empty bland spaces can read as mysterious as well.

Challenges and perseverance: Your work spans five continents and countless locations. What were some of the logistical or creative challenges you faced in crafting this body of work, and how did you overcome them?

40% of the images in the book are from actual scouting assignments. The other 60% are from my own street photography and personal travel. I'm fortunate being a location scout as doors are opened to me that other people would not be granted: the $50 million dollar home in The Hamptons I scouted for the Apple TV series Extrapolations, or a private rock quarry and scrappy backwoods logging road off-limits to all, which I just uncovered for a car chase scene in Spielberg's new movie. In my own work I've certainly had some logistical issues (sneaking into Cuba when it was illegal for Americans, photographing women in Northern Africa, shooting dark streets and alleys at night in a raucous neighborhoods in a city abroad that I do not know well—is this location safe?, etc...) but compared to my previous work in Mexico City, my personal photography is the easiest. Its leisurely. When I scout it's always a mad race to deliver as much as I can in the limited amount of time for which they've hired me. If I don't deliver, I may never be hired again.

So it's always a joy to shoot photos on my own schedule and time, I savor any day I'm not on assignment.

Role of the photographer: As someone deeply connected to the worlds of film and photography, how do you balance the needs of commercial assignments with your personal artistic vision?

There's a lot of pressure to cover as much as possible when you're hired to scout. Just researching and then clearing 2-4 locations can eat up much of your day. By the time I'm on the road, it's often a scramble to make all my appointments.

They could be peppered across the NYC Tri-State area separated with traffic-clogged roads. So I really have to switch my mindset to go into my personal mode, switch my camera setting to RAW, and snap a few shots that might work for my own projects. I have little time to linger, but I'd be crazy not to be an opportunist and try to take advantage of some places I can find myself and snap a few shots for my own collection.

Connection with the subject: Many of your images reflect everyday people and places, yet they carry an almost theatrical presence. How do you interact with your subjects or settings to bring out this duality?

I start with the location and then wait for people to enter the frame. The story will often start as an empty room or public space. The people are incidental, part of that space or passing through. All my photographs that are 'peopled' are shot without permissions asked. I have had some rare encounters when someone is not happy my camera was aimed at them. Most people have no idea. Or they in a public space where seeing a camera is not such a startling thing.

Technical and creative tips: Your work often juxtaposes vibrant colors and striking contrasts. What advice would you give photographers looking to use color to enhance mood and narrative in their work?

I'm always drawn to color. And I'm prone to punch up the contrast in most of my photos. I feel with current styles the opposite is more popular, softer, less saturated imagery, but that's not my style. Maybe I'm stuck in some technicolor movie from the 1950's.

Photography as cinematic storytelling: Leah Modigliani describes your work as "simulations of our lives." How do you think photography can serve as a tool to explore the intersections between reality, identity, and imagination?

A theme that has come up with my work is how a place, once photographed, can look staged, fake—a set, a fiction. People in these scenes become part of the set. In some locations, there are other images—a portrait, an ad, a mural-that add yet another layer of people as images. We live in a sea of photographs. I'm not sure how my photography serves as a tool here, except to capture quiet disorienting moments in the world.

Advice for aspiring photographers: What guidance would you offer photographers interested in bridging the worlds of cinematic storytelling and location-based documentary photography?

Pick a favorite photographer of yours and take a workshop. As I said, I did three with Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb. They really helped direct and shape my vision. And it's such a good two-for-one with them, two amazing photographers with distinct styles, so its double the inspiration and feedback. And if you're in a film hub of LA, NYC, CHI, ATL, etc, or just hear of a large production filming in your area (so much filming now is taking place outside of the big film centers) find out who the location manager of a movie or tv show is, send an email and offer your services. If you've got no film experience, offer it for free. If you've got a good eye, and photographic skill and know your city, you've got got the basic skill set. That's what did my first job, an ABC After School Special, and on day 4 they put me on payroll.

To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (Kehrer Verlag, Amazon)

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We'd love to read your comments below, sharing your thoughts and insights on the artist's work. Looking forward to welcoming you back for our next [book spotlight]. See you then!