On commercial photo productions, it’s common to see a digitech day rate plus a kit fee.
For some producers and clients, that second line item raises questions.

What exactly is included?
Why isn’t it just part of the day rate?

The short answer: a digitech kit fee isn’t about gear for gear’s sake—it’s about reliability, redundancy, and risk reduction.

Here’s what you’re actually paying for.

What a Professional Digitech Brings to a Commercial Set

A digitech’s value isn’t just knowledge—it’s preparedness.

On a commercial set, the right gear setup keeps the shoot moving, protects data, and prevents small issues from becoming expensive delays. While every digitech’s kit evolves over time, professional setups tend to follow the same core structure.

Here’s a comprehensive checklist of what a professional digitech brings to set—and why each category matters.

A good digitech can make a commercial shoot feel effortless.

A bad one can quietly derail an entire production.

Most digitech mistakes aren’t dramatic—they’re small breakdowns that compound over the course of the day. The good news? Nearly all of them are preventable with experience, preparation, and awareness.

Here are some of the most common digitech mistakes seen on commercial sets—and how strong digitechs avoid them.

Hiring a digitech isn’t just about finding someone who knows Capture One or can run a tether cable. On a commercial set, the digitech plays a critical role in keeping the day efficient, calm, and on schedule.

For producers especially, the right digitech reduces risk, protects timelines, and helps the entire crew perform better.

Here’s what to look for when staffing your next shoot.

Commercial photo shoots are a balancing act.

Creative ambition, tight schedules, multiple stakeholders, and technical complexity all have to coexist—often under pressure.

When things run smoothly, it rarely feels accidental.
Behind the scenes, there’s usually a digitech making sure the technical side of the shoot never becomes the bottleneck.

Here’s how a digitech quietly helps commercial productions stay efficient, organized, and stress-free.

Depends. Here’s How to Know.

On many commercial photography and production sets, the role of a Digital Technician (Digitech) is either seen as essential—or completely optional. The truth lives somewhere in between.

Not every shoot needs a digitech.

But when a shoot does need one, the absence is felt immediately.

If you’re a producer, photographer, creative director, or brand team wondering whether bringing on a digitech makes sense for your next project, this guide will help you decide.