Must a good director be a good photographer?

Not necessarily, but the director must have the skills of photography and aesthetics.

A film director is a person who occupies a dominant position in film creation. He coordinates other creative departments. Film can be said to be the director's art, and it is not an exaggeration at all. Therefore, as a director, you should not only know photography, lighting, modeling, editing, etc., but also have an understanding and your own opinions.

Therefore, an excellent director is not necessarily an excellent photographer, but he can definitely direct an excellent photographer. He may not have the perfect hand-held operation that a good photographer has, but he needs the insight and vision of a good photographer. An excellent photographer has great potential to be a good director, which is why so many photographers switch to be directors.