Did you know that people are wired to remember imagery and adding a photo to your content bank can improve an individual’s recall by 65%?
As the old saying goes, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and 2 out of 3 people claim to be visual learners.
In today’s digital landscape, a photoshoot is integral to any marketing strategy and doing it right is a vital building block for all your communications.
From organising talent and talent release forms to prop sourcing, creative and art direction, styling through to final image selection, it’s not as easy as rocking up to the shoot on the day…..
HERE’S A HANDY PHOTOGRAPHY CHECKLIST WHEN PLANNING A PHOTOSHOOT:
- Lock in a reliable photographer experienced in your product eg food vs fashion (more from our guest blogger, Phoebe Powell shortly). Consider whether specialists such as stylists, talent, hair and make-up are required, and if so, will you or the photographer source?
- Prepare a detailed photography brief including a mood board – How many shots do you want to get? Where are the shots being used? Are they for your own purposes (ie. website, socials, advertising etc.) or are you suppling them for media to use in which case they need to be editorial in nature without in-your-face branding? Do you need landscape or portrait? What sort of files? Is there a style to be incorporated? What are you trying to portray in the imagery? What are the usage requirements (where, when and for how long)? The more specifics you include the better in order to nail to ensure an efficient, successful shoot.
- Scout (or brief the photographer to scout) the location – lighting, prop availability, etc. are all essential considerations. e.g If you are shooting food or a menu, does the venue have a commercial kitchen? If not, where will the food be prepared?
- Source props/ingredients/wardrobe required (or brief photographer and stylist to do so).
- Cast and brief talent required (or brief producer/photographer and stylist to do so).
- Prepare talent release forms outlining the talent usage terms.
- Cover off legal requirements such as copyrights and usage with the photographer.
- Ensure you have clear direction for creative eg sketches of how the final images will work.
- Review images and select your faves, mark up any areas of concern for the photographer or your designer to retouch.
- Save the images somewhere safe and be mindful to follow the usage terms.
Our suppliers are an extension of our team. We love and adore our go-to photographer Phoebe Powell, so we thought, what better person to elaborate on some tips and tricks to get the best out of your photographer.
PHOEBE’S TOP 3 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:
1. Expectation – Have a clear vision and mood board your ideas, use Pinterest or make a doc with images you love. You can even just share your archived images on Instagram. Any imagery thats shared before the shoot will save time on the day, as the photographer wont have to experiment to get the shots that match your vision and expectations. It’s also helpful to show what you don’t like so that the photographer can avoid this in the process.
2. Budget – Figure out your budget and make that very clear from the beginning. This will help the photographer plan what you need and what is achievable, and it will avoid any discrepancies when it comes to payment time.
3. File Sizes – It makes me cringe when I see great quality imagery uploaded in the wrong file size to websites and socials. A blurry or pixelated image is such a missed opportunity and looks a little unprofessional. Talk to your photographer about the sizes you need and what they deliver. I always send through SMALL FOR WEB and LARGE FOR PRINT versions, that way the client has nice small images that load quickly online, but then if it goes to print, its nice and crisp on paper. Also, make sure you download the files when the photographer sends them through ASAP. Then photographer wont be saving your images online for long so thats a must for you. Online Storage is fabulous as its backed up and allows you or your team to access your image library from multiple devices.
Photoshoots can be a big job and do require some attention to detail and resources.
Luckily, we’re a smart and passionate bunch and we’re more than happy to help art direct, plan and coordinate your photoshoot for you.
