How to prepare a brief for a photo and video shoot

A shoot plan starts with the answers to a few questions. We call those answers a brief: a short note on what will be photographed or filmed, where, what for and how. It does not have to be long; half a page is usually enough. Because the scope and duration of a shoot, and therefore your quote, rest on exactly these questions, a good brief also speeds up the quote.

The questions below apply to hotel, restaurant, brand and agency shoots as much as to couple, family, wedding and special-occasion sessions. Our services are not limited to particular headings; you can also come to us with your own idea or dream. If you do not know the answer to a question, that is fine: we assess the need together and work it out.

1. What will the images be used for?

This is the most important question, because framing, format and delivery follow from it. A website and booking channels need wide, calm frames; social media needs vertical images and short videos; a campaign or press feature needs a specific concept. For a couple the answer may be “to hang on our wall” or “to remember this trip”. All of these are valid answers. Say where and how you plan to use the images, too, so we can settle that together from the start.

2. What or who will be in front of the camera?

A property, a room, food, a product, a collection, a team or people. For people, the number is enough; a session for one person is planned differently from one for ten. For a property, describe which areas should lead: the suites, the terrace, the pool, the menu?

3. Where and when?

The number of locations and the distance between them directly affect the length of the shoot. For timing, the season and the light of the day decide: sunrise shoots start early, sunset shoots are built around the evening light. I describe how seasons change a shoot in which season for a Cappadocia photoshoot. If your date is not fixed yet, a period is enough.

4. Photography, video, drone: which, and in what combination?

Photography, camera video, short vertical content and drone footage are not tied together. You can ask for photography only, video only, or another combination. Drone footage is not automatically included in every project; when it is wanted, it is shot by me or by my team depending on the project, and we discuss and agree the scope of the team in advance. Which of these you need follows from your answer to the first question.

5. How should the shoot run?

We decide on the way of shooting together, by talking through your expectations. Some guests want their natural moments recorded from a distance, without intervention; others want guidance on posing, stance and movement. The two can be combined as needed. In your brief you can write “guidance please” or “record it as it unfolds”, or simply say you have no preference.

6. Are there extra requirements?

The scope and cost of additional crew, styling, models, hair and makeup, dresses, cars, transfers or special locations are set per project; not all of them are included in every project. Marking them in your brief as “nice to have” or “essential” makes the scope easier to settle.

7. How will delivery and usage work?

Delivery follows three separate timelines. Every photograph taken during the shoot is shared as unedited JPEG, on the day of the shoot if possible, otherwise by the evening of the next day. You choose the photographs to be edited; edited photographs are delivered no later than one month after the date you tell us your selection. Videos are delivered no later than one month after the shoot date. For photographs, the standard delivery format is JPEG; RAW files are normally not delivered, but can be if this is discussed and agreed before the shoot. For details, see what decides scope, price and delivery.

Example drafts (fictional)

The two drafts below are not real projects; they only show what can be written.

For a business: “We want room and terrace images and vertical content for our new-season promotion at the hotel, for our website and booking channels. In May, in sunrise and sunset light; two locations. We would also like drone footage. No models or styling. We would like to talk about how the team will work with us on the day.”

For a couple: “There are two of us, on honeymoon. We would like a sunset couple session and a short video in the first week of September. No surprise proposal. We would like some guidance, but natural moments recorded too. We want to print the photographs as an album.”

Where to send your brief

If you are a business, brand or production team, you can share your brief through the contact page; we then settle the scope together and I prepare a quote for you. For a couple, family or special-occasion session, you can use the quote form. Sending the form does not confirm a reservation: we reply with availability and a plan, and the date is confirmed by mutual agreement and a deposit. To see the scope of the service, have a look at corporate photography and fashion & portraits.