So you’re a photographer and you’ve been hired by a client to create content for their brand or product.

Now what?

Well, if we were to tell you that you should sit back and wait for shoot day to come around, we would be doing you a huge disservice.

The reality is, now is the time to do essential planning before you ever set foot the photo studio so that your shoot goes off without a hitch.

This planning phase is called pre-production and we are going to teach you how to nail it. Every. Time.

What is Pre Production & Why it Matters

Any planning that is done before a photo shoot is considered pre-production. From organizing your timeline, to building your shot list, finding inspiration, and even getting to know your client, these steps lay the foundation for every piece of content you plan to create.

While it may seem like a daunting process, pre-production ensures a number of important things:

pre-production strengthens the client/creator relationship and instills trust that you will get the job done with excellence.
pre-production ensures that you can make good on all deliverables that have been promised to your client.

pre-production creates a framework for your photo shoot to run smoothly and enables you to focus on creating your best work.

Now that you know WHY you should be putting time into pre-production, we’re going to show you HOW to do it.

And do it well.

Get to Know Your Client

This may seem like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how taken care of your client will feel just by asking them thoughtful, genuine questions about their background, brand and product.

While nothing compares to getting to know someone over a cup of coffee, distance and scheduling constraints mean that isn’t always possible.

Thankfully, a phone call, FaceTime session or even a Google Questionnaire can be just as helpful.

Here are some ways to ensure your first meeting or consultation is seamless and productive:

Do preliminary research. Read through their website and social media with a keen eye so you can tailor questions that are specific to them. Displaying that you already have a preliminary understanding of their brand goes a long way in establishing trust.
Ask meaningful questions. Having a comprehensive understanding of your client’s brand ensures you can capture content authentically. Instead of asking a generic question like “what are your brand colors?” be specific by saying, “tell me more about the importance of goldenrod in your brand’s color story.”
Get specific about their content needs. Are they using the content you’ve been hired to create for social assets on instagram or for website headers? Do they prefer harsh or diffused light? Are they looking for minimal or organic set styling? Does their aesthetic trend toward a light and bright or dark and moody editing style? Only when you know exactly what your client is expecting will you be able to deliver content that exceeds their expectations.

Beth Johnson / Yellow Feather Photography

Develop a Detailed Shot List

If you were to take away one tip from this article, this would be it. Not only does a shot list ensure nothing falls through the cracks in the chaos of shoot day, it speaks into any prop and equipment sourcing that needs to be done. Oh, and did ya know that Realm already has a ton of props and amenities on lock?

Your studio day will run so much more smoothly if you have a robust shot list in hand and here are some helpful tips for building one out:

Create your shot list in a shareable and editable format. Google Docs is our favorite because it’s free, easy to share, and you can customize who can edit for easy collaborating with other team members. Win, win.
Make your shot list detailed. You can always choose to skip a shot while on set, but the likelihood of forgetting to capture an image it if it isn’t written down is high. When in doubt, write it out. And make sure to note if pieces of content need to be shot vertically, horizontally, wide, close up etc.
Entrust your shot list to someone on set. As photographers, we know exactly what it’s like to get caught up in the moment on a shoot without realizing it. Give your shot list to another point person to provide an extra layer of accountability to make sure all those important assets are captured.

Joslyn Griffin / Rae Barber, Andrea Crouse

Find Inspiration

Content creators in every industry draw from inspiration, whether from the work of others or the world around them. Even if your style is well-defined, curating inspiration for a project acts as a helpful starting point for developing a style direction with your client.

Be picky, and be specific. This isn’t the time for a Pinterest board that scrolls into eternity. All inspiration should have a purpose, such as how models are posed, how light is crafted on a subject, or how product or clothing is styled. In this case, when in doubt, leave it out.
Look for opportunities to plan. Being on set and realizing something is missing is the absolute worst. Sourcing inspiration can bring to light items that need to be planned before hand, like backgrounds, florals, outfits, number of models etc.
Make your inspiration easy to reference on set. It’s a lot easier to communicate with stylists, clients and models with a visual reference in hand. You can print a 1 page PDF or have your Pinterest board at hand on your phone. We even have a rolling TV that you can connect to to showcase your inspiration throughout your shoot day.

Coordinate Your Team & Designate Roles

Have you been on set where team members are either checking out, or even worse, there are too many cooks in the kitchen? It’s not a good look. Do yourself a favor and designate specific roles so that each team member knows exactly what is expected of them.

Here are helpful things to think about when coordinating your photo shoot team:

Introduce everyone before you arrive on set. It doesn’t take long to send an introduction email to all key vendors and staff involved your shoot and goes a long way to make everyone feel comfortable and included. And everyone wants to know who is bringing the coffee!
Designate roles. Who is on point for steaming clothes, sourcing props, ordering lunch, staying on top of your timeline and shot list or looking out out for a mis-placed lock hair or makeup smudge? These little details are easy to overlook if a team mate isn’t assigned to it.
Address COVID-19 mitigation. We expect that even as vaccines continue to roll out, as a society we will stay on heightened alert for sanitation. Assigning a team member to wiping down surfaces after use and providing gentle reminders to wash hands regularly goes a long way to keeping everyone healthy.

Create a Call Sheet & Timeline

When you’re in the middle of creative mode in the photo studio, stepping away to answer questions can be a creativity killer. Having a call sheet and shoot timeline available for your crew to reference throughout the day means everyone knows what to expect and where to look first if they have a question. Timelines are so clutch we’ve even been known to take a screen shot to save it as our lock screen on our phone for super easy referencing at a glance.

Here are a few ways we suggest organizing a call sheet and timeline:

Plan time to feed your crew. Do you know anyone who is like, “Oops! I forgot to eat lunch.”? Yah. Can’t relate. We know adrenaline can take over but the hanger is real so build in time to step away from the camera and fuel your bodies. Having a brain break never hurts either.
Take into account set up and clean up. This is one of the biggest pit falls we see with shoots that go over time. We recommend a solid 30 minutes of set up and clean up to book end your timeline so you don’t feel rushed leaving the space like you found it.
Define arrival & departure times for each vendor. Not everyone is required to be on set the entire day. Your hair and makeup artists may be one of the first on set and first to depart, while models for a scene may only be needed for a 2 hour block. Stacking arrival times cuts back on congestion and can help keep everyone productive.

One Lady Studio / Sheena Marshall Jewelry

Now go on! Get!

Thinking through logistics for your upcoming photoshoot goes a heck of a way when it comes to ensuring your day of runs smooooooooth and steady.

We hope you incorporate these photo shoot pre-production tips in your 2021 planning sessions. Have a tip that’s helped a shoot run smooth for you in the past? Let us know on our instagram (@realmdenver).