Planning a Photo Shoot Part III: Shoot Planning
Welcome to the third post in a new series on planning a product photo shoot! When I onboard my clients, I often start by taking them through the process step by step. I love this part of my job—educating clients about the way we’re going to work together create amazing assets just for them and their brand is incredibly rewarding for me. If you missed the first part of this shoot, all about discovery calls, you can read it here. If you missed the second part, which is all about shot lists, you can read it here.
How do you prepare for a photo shoot?
Once you have done your discovery process and created your shot list, it’s time to move onto the logistical part of the planning process: planning for the execution of the actual shoot. Every photo shoot is different, so the level of planning required for each shoot is different, and ranges from a few small items on a checklist to a large, multi-sheet Excel document. There are lots of pieces to the planning process that can be consolidated if your operation is streamlined enough, but it’s always best to be more prepared than less prepared, especially if you’re just starting out. The most important advice I give to my clients in Chicago and beyond? Ask any questions that you have. There are no stupid questions as we prepare for the photo shoot that you’re investing money and time into—I want you to feel confident and comfortable moving through this process.
What should I do step by step to plan a photo shoot?
The good news is that we’ve already started in on the big picture stuff: we’ve gone through the discovery process to learn all about your brand identity, we’ve created a shot list to ensure we’re on the same page for your photo shoot, and we’re now ready to prep for the big day.
First, decide whether you’re going to participate in the photo shoot. Some of my clients are eager to join me in the studio to see the process of shooting their product in its best light, and others need to delegate the photo shoot to me completely. There’s no judgment either way from me, and I always tell clients that what’s most important to me is that they feel comfortable with what’s going on. That’s why I put so much time into planning shoots—I want clients to be able to see the vision with me and trust me to execute whether they’re there or not.
Next, we’ll decide if we’re going to rent a studio or if I’ll execute the photo shoot in my home studio. It’s rare that a photo shoot happens in my home studio with in-person client participation. The space I have at home is smaller and I share it with another work-from-home creative. If a client wants to participate remotely, we can make my house work. But if a client or models are joining on set, I’ll ask that we find one of the many amazing studio spaces in Chicago to use.
After we’ve settled on the where, we’ll pick the when. Dates for photo shoots need to be weeks in advance, especially if we have models and a studio space to book.
Once we’ve settled on a date and committed to the spot, it’s time to get the crew together. I’ve been on huge photo shoots—I’m talking teams of 15-20 people!—all the way to a studio shoot where I’m the creative director, food stylist, and photographer rolled into one. There’s no right answer here, so ask your photographer what they’re most comfortable with and listen to their answer. Collaborate with them to figure out how to make the best use of your time by getting help for the areas that they’re not comfortable with or won’t have time to handle.
From there, once everyone is confirmed, make a plan for food and coffee for the day. Keep communication lines open leading up to the shoot, and make sure everyone has a copy of the shoot plan before you start!
What is the most essential step in planning a photo shoot?
I may be biased, but I think every step in the planning process is important for a smooth, efficient photo shoot. If I had to pick the most essential step in planning a photo shoot, though, I’d have to say communication. From the very first moment you start planning the logistics up until someone yells “That’s a wrap!,” keeping everyone on the same page by communicating as much as you possibly can is key!
What do you write in a photo shoot plan?
My photo shoot plans look like industry documents known as “call sheets:” they include everything from the studio location to what time to be on set to a rough plan for the most efficient execution of the shot list. Often, I’ll break up the shot list so we can be smart about the time we have with models, if applicable, or food before it dies on the plate. All of this gets written into our plan with a big, fat caveat: flexiblity is the most important thing to bring to a photo shoot!
How many hours is a photo shoot?
There’s no right answer when it comes to an amount of hours for a photo shoot. I’ve been on shoots where we get through a 50-photo shot list in 10 hours and I’ve been on shoots where we take three, eight-hour days in the studio to get through 20 shots. Make sure to talk with your photographer about what’s realistic for the shot list you’ve created and leave time for load-in and clean-up as well as lunch for the crew. There’s nothing harder than working on an empty stomach!
What comes after creating a shoot plan?
You know what I’m about to say: lights, camera, action! From a thorough plan comes a smooth, efficient photo shoot that gets your brand the photos it needs to get you clicks, engage your audience, and move products!