Audit the layouts before writing the shot list
Collect current website pages, campaign templates, LinkedIn formats, brochures, sales decks, press requirements and profile systems. Record orientation, crop, copy space and minimum resolution.
Mark which placements need a hero, portrait, process, detail, background or proof image. This prevents a strong horizontal photograph from becoming unusable when the campaign needs a tight vertical crop.
Define a visual system, not a mood-board imitation
Agree the qualities that should remain consistent: colour, contrast, background complexity, camera distance, expression, movement and how polished the environments should feel.
References should explain a decision rather than request a copy. Identify what belongs to the reference and what must be changed to remain truthful to the organisation.
Build coverage in five practical groups
Plan people, process, product or service, place and detail. Each group should include wide context, medium activity and close evidence where the subject supports it.
Prioritise must-have frames for the current campaign, then add flexible library images. A long undifferentiated list gives the photographer no guidance when time changes.
Choose people for relevance, not availability alone
Decide whether employees, customers, models or a mixture best represents the claim. Confirm consent, intended use, availability and any future employment or contract issue that could shorten the image’s life.
Tell contributors what will happen, how long they are needed and what clothing or activity is expected. Invite private disclosure of access needs so the production can adapt.
Prepare locations, props and products as evidence
Use real objects and environments that help the viewer understand the work. Clear confidential data, temporary clutter and irrelevant branding without making the location look unoccupied or artificial.
Check product versions, labels, screens, uniforms, signage and safety practice. A beautifully lit obsolete process still creates an inaccurate asset.
Schedule by setup and dependency
Group photographs that share a location, lighting approach and people. Place time-sensitive activity, customer access or exterior light before flexible portraits and details.
Add setup, room moves, cleaning, wardrobe changes and recovery time. The schedule should show who can release people and who decides when a must-have has been completed.
Direct real actions in repeatable pieces
Instead of asking people to “look natural”, give them a simple task that belongs to their role. Break complex work into safe, honest stages that can be repeated without disrupting the operation.
Capture variations in expression, viewpoint and copy space while the scene is controlled. Variation should serve different placements, not create random alternatives.
Agree selection and truthful retouching
Name the selector, factual reviewer and brand approver. Ask for one consolidated response that checks accuracy, permissions, composition and representation before detailed retouching begins.
Define what may be cleaned or corrected and what must remain true. Do not remove safety equipment, alter a product feature or change a process in ways that mislead the audience.
Deliver a library people can actually use
Organise files by campaign, subject or use, then include names, consent notes, expiry dates, crop guidance and licence information where the team can find them. Keep masters separate from web exports.
Review the library when people, products, locations, branding or channels change. Continue with the photography refresh guide, prepare the organisation with the corporate shoot checklist, or plan a brand shoot with The Camera Guys.
