When it comes to a branding shoot, it's not just about snapping random photos; it's about being strategic with the images you capture for your clients so they can share the story for their brand.
Why a Shot List Matters
A shot list is basically your game plan for the shoot. It's a list of all the specific shots you want to get for your client. This helps you make sure you don't miss any important shots, stay on track and make the most of your clients shoot time.
Here's how to craft the perfect shot list for your clients branding shoot:
1. Clarify Their Brand Voice and Message
Before you can even think about a shot list, you need to get to know your clients better. That is why send a questionnaire and book in a strategy call as soon as possible. We need to know what their brand is all about before we can plan anything.
Are they fun and crafty, or professional and polished? Do they like clean and simple images, or colourful and bold? What do you want people to feel and think when they see the images?
Ask about the types of captions and stories they want to tell on social media, and think about what images they will need to share those stories.
Once you've got that clear, you're ready to move on. (If you need more help then read more about it here.)
2. Where Will They Use These Images?
Yes they know that they need branding images to elevate your online presence, but you need to know where will they actually be using them?
Are they for the website, social media, print ads, podcast covers or something else? Do you need white space for graphics, or wide banner images?
Different platforms need different kinds of photos, so keep that in mind when you're making the shot list.
3. Suggest They Create an Inspiration Board
Suggest they take a look around at what other people are doing to get some inspiration. They could be in the same industry or a different one. They may like the location, the pose, the wardrobe of certain images and this is a great starting point to determine what type of images they are attracted to, and then they can visualise how they could make them work for their brand.
Pinterest is a good place for this, or you could use an app like Milanote to collate all of the ideas.
They could then share this with you to show the types of images that they want to capture for their own business to form the basis of their shot list.
4. What Kind of Shots Do They Need?
Think about all the different types of shots that could show off their business in the best way (click here to read more about shot ideas):
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Headshots: Great for websites and social media profiles.
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Lifestyle Shots: Get shots of products or services being used in real life, or some behind the scenes of how they work.
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Teams Shots: Show off the team or anyone else who's part of the brand, showing how they work together can demonstrate the company culture and values.
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Location Shots: Get shots in places that are relevant to their brand. It could be your workspace, park, or a local cafe.
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Client Shots: Do they work 1:1 or online? Capture the details of how they actually work with people.
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Tools of your trade: Items they use in their job that are unique to them.
I also provide my clients with 'The Essential Shot and Props List' guide to help them brainstorm some relevant image ideas.
5. Prioritise Your Shots
Some shots are more important than others. Make sure you've got the ‘must have’ at the top of your list so you don't forget them. You don't want to run out of time and miss getting the shots they really need.
I use this 'Branding Shoot Plan' to keep me and my clients on track with the shots that we need during a shoot.
6. Leave Room for Creativity
Even though you've got a plan, don't be afraid to go with the flow and try new things. Some of the best shots happen when you're not sticking too rigidly to the plan. When you have the must have shots then play around with different angles and ideas to add some spontaneity to the shoot and the images.
Wrapping Up
Creating your shot list is all about working together with your client to be strategic with creating on brand images that are relevant for their business. Not just random shots that you hope will work.
If you want to see the other resources that I use to support my clients through the shooting process and allow us to get images they love, then visit the shop here.