The Photo Shoot Issue

How to Run a Photo Shoot

Making a shoot happen even if you don't really know what you're doing.

We’ve covered the research, brief, and contract negotiations. But now it’s happening. The shoot is next week. What do you do? Aren’t you done yet? You’ve already sent sooo many emails. Ugh. Sadly, no, you’re not done quite yet. Some of the most important parts of art direction are actually what you do before the shoot. The shoot itself should be the easiest part of the entire process.

So, first off, review some basics. Make sure:

✔️ The brief is finalized. You included the goals, the purpose, the vibes, everything.

✔️ There’s a detailed shot list that everyone has agreed on. This is typically not locking in precise composition, but is more breaking out the needs of the shoot as deliverables. Eg, 10 shots showing 2-3 people at work, using X and Y materials, of various crops and distances.

✔️ You and the photographer discuss the visual references (the ‘vibes’) you sent. If you’ve only been emailing, this is a great time to get on the phone (it would have been even better to do this before signing a contract, but it’s probably fine! 😬). It’s quaint, but this is a good time to build up a rapport and get on the same page before you both show up on set. Ask them to talk you through their typical on-set process and their favorite shots from the references. 

✔️ You talk to the client too. Be sure to say hi and check what their concerns and hopes and dreams are. It’s kind of like you’re the lawyer/therapist for both the photographer and the client. It sounds like a lot, but just protect the scope and the shot list and you’ll be fine. And make sure there is basic organization, so you don’t look like an amateur even if you are one. That means logistics.

Logistics

Is the door going to be locked? Do we need a permit or insurance? Is there a plan for bad weather? What about lunch? Who’s going to be there, and what’s the best way to reach them all? Is there time to do a scout day and lighting setup? Do we have hair and makeup booked, and is there room for them to set up their stuff and work? Do we need reference photos for that? Does everyone know what to wear (unless it’s a documentary or styled shoot)? 

If you’re extremely lucky, you’ll either have a producer hired who can handle this, or the photographer will have a go-to producer in their crew. Otherwise…get busy. Book anything you still need (catering, hair and makeup) and then write out a schedule. Often the photographer will have an opinion about this, or recommendations for h/mu beyond just hunting on Instagram, so check with them before doing too much legwork. Then condense all of the above details into a call sheet that includes schedule, location, contact info, etc., and send it to everyone the day before the shoot. I’m always tempted to send it earlier, but then you run the risk of things changing and having to send a series of corrections, which is messy.

Can I come?

Speaking of who’s on the call sheet, what are client and photographer shoot-day preferences in terms of involvement? The ideal is to have a couple built-in checkpoints for the client to get a glimpse of what’s happening to set their mind at ease—talk about expectations ahead of time, but typically it’s just sending a few nice shots via Slack and giving them a mini-update that addresses some of their concerns you heard in the pre-shoot check-in.

If you need more frequent and specific client input (think situations where you’re shooting a factory space and you need someone to confirm you aren’t showing proprietary, secret equipment) it might be best to have them on set.

Some clients want to be there for every second of it. But you want to strike a balance of giving the photographer room to work, while also making space for the client to ‘sign off’ by being involved. If everyone has enthusiastically endorsed the brief and shot list, this won’t be a huge deal. 

To Be Chill or Not To Be Chill

Ideally, you’re working with a photographer who has previously done quality work in similar circumstances. This means you can mostly focus on entertaining the client and reviewing images occasionally, rather than breathing down their neck in a panic asking to see every frame shot. I actually don’t recommend the breathing-down-their-neck approach no matter the experience level, but you can support an untested rookie photographer a bit more by helping them check off the shot list, smoothing out staging issues (shifting furniture around, being a pal and holding a reflector), suggesting setups, and wrangling clothes with the stylist, whereas a veteran would probably prefer you gtfo of their way. It often feels like you should be doing more than you are, but don’t worry. You did most of your work ahead of time, and now it’s the photographer’s turn. 

How to OK Test Shots

At some point, you’re going to look at test shots. But the images aren’t edited and retouched yet, so why are you looking at this garb? In some high-pressure, high-budget scenarios, an assistant might actually edit images live, but in our usual zone, that’s not going to happen, and it’s fine! The photographer mostly will know what to look for in terms of lighting and you all previously agreed upon a final editing style…right? The visual references? This is more a taste check. Do the people look natural or however you want them to look? Does the composition work? Is that shirt showing up the way you thought it would? Is that tree in the background a dead giveaway that it’s fall, not spring, and does it matter? Does it show the logo you need it to show? Do you love this space and want to do more shots here? Is there enough room in that shot for a headline to fit once it’s on the website? Do you like them? 

You have to accept that this is a bit of a leap of faith, like all art direction endeavors. If something goes horribly wrong, you do have a contract for a reason. No one will die. You might just have to start over 😬. Don’t freak out about that now, though.

What Happens After?

Give everyone a day or so to recover (or whatever is in the contract!) and then start going through selects. The photographer might narrow it down a bit, but you’re going to have a lot to wade through. Consider bucketing shots by category, and then pulling out a few favorites in each set. Lightroom is nice, but sometimes I use good old Bridge or even…Finder (lol). Check them against the shot list and the site or wherever they’ll be used. Make some notes on retouching (for portraits, I look at an image and try to channel my most critical, bitchy eighth-grade self, and point out seemingly minute stray hairs, weird shirt wrinkles, shiny faces, etc.—unless that’s what you were going for!) Send a limited set to the client unless they’re hell-bent on seeing everything up front, with your notes included so they can see that you’re on top of things. 

Then, you get the final images, and you’re done! Thank god it all worked out.