What Should I Include In My Brief?

A photographic brief is doesn’t have to be long and elaborate but it does have to be well thought out and decisive. It should include your commercial goals and creative requirements. Ultimately, everyone who comes together to form the cast and crew should receive a copy to make sure they all know what’s expected of them.

Good briefs include these 5 essentials:

1. Client Summary
   What business/industry are you in? Are you well-established or a start-up? What are your main products and/or services? Who’s your target audience? Why do they buy what you sell?

2. Objective
   What’s the product or service you are promoting? Is it a new product/services or are you creating new assets for something existing? The goal/s for the photoshoot should be included in the brief so that both the client and the photographer/studio can work towards them, as well as the call to action.

3. Mood/Style
   What’s the creative purpose of these photos? What’s your vision? How do you want these photos to feel? Different businesses have different styles, and although photographers have a creative approach of their own, they can adapt it to your brand guidelines to make sure it’s complementary.

4. Budget
   What’s the budget for this project? If you don’t know, you really should try and ascertain what it is before you brief the job. Even a ballpark estimate can help the client and photographer determine viability and/or areas where modifications could be made to the scope. Rates for photography and production can vary considerably between artists. If you don’t know what sort of budget you’ll need to put towards photography, that’s fine, but be aware that your quote will likely be higher than if you had given a definitive budget. It’s not because the artist is trying to squeeze every last cent out of you, it’s because they’ve quoted the job in a way that will get the best possible result. In short, it saves a lot of time on both sides to be upfront on the money stuff.

   5. Specifics

   How many images do you want to get out of the shoot overall? How long do you expect they’ll be in market for: 3 months, 12 months, forever? Where do you envision the shoot taking place – on location or in a studio? How many days do you anticipate it will take? Do you need models or specific props and, if so, who’s responsible for casting and sourcing? If required, do you have a preferred hair and make-up artists and/or stylist? Delivery-wise, when do you need to receive your images? What format do you need to files delivered in? Will you require just a basic clean up on the images or you looking at more complex creative retouching? It’s critical to share as much info as you can to make sure the photographer and their team can deliver what you need.

Defining Your Style

Every creative project needs a well-defined style and purpose to give it direction. A childcare centre, for example, might focus on depicting the happy, carefree nature of childhood. The mood would be fun, and the style would include bright colours, loud patterns, and lots of smiling faces. Including this information in your photographic brief will help the photographer capture photos of children in a way that’s upbeat, relaxed, and joyful.

In contrast, a chocolate brand might want their photos to feel strong, warm, and romantic. The mood and style would be darker and much more serious, and the photographer would help communicate those feelings through their images.

Define the desired look and feel of these photos by focusing on the client’s unique selling proposition. What do they want to emphasise or bring attention to? Include details such as:

• Visual elements (colours, patterns, and textures)

• Mood (emotions and facial expressions)

• Shots (angles, focus, and candid or posed pictures)

   

  If you have brand guidelines, be sure to share them, too.

It’s A Team Effort