How to create a brief for website product photography
Writing a photography brief ahead of your shoot date can be over-whelming if you've never tackled one before, but it will make the process of working with a professional photographer that much smoother.
Key things to consider when commissioning professional photography include: how many images you need for your project, what's on your shot list, the creative direction and your favourite reference images.
Writing a good photography brief will result in images you love, elevate your marketing efforts and increase your ROI.
Purpose of the shoot
Firstly, decide amongst your team what the main purpose of the photography brief is. You might be commissioning commercial photography for a range of reasons: for your social media platforms, your website, third party e-commerce platforms like Amazon or Etsy, a printed brochure or even a magazine feature. The creative brief and the approach that the photographer takes will be vastly different depending on the purpose of the shoot.
Your shot list
Write a photography brief that includes all of the images you hope to capture. Most photographers will need this in order to quote accurately for your project. This might include single item images, grouped shots, particular pairings of certain fragrances or specific ranges.
Creative brief
What are the creative ideas and visual direction behind this shoot? Consider your target audience and your brand guidelines when putting together a mood board. If your brand is organic and earthy, this might be reflected in the colours and tones used in the photoshoot. Send your commercial photographer your brand colours and create a mood board on Pinterest with notes about what you like in those images, from textures and lighting to props or the angles the photos are taken from.
Technical bits (boring but necessary)
Professional photographers will love any client who provides a photography brief with a list of angles and aspect ratios they need from the photo shoot.
Possible angles: straight on, flat lay/overhead or 45 degree angle
Potential aspect ratios: portrait, landscape, square or bespoke for your website header.
Consider where the images will live, and this will help you decide what you need.
If you follow these tips about how to write an amazing photography brief, you are likely to enjoy a smooth shoot day and love your final images. When both the client and the photographer are on the same page, it leads to a pretty harmonious experience!
Take a look at my blog for more educational posts on photo editing, props, workflow and food photography.
Helena is a professional photographer based in Bristol, specialising in product and food photography. She works with ethical and sustainable brands, creating joyful, story-telling product photos.