Commercial Photographer Brief

If you are working for the first or even a second time with new suppliers then it is a good idea to be as detailed and thorough in conveying who, what, when and how your business functions to as practical extent as possible.

For creatives to ‘feel’ and your company’s vibe they essentially need a crash course or orientation on the business.

For large complex shoots we suggest the following to include in your photographers brief;

1. Include the history and direction of your business
2. Mid to long term Business outcomes
3. Your two main customer personas
4. Who’s are you main two competitors
5. What is you overall campaign budget
6. Human resources to allocate for the shoot
7. Main product or services features

Most of this information may already be in your company brochure or website, if so just share those links or PDF and we’re good to go.

Let’s explore each one in some detail.

Brief Business history overview

• Company size
• Products and services range
• Awards
• Position in the market place
• Price point positioning
• Overall Brand perception
• Values and mission statements
• Annual turnover
• Key members of the executive team

Business outcomes for the campaign

Just a simple note of how many products with the image you are aiming to sell. Or where this is to reposition the company. Will the photos be used for X number of years or is it a seasonal marketing program.

Or are the product photo to be used to sell into new markets or using new platforms? Social media or 3rd party websites. This type of information makes a difference to the creatives you’re going to be working with.

Two main customer personas

Good to know who the products or services will be sold to. Which demographic do they need to appeal to. Knowing the target market is great for aligning your mindset with the creatives.

Who are your two main competitors

Doesn’t need too much detail, just so it helps frame the advertising intent and to who product this is going to be compared to.

Overall campaign budget

This great to know before photographers provide a quotation. Knowing you overall budget helps in not over specifying a shoot.

The amount of production is directly connected to your overall budget. Not allowing enough equipment to deliver the images can have detrimental effects on relationships.

Let’s not over price or under specify a shoot.

Human resources to allocate for the shoot

How many support people do we need. How many of your staff and who will be involved in the pre production, production and then who will we liaise with for the post production.

If your shoot is for a small new business or a medium size one with limited number of specialist staff. You may just the the sole person involved. Could be a brand or product manager or as is commonly the case, the marketing manager.

What product features to highlight the most

Material selection, fabrics or specific accessories. What are the product strengths to focus on and accentuate?

Which Talent or staff are key focal points in the advertising campaign.

Are we bring to life your new fleet of vehicle or showing off your easy to use software. All great ideas to write down on your photographer brief.

Wrapping up this section

The non technical items to add to your comprehensive documentation for the creative team to be better aligned with the shoot. As noted earlier. If your shoot is only small or simple no need to go into this much detail. Simply let the photographer know about your website and they can do a little home work.