It’s shoot day. All of your gear, props and people are in order, and you’re ready to go. Or so you think.
Do you know exactly what photos you need to capture? Is everyone on your team on the same page about how the images should look and feel? Have you all agreed on nitty gritty details like aspect ratio?
Too often, marketers and creatives waste time on shoot day because they didn’t lay out all of the details ahead of time. Even worse, sometimes teams have to do a shoot over again because they didn’t capture everything they needed for the end product the first time around.
That’s why John Kelly III, Senior Managing Photographer for FreshDirect, always uses a creative brief to get everyone on the same page.
When he first started with FreshDirect, he and his team would get photo requests from teammates that said something as simple as “take a photo of (requested item) and make it look pretty.” Requests like this left too many things up in the air, and John would have to spend time going back and forth with his teammates for approval in the middle of a shoot. This cost everyone valuable time and energy.
“It’s incredibly important that our time be spent as effectively as possible because we just don’t have time to waste,” says John. “As a small team, we really don’t have the luxury of being able to be liberal with our time.”
Now, John’s creative brief ensures that everyone is on the same page from the very beginning. When a team member requests a photo or a video, they fill out a form detailing what the request entails. It covers:
- Deadlines
- The image’s intended use (eg. social media, email marketing, print)
- Shoot attendees (people who need to be in the room)
- Orientation, aspect ratio, lighting and tone
- Special requests (props, backgrounds, etc.)
The creative brief maximizes efficiency on shoot day, allows the creative team to meet deadlines, and ensure the final images meet their goals.
Want to try it out for yourself? Download our photo request form template based on John’s creative brief today!
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