The first thing I want to know on any job is what the photos are for. Once that’s clear, most of this list answers itself. Here’s what I’d want settled before, on and after a production day. Use it with any photographer.
Before the day
The brief
One page that says what the photos are for, where they’ll run, the date, the place, the hours and who’s in them. The photo shoot brief builder makes one you can send to anyone. ASMP’s guide for clients makes the same point: a photographer needs a detailed description of the job to estimate it.
The shot list
The must-have photos, one per line, in the order they’ll happen. I’d like it and the schedule before the day, so I know exactly what’s happening and when. I plan the day the day before.
The call sheet
Everyone who’s coming, their call times, the schedule, the shot list, and who to call first if something moves. The call sheet builder puts it on one page you can print or paste into an email.
Location and load-in
The address, the entrance if it’s hard to find, where to park, which door, and who opens it. If you still need a place, there’s a roundup of photo studios for rent, and one of location scouts and film locations.
Permits
Permits are yours to arrange. Whose ground it is decides who gives the permit. Streets, the Mall, Capitol Hill, Metro and parks all have different offices with different lead times, so check early. Here’s who to call for permits around DC. Ask the location what paperwork it needs from vendors, too.
Releases
Releases are signed permission from the people, and the owners of private property, in the photos. Whether you need them depends on how the photos will be used, and usage rights explained covers it. Decide who’s collecting them before the day, and get copies. If someone doesn’t want to be photographed, tell me ahead of time and I’ll skip them.
The rest of the crew
If the day needs it, there are roundups for hair and makeup, casting and talent agencies and camera and lighting rental. Put them all on the call sheet.
A weather plan
If any of it is outside, weather is case by case. We talk it through before the day, not on the morning, and what we decide goes on the call sheet. ASMP notes weather delays can be a factor in what a job costs.
Deliverables and crops
Where each photo will run decides its shape. A web banner, a vertical story and a print ad want different crops from the same frame. ASMP’s list of questions is a good start: how the files will be used, whether they’ll be repurposed later, the largest size they’ll be reproduced at, and who handles color. The crops and deliverables planner lays it out. For commercial work I photograph the Hasselblad a little wide in the frame, which gives your team room to work with in post.
Usage
Who owns the photos and what each side can do with them, in writing, before the day. Usage rights explained goes through the terms. With me the photos are yours. I keep the right to show the work in my portfolio, and if you need a time limit or exclusivity on that, I’m happy to talk it through.
On the day
One person on your side I can reach, with their phone number on the call sheet. I set up a chat or text group with you and anyone who needs photos during the day.
When I arrive depends on the setup, and the call sheet sets it. Standard shots first, then the creative frames if there’s time. There’s a second camera in the bag, and every frame writes to both cards.
If someone needs photos during the day, say who and by when. Same-day highlights are something I do when a client asks, so tell me up front.
After the day
You get a private gallery at full resolution, usually in one to two weeks. If you need it sooner, say so when you book.
It’s a 100% handoff. Your team, your agency and your other vendors can crop, retouch and pass the images along. I’m not after credit. If you need more retouching than your team can handle, there’s a roundup of print labs and framers.
File the releases, the call sheet and the brief with the photos. Months later someone will ask who’s in a picture and whether it can run in an ad, and that folder answers both.
What’s the one thing people forget?
What the photos are for. Without it, the shot list, the crops and the usage terms are all guesses.
Who collects the releases?
Decide before the day. It can be your team or the photographer, but somebody has to own it, and you should keep copies.
Do I need a permit to photograph on a DC sidewalk?
It depends on whose ground it is and what you’re setting up. Start with who to call for permits and ask the office before you plan around anything.
How early should I send the shot list?
As early as you can. I plan the day the day before, so I want it in hand by then at the latest.
Sources
General information only. Read these for the details.
