(Journal)

Briefing a photographer in one page

Long briefs get skimmed. Here is the one-page format I send before every shoot, and why it works.

Ingrid checking a camera screen beside a photographer in the studio
Written
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I used to send photographers twelve-page decks. They were beautiful, and I am fairly sure nobody read past page three. Now every brief fits on one page, and the shoots have never gone better.

What goes on the page

Four things, in this order:

  • One sentence on what the images are for and who will see them
  • Three reference images, with a line on what to take from each
  • The shot list, grouped by setup, not by final use
  • The constraints: time, budget, what cannot change

That is all. Mood, light and styling live in the reference images, not in adjectives.

Why it works

A single page forces decisions before the day, when they are cheap. It also gives the photographer room to bring their own eye, which is why you hired them in the first place.

On set, the page is taped to the wall. When the day gets busy, it is the only thing anyone has time to read.

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