Commissioning Photography - The Brief!

Author - David Broadbent

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Commissioning Photography - The Brief!

It sounds a little bit over the top to talk about "the brief" where you are only considering commissioning a couple of pictures, but It is a really useful habit and one you should really try to get into. What is a brief? At it's simplest is just the agreement between you and the photographer about what you want to achieve from the photo shoot. Any professional photographer will be well versed in the concept and in fact will welcome it. It's just about discussing with your photographer how you see the final images or video footage looking and a clear understanding of what it's going to be used for. 

If you have never done one before then don't worry - a professional photographer will be quite comfortable with helping you decide what it is and giving guidance as to what you can achieve within your budget. It doesn't have to written down but it doesn't hurt to keep a record.The real advantages of agreeing the brief with your photographer are 

• You both understand what is expected of each other, both in terms of what he or she will do and what you need to do to make it happen.
• You'll both have a clear idea about what the images are going to be used for and how you can get the best marketing value for your money. 
• The photographer will have a clear structure to work to rather trying to best interpret what he/she thinks you might want. For example, your products end up being shot against background colour the photographer thinks is most complimentary to them, but which doesn't at all flow with the colour themes of your website or what you intended to use them for. 
• You agree what you are getting for your money, how it will be delivered and when. 
• You agree the output quality and format the work will be delivered in. This is crucially important when the work is going straight on to a printer etc. 
• Agree overall budgets with costed breakdowns for any ancillary items like models, make up , props hired equipment etc.
• The brief can be worked on in collaboration with others, both in setting it and sharing it so that others, e.g. your web builder and designer already have a good idea what is ultimately going to be available to them.  

But the biggest, most important issue for a brief is the big idea/s! A good creative photographer will be bursting with idea's about how to best represent you, your brand or your message. From that first discussion you'll jointly develop an idea about the "feel" your shots are going to have and the key messages they will convey just in the pictures. You should be given good advice about where and how to use the images to maximum effect as well as how to integrate them into your own ideas about how you want you customers to see and think about you. And if you both come up with too many good ideas, great. Just decide what you are going to do now and build the rest into future campaigns. 

David Broadbent is a professional photographer with over 30 years of editorial experience now represented worldwide by the Alamy picture agency.  As well as fully equipped location work, David also runs Summerhouse Studio, an informal small studio ideal for stills and video of people PR and products, from his home in the Forest of Dean. To see more of David’s work visit www.davidbroadbent.com or his folios on LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Or to actually talk to another human call him on 07771 664973.