What Is A Photographer’s Brief And How To Write One
Who Should Write A Photographer's Brief?
Before going into the details of what a photographer's brief is, why you should have one, and what its content should be I want to spend some thoughts on who should write one.
Usually, the brief is written by the client for a commissioned photo project or photoshoot. As we will see below, this is done to create clear expectations, guidelines, and deliverables for and with the photographer.
A photographer's brief, however, can also be written by the photographer. For example, if the photographer has a project in mind for a client group or a specific client and needs to convince the client to (literally) buy into the concept of the project. Or to ensure the photog is clear about the objectives and execution of a personal project.
Summarizing who should write one:
clients who need photographers to produce specific images
photographers who need to 'sell' a project to clients
photographers who are working on personal projects
Reading the information below, keep in mind then that the brief can originate with the client, to provide clear direction and needs to the photographer, or with the photographer, to sell a project to a client or to ensure a personal project will cover all bases.
What Is A Photographer's Brief?
In its most basic format, a photography brief is a summary of agreements and requirements between the client and the photographer or, if it is for a personal project, a guideline the photographer sets up for themselves.
The brief provides the objectives of the photoshoot or project and other information that provides the photographer and, when applicable, the client with an overall view of the project and how it needs to be executed. It is a document that helps to understand what the client or the photographer really wants to achieve with the project.
Why Write A Photographer's Brief?
From the photographer's perspective, irrespective if it is for a client or for a personal project, the brief provides guidelines regarding the output needed, the equipment to be used and the targeted audience of the final product. In other words: the photographer's brief will provide sufficient information for the photographer to make decisions regarding logistics, technical issues and the creative part of the project.
From the client's perspective, the photographer's brief will clarify quality, budget and schedule for the project. The brief should give the client all key information to review the photographer's quote and execution plan for the commissioned project, including information regarding the style of the final images, rights for usage, cost and the actual deliverables.
A well-written photographer's brief will ensure that all parties involved are on the same page regarding objectives and deliverables; it can make the difference between great images that convey the message you are trying to communicate and the photographer delivering something that doesn't fit the bill!
So the question of whether you should write a photographer's brief needs to be answered with a definite 'yes'! Whether you are a client looking to commission a photographer for a project, or you are a photographer who wants to 'sell' a project to clients or is working on a personal project.
What Should Go In The photographer's brief?
My advice is to start with the basics and then elaborate on all key elements that help to align the client and the photographer on the project, it's execution and it's deliverables. Or to help the photographer to better understand his objectives for and the execution of their personal project.
The name of the client:
Even when it is a personal project, put your own name on the brief: it helps to take ownership of your project and will remind you that the right execution of a personal project is as important as that of any commissioned project.
The name of the project:
For commissioned projects, this can be just a denominator of client, project and year, or a project name provided by the client. For commissioned and personal projects a creative project name can help determining and remembering the objective(s) of the project and what the client or the photographer wants to communicate through the final images.
The project's objective:
This is a more elaborate description of what the final images should communicate. What is the mood and feeling that needs to be conveyed, who are the targeted audience, is it for a specific advertisement, should it tell the story of a brand, how and where will the images be displayed (e.g on a web site or in print)?. All these elements will provide alignment between the client and the photographer about what needs to be accomplished.
For commissioned projects it also is important to include general information about the client and their brand in the photographer's brief: maybe the photographer is not knowledgeable about the brand or the details of the brand and providing this information will help them better understand what the client's communication style in general is. If the client has a brand style-sheet, this should be mentioned in the photographer's brief and shared with the photographer.
Also, don't forget to mention how many images are needed!
Location, location, location:
The photographer's brief needs to include information about the location or locations the photoshoot(s) will take place. This not only helps the client and the photographer with the revisualization of the final images, but it also will help to determine if specific permits or safety measures are needed to successfully be able to shoot at the selected locations.
Also, think about and mention alternative locations in case permits can not be obtained, the initially selected location can not be safe, or the weather suddenly changes during the shoot.
An overview of the images:
The photographer's brief should include a list of images the client would like the photographer to capture (or the photographers envisions for the commissioned or personal project). This 'shot list' will help the client and photographer to understand and agree on what to photograph to achieve the project's objective, and it also will help the photographer determine the scope of the project, the necessary equipment, and the set-up and staging requirements.
Schedule:
If it is for a commissioned project the client probably will have a deadline set for the images to be available. For a personal project, scheduling is important to ensure the project will not interfere with possible commissioned projects, while at the same time ensuring the personal project will not be postponed indefinitely because of the photographer's busy commercial schedule.
The photographer's brief also should contain information about what happens when the schedule can not be met; whether this is because of something the photographer is responsible for, something the client is responsible for, or an 'act of God'.
Contact details:
If the images to be produced will need to contain specific people (models, the client's employees) the contact details of each individual need to be included.
Things can go wrong: the weather might suddenly change during an outside shoot, equipment might break down, props are not delivered on time. Make sure the photographer's brief includes contact numbers for everyone directly and indirectly involved in the project. This includes the client or their representative on-site, the photographer and suppliers of anything needed during the shoot (don't forget supplier who can provide back-up equipment!).
Responsibilities:
Each photographer's brief also needs to include clear definitions of responsibilities. What are the photographer's responsibilities, what are those of the client? Remember that things can go wrong and it should be very clear upfront who is responsible for what to prevent uncomfortable or even nasty situations afterward.
The final deliverables:
Does the client need prints, jpeg's, raw files? How will the images be licensed? Does the client want the images already edited or will they take care of that? If images need to be retouched by the photographer, is there a specific style needed?
Budget/Cost:
For commissioned projects, the client should indicate the budget available or the photographer should indicate rates and total cost. Will travel costs be covered in the overall project rate, who carries the cost for models: will the client take care of that directly or is the photographer supposed to arrange and pay? The same for the cost of location, permits, props.
Miscellaneous:
Finish the photographer's brief with any miscellaneous information that helps to align client and photographer regarding the objectives and execution of the project. This might include topics like dress code: it would be awkward for photographer and client if the former would show up at a formal-dress event wearing jeans.
In Conclusion
A photographer's brief is an important tool to achieve alignment between a client and the photographer regarding the objective, the execution, the deliverables, schedule, budget/cost, and quality of a project.
For commissioned projects, the photographer's brief can be provided by the client or by the photographer. In either case, it is important that both parties align and agree on its content.
A photographer's brief can also be a great tool for photographers when working on personal projects: to get clarity about their objectives for the project, to manage cost, and to ensure that the personal project's schedule doesn't interfere with any commercial work while at the same time ensuring the personal project will not be postponed indefinitely.