How to prepare a shooting when you are a photographer?

By preparing your shoot in advance, you save money and time for the creative part. Start your preparation as soon as you have the idea of the design.

Make a list of requirements

Making a list of everything you need to complete your shoot will save you time and keep you organized. Fill out a roadmap with deadlines. The items that should be on your sheet are :

Location of the shoot
Contact of the team
Necessary photographic material
Specific equipment for the shoot
Catering
Investment needed to realize the production

Location of the shooting

This point will be determining for the rest of the process. Should your shoot take place in a studio or in a natural setting?

Spontaneously, one can think that a shooting in outside is less expensive. This may not be true if you need to obtain permits or if you have variable weather conditions.

Thinking that natural light is sufficient to obtain a satisfactory image at a lower cost is dangerous. You must control your light with reflectors or panels anyway. A location scouting is necessary to know the most favorable period for the realization of your final image.

During a shooting in a natural setting, outdoors or indoors, you must put in place this checklist:

How can I access the location of the shoot
Do I have the right to use the location. If authorizations are required, where do I apply? How long does it take to get the official papers?
Who is my contact person for any information before and during the shoot?
What are the light conditions on the day (depending on the area, you will have a relatively small window to shoot your images)
How much time do I need to set up my set-up?
How much time do I need to prepare my model(s)
Where can I set up the beauty and styling team?
When shooting in a studio, it can be easier to organize. Often, you can ask for the main set-up to be configured to your needs. This saves you preparation time.

The choice of studio can be economical as well as expensive depending on the size and the equipment needed. Properly assess your needs to make sure you get the images you envision. It can be frustrating to end up with little distance or a background that lacks amplitude.

When shooting in a studio you need to implement this checklist:

How much does the hour of rental cost?
What happens if I go over the scheduled time?
How do I get access to the studio after hours?
Who is my contact person for any information before and during the shoot?
What equipment is available to me?
How much time do I need to set up my set-up?
How much time do I need to prepare my model(s) ?
Where can I set up the beauty and styling team ?

Contact of the team

If you are doing a shoot with a model, you will need to book well in advance and give her the information needed to get to the shoot location. You should also remember to let her know the requirements of the shoot. The model may need additional preparation if, for example, she or he is to assume athletic positions.

Depending on your shoot, you may need a particular beauty or styling team. You need to find out what services the person can provide. For example, a make up artist may not be able to do special effects.

Once your team is set up, make an information sheet with all the useful information before and during the shoot.

A few days before the deadline, think of writing an email of convocation to be sure that everyone will be present on time and at the right place.

Required photographic equipment

You obviously know very well the list of your photo equipment. However, it is sometimes necessary to rent or buy additional utensils for the realization of your images.

You want to do a shooting near the water. Do you have special protection for your camera?

The purchase or rental of equipment requires that it be tested before your shoot. Discovering on the day that it reacts differently than you thought it would can be fatal to the realization of your images.

Whether the equipment is yours or borrowed, check it even if you have done a shoot the day before. During the storage or transportation of your last shoot, something may have happened.

Always prepare your equipment the day before and check it again in the morning with a checklist.

The basic equipment to be ready for any outdoor shooting is :

a camera
a 50mm lens
an 80mm lens
a reflector
a flash for camera
a flash diffuser
a uv filter

Specific equipment for certain shoots

Some shoots are more complex than others. The installation of special effects, such as fog or rain, whether in a studio or in a natural setting, needs to be tested well in advance.

You may also need a special composition of your set. Maybe you have to build it. All this requires budget, preparation and organization.

If you have to work with children or animals, you have to plan for longer preparation and shooting times.

When shooting in remote locations, it is useful to have a trailer available to make a makeup/hair dressing room where models can wait for set up and set changes.

Catering

It is a good idea to set up a table where the team can find something to eat and drink. It’s easy to get dehydrated when working under the lights of a studio or moving around in a natural setting.

Moreover, you motivate your collaborators to give the best of themselves if you have small attentions for them. Especially when the waiting time is long or when you go over the scheduled time.

The catering table usually contains small bottles of water, chocolate, bread, cheese, coffee and tea. Depending on the budget, you can add more special attention. This can be the case if you are shooting someone in the media.

Investment required to realize the production

Once you have completed the above points, you can establish a budget for your shoot. You will think of including a part of unforeseen between 10% and 15%.

Once the budget is established with the different items, you have a better overview. As the number of shoots increases, you can optimize your costs. For example, instead of spacing out your studio rentals, you can group them together over a week and take advantage of a favorable rate.

Here are the items that should be included in your budget:

Model
Beauty and styling team
Equipment rental
Set/studio rental
Transportation
Catering
Authorization
General expenses
Contingencies

Each item must be detailed to have a complete vision of your costs. This cost accounting will complete your general accounting.

You must also include the payments you have to make before, during or after the shoot. This is how you will have a good management of your cash flow. Especially if you have income from the sale of your photos or your services as a photographer.