5 REASONS WHY PROVIDING A WRITTEN BRIEF TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER IS A MUST
You've reached a stage in your business where you are in the market for some super sweet images to sharpen up your digital spaces, BOOM, excitement hits! All you want to do is find out how much it will cost, find the soonest available date, shoot and get your hot little hands on your new photos. Sorry to burst the bubble, but here's where I want to hit the pause button for a minute and tell you why it is so very important to not only provide a brief for your photographer, but to put it in writing.
All photographers will work with briefs differently. Knowing small business owners are time poor, usually with an overwhelming list of priorities, I like to make the briefing process as easy as I can, so my briefing template comes in the form of a short digital questionnaire. At first it may seem unnecessary and just another thing to add to the to do list, but taking a little time upfront will protect you in the long run, and here's why...
1. HELP DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES
While you may have some ideas in your head about why you need photography, taking the time out to sit down with a pen and paper (or a keyboard and computer) is going to make you really think about it.
2. SUPERCHARGE YOUR THINKING
A brief may prompt thoughts that you wouldn't have had previously. If your photographer provides a questionnaire brief, there may be questions about elements of the shoot you didn't realise were important or relevant, which in turn will help develop your photography strategy even further.
3. AVOID MISALIGNED EXPECTATIONS
Giving your photographer a brief is going to ensure both of your expectations are aligned. You're both working off the same document and there's no confusion that may come with a verbal brief that may get misconstrued or forgotten completely.
4. NO GAPS
A good brief should cover all aspects of a photo shoot, the who, what, when, where, why, how of it all, so your photographer doesn't need to spend time going back and forth seeking more info, trying to fill in the gaps.
5. KEEPS BOTH SIDES ACCOUNTABLE
When it comes time for delivery of the photos, having a written brief to refer back to will keep both sides accountable to what has been delivered.
So the next time you are working with a photographer, whether they provide you with a brief template or not, protect yourself and help your photographer by putting it in writing!
If you're wondering how to put together a brief or what information to include in a photo shoot brief, stay tuned, because my next blog post will answer all of those questions to make sure you are putting together the best brief possible for a kick ass photo shoot!
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