How to Create a Shot List for Your Photoshoot

If you’re not a photographer, director, videographer, or a person who’s done several photoshoots, you might not know what a shot list is. Shot lists are really cool because they can help you get SUPER clear and organized on what you want to get out of your photoshoot. You don’t necessarily have to make a list of every photo you’re gonna get, but it’s a good idea to have an outline of some must-haves at the very least. So how do you create a shot list for your brand photoshoot? Here’s how to figure out what kinds of shots to include in your shot list.

Step 1: The How and Where of it All 

Decide how and where you’re gonna use your brand photos. Look through your social media pages and look at your website. As you do this, make a list of places you want, need, or could use a photo. 

Need more ideas for where to use your brand photos? I have a few suggestions for you! (I elaborate on some of these in this blog post, so check it out if you need further explanation.)

• Social media profile photos and headers
• All over your website
• Blog posts (banners, graphics, and more!!)
• Social media posts
• Graphics for video content
• Emails
• Marketing materials
• Business cards

You should also think about what topics you could be using these photos with. What feelings do you want to draw from your audience? What pillars of your business could you need photos for? What events could you need photos for? Write it all down. 

Step 2: The Who and What  

Decide who or what you want to include in your photos. Do you want a client in them? Another member of your team? Just yourself? Do you want to use any props? Do you need a storefront in your images? These questions are all important to help you get really clear on what shots you need. 

Step 3: The ‘Fit and Spot

The next step is to think about what outfits you’ll want to wear and locations you want to shoot at. When picking an outfit it’s important to remember to pick something that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin! 

Brand photoshoots are meant to be a lot of fun (at least when you work with me 😉). It’s a time where you and a photographer can work together to create art that actually speaks to people about your own business! In order to make the most of this time, you want to make sure you’re comfortable in whatever it is that you’re wearing. Here are a few quick ways to do that! 

1. Find clothes that fit you perfectly. You don’t want to pick clothes that are even a little too small, because then you might not be as comfortable at the photoshoot. Oversized or overly flowy can add bulk too, so be mindful here! Start off with clothes that you feel fit you well and you feel amazing in too!!
2. Emotional comfort comes in when you feel comfortable with how you look and feel physically. If you don’t feel good while you’re wearing something, try switching it out or trying on a different outfit and seeing if you feel differently. This can help you understand what you like a bit more and what to look for as you pick more clothes. The texture, color, or style of the pieces can all create emotions within us.
3. The next part is tying your personal style in. You want to make sure that you’re being authentic and honestly representing yourself, how you feel, and what you like with your clothes. You also want to make sure you’re representing your business well, though. The best way to find a balance between your style and your business’ look and feel is to start with your personal style and see where you think it disconnects from your business’ vibe. Then find a way to tie your business back into your style.

Once you’ve done all of this, you can also think about where you’re going to be taking the photos themselves and what outfits would work best for that location. If you’re not sure about your location, you can also ask yourself these simple questions:

1. What is your brand? Who are you and what do you stand for? Who is your ideal audience?  
2. Where in the world are you and what season do you want to shoot in? Do you need an indoor or outdoor photoshoot? What about a location that offers both?
3. Where will you be most comfortable? Do you need a private location or are you okay with public locations? 
4. Do you have any specific locations that NEED to be included? This could be a storefront, office, etc. (This is also something that’s addressed in Step 2.)

Step 4: The Quantity 

Decide how many photos you need at a minimum. You can do this by revisiting the list from Step 1 and cross referencing it with information from Step 2 and 3. You can also adjust this as you go! 

If you need a specific starting point, I’d recommend starting with around 20 shots as a baseline. Remember to pick shots you really think you’ll use. Some photographers have different packages based on the amount of photos (or will even charge you per photo) so you want to make sure you’re picking photos that really work for you and your brand.

Step 5: The Naming 

Look for a shot-list guide online. As you study the guide, you can add the shots you want to your list so you have names for them. If you don’t want to actually go through the process of finding the names of the shots, then you can also just use some of those handy inspiration shots that you found earlier 😉. If you decide to use photos, make sure you compile them into a spreadsheet, document, or folder so you can show your photographer what kind of shots you want. You can also decide to include inspiration photos with the names of the shots if you want to stay super organized.

And bam! All of a sudden you have an awesome shot list that will help you make the most of your photoshoot! Remember that if you’re not sure what sorts of shots you’ll need, you can ask your photographer, too. An experienced brand photographer should have a pretty good idea of the basic shots you’ll need and should be able to help you get the wheels turning. If you need more help with this, or even a brand photographer, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can grab your FREE consultation here!