HOW TO BRIEF A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR AN EVENT

Find below the best tips when briefing a photographer for an event. Curated by MAU. Senior Digital Marketing Specialist and Photographer at eDigital.

HOW TO BRIEF A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR AN EVENT

OFFER AN EVENT SUMMARY TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

Here you include a bit about the nature of your event, the purpose or reason for the having it, the theme (if any), and the format. Is it a stand up cocktail function? A sit down dinner? A conference and exhibition? Or something else?

DETAIL ALL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY REQUIREMENTS

Summary of who/what needs to be photographed?

DEFINE EXACT LOCATION FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO PARK, SET UP AND GET READY FOR SHOOTING PHOTOS

Provide address and contact details for the venue. For large events a floor plan is also great to supply (if available) so the photographer is clear where everything is.

DEFINE EVENT TIMINGS FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO PREPARE AND GET READY

Provide the start and finish time for coverage. Sometimes you want the photographer to cover the set-up before the event starts, sometimes you only want the photographer present for a specific portion of the event. Do you want the photographer to be also available for a post event party?

MAKE CLEAR THE AMOUNT OF GUEST TO YOUR EVENT AND PROVIDE A LIST OF THE ONES YOU WANT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED

Number of guests, and who they are if applicable. e.g. clients of company X, staff of company X, customers. It helps the photographer to know the general relationship of the guests to your company.

If there are specific or VIP guests that you want captured please indicate in a list here. If there are many specific guests, a separate hit-list with photo references for help with identifying them is useful.

FINAL PHOTO DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

What you need as the finished product and when you need it, eg. print and web resolution images, an online gallery, specific size requirements and so on.

It is important that your photographer signs your brief. If not sure, please read our complete Creative Photography Brief article.