A brief template for your event photographer

A good brief is the simplest way to improve the photos of your event. It does not need to be long: the photographer just needs to know what will happen, who is who, what cannot be missed and what the images will be used for. Here is a template you can copy, fill in and send as it is.

Why it is worth it

When a photographer arrives with no information, they work blind: they shoot everything the same way and react to what happens. With a clear brief, they can anticipate: get into position before the keynote speaker goes on stage, know when the awards are, recognise the CEO among a hundred people and spend more time on what you will actually publish.

A shared brief also avoids misunderstandings about deadlines, formats and usage, which are the points that raise most questions after the event.

The template

Copy these sections into a document or an email and fill in whatever applies to your event. If something is not confirmed yet, mark it as provisional.

1. Basic details

• Event name:
• Company or organiser:
• Date or dates:
• Venue and address:
• Rooms or areas in use:
• Approximate number of attendees:
• Type of event (convention, congress, dinner, launch, trade show):
• Dress code for the photo team:

2. Timings and run of show

• Photographer’s arrival time:
• Start and end time of coverage:
• Run of show with timings (attach):
• Parallel sessions (several rooms at once):
• Breaks, lunch and dinner:
• Sunset time, if part of the event is outdoors:

3. Key people

• Leadership and spokespeople (name, job title and photo):
• Speakers (name, time and room):
• Special guests, clients or officials:
• People who must not appear in photos, if any:

4. Must-have moments

• Opening or welcome:
• Main talks or announcements:
• Awards or recognitions:
• Group photo (time, place and who is in it):
• Signings, toasts or other one-off moments:
• Empty, set-up venue before guests arrive (yes or no):
• Quick portraits of spokespeople (yes or no, who):

5. How the photos will be used

• Internal communications:
• LinkedIn and social media:
• Website and blog:
• Press release and media:
• Annual report or other reports:
• Advertising or printed materials:
• Special formats (vertical for stories, wide for the website):

6. Delivery and deadlines

• Quick selection (yes or no, how many photos and by when):
• Full gallery (deadline):
• Delivery format (high resolution, web version):
• Gallery structure (by moment, by room, by day):
• Person receiving the photos:

7. Logistics and accreditation

• Accreditation or pass (who arranges it and when):
• Access and parking or equipment loading:
• Area to leave equipment:
• Meals and breaks for the team:
• On-the-day contact (name and phone):
• Contact for the technical team or event agency:

8. Brand and restrictions

• Brand guidelines or visual references (attach):
• Photo style you like (links or examples):
• Products, logos or messages that must be visible:
• Areas or moments that cannot be photographed:
• Venue rules (flash, access):
• Attendee image consent (how it is handled):

How to fill it in quickly

You do not need to complete every field. If you only have ten minutes, focus on four things:

1. The run of show, even if it is provisional.
2. The key people, with photo and job title.
3. The moments that cannot be missed.
4. What you will use the photos for and when you need them.

With that, the photographer can already plan the coverage. Everything else can be sorted out in a short call a few days before.

Common mistakes

• Sending the run of show without times: without times, there is no way to know what happens at once.
• Forgetting parallel sessions: if several sessions run at the same time, you may need more than one photographer.
• Not setting time aside for the group photo: organising it on the spot usually takes longer than expected and sometimes it never happens.
• Asking for instant delivery without warning: if you need photos the same day, say so in advance, because it changes how the coverage is organised.
• Not mentioning who to avoid: if some people do not want to appear in photos, the photographer needs to know beforehand.

If there is video too

If the event includes video or content creation, add a section with the pieces you need (highlights film, interviews, social clips), the people to be interviewed and the formats. At Noomadik we coordinate the photographers and videographers on our team so they work from the same brief and do not get in each other’s way at key moments.

After the event

Keep the brief. It will serve as a starting point for next year’s edition and as a reference to compare results year on year. And if something was missing from the gallery, it almost always relates to something that was not in the brief.

To round off your preparation, see also what to photograph at your company convention and how much a corporate event photographer costs in Barcelona.

If your brief is ready, see our corporate event photography in Barcelona page or send it to us here.