Key takeaways
- The gap between what a photographer delivers and what your marketing team can use usually comes down to the brief.
- A good brief lists every channel, page layout and format the photos must fit, so you do not end up with beautiful images that crop badly into a website banner.
- Include technical specs for each destination. Google Business Profile, for example, recommends photos of at least 720 by 720 pixels, in focus, well lit and without heavy filters.
- Share brand guidelines, example images, a shot list organized by location and people, and the usage rights you need.
- Review a few frames on the day and confirm deliverables, file naming and delivery dates in writing.
“Just get some good shots of the office” produces vague results. A brief that spells out which channels the photos will serve, which layouts they must fit, which brand rules they follow and which scenes to capture produces images your marketing team can use the day they arrive, without reshoots. This Emulent guide covers why the brief pays off, what to put in it and how to choose a photographer who will follow it.
Why does a detailed photography brief pay off?
Because photographers make dozens of decisions on the day, and the brief is how your marketing needs reach them.
- Fewer unusable images: banners need space for headlines, social posts need vertical crops and bios need consistent framing. Without a brief, those needs are guesses.
- Faster production: marketing teams can drop images straight into pages, ads and posts instead of retouching or cropping around problems.
- Lower cost per usable photo: the shoot fee stays the same, but more of the images get used.
- Brand consistency: shared guidelines keep color, mood and styling in line with the rest of your marketing.
Emulent starts every photography project with one question: which marketing goals will these images support? A photo without a destination is a cost, not an asset.
What should a photography brief include?
Everything the photographer needs to shoot for your channels as well as for the portfolio.
| Element | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Goals and audience | what the photos must achieve, such as more consultation requests or stronger recruiting, and who will see them. |
| Channel list with specs | website hero (wide, with space on one side for text), service page headers, team bios (square, consistent background), social feed (square or 4:5), Stories and Reels (9:16), Google Business Profile and print. |
| Platform requirements | Google’s Business Profile photo guidelines call for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommend 720 by 720 pixels and ask for no significant alterations or excessive filters. |
| Shot list organized by location and people | who is needed where and when, so staff are not waiting around. |
| Brand guidelines and references | colors, wardrobe guidance, props to include or avoid, and five to ten example images that capture the look you want. |
| Things to keep out of frame | competitor logos, client names on screens, outdated signage and anything confidential. |
| Deliverables | number of edited images, file formats, resolutions for web and print, file naming and delivery date. |
| Usage rights and releases | where you will use the images, for how long, and who collects signed releases from staff and customers. |
Ask for web-ready files with descriptive names. Google’s image SEO guidance recommends descriptive file names and alt text, so naming files well at delivery saves your team time later.
What should you look for in a brand photographer?
Someone who reads the brief as a plan, not a suggestion.
- A commercial portfolio with work like yours: team photos, environmental shots, products or completed projects.
- Questions about channels and layouts before creative ideas.
- Experience directing non-models, so employees look natural.
- A consistent editing style that fits your brand.
- Willingness to share frames on set so you can confirm crops and expressions before moving on.
- Clear licensing for web, print and paid ads without time limits.
For ecommerce, we recommend Shopify and brief product photographers to its theme image ratios.
How can the Emulent team help?
Emulent writes photography briefs and manages brand photography shoots from planning to delivery, as part of your brand strategy, then places the images across your website, listings and campaigns. We work with small businesses and larger teams. A caveat: platform image specs change, so confirm current requirements for each channel shortly before the shoot. Contact the Emulent team to brief your next shoot.