Welcome to AdoramaTV.
My name is Marcin Lewandowski
and in this episode of the Viewfinder
I’m going to look at how to approach a brief
in a structured way. I will share with you a few thoughts
worth considering and questions worth asking
when working on a client's brief.
I look at my hazy beginnings
as a photographer, I thought about jobs
in terms of showing up with my camera
and firing away.
While some of the jobs
might require just that,
especially those with a documentary
angle they still need a certain amount of preparation,
even if it's just looking up the location
and list of expected guests
to see who's who at the opening
gala and making sure we don't miss
anyone of importance etc.
There are a few ways
to receive and discuss a brief
and email is still most people's preferred choice,
mostly due to its flexibility, simplicity
in sharing ideas and a chance to come
back to notes etc.
When the brief is agreed in writing
the expectation on both sides is much more clear
and transparent, always good when your client changes
their mind after a shoot.
It's good practice to always have
as much as possible in writing
whether working on a personal idea
exchanging information
with client or simply gathering
notes for future inspiration.
A great way to discuss expectations
is to create a mood board
or at least exchange some images
over email. This will allow you to start
thinking in terms of the look and feel
and point you towards choosing
appropriate locations, figuring out travel,
logistics but also thinking about required
lighting, potential props, preferred times
and other technicalities.
I find Pinterest a really handy tool for
storing links to photographs
from across the web.
Boards can be easily shared
and it's automatically synced across
different devices. As much as Pinterest
and mood boards in general can work
fantastically for more conceptual work
like creating images for Film Poster
or Arts or Fashion
this might not be of too much
help when working on assignments
such as Architectural or landscape project,
on projects like that, I always start
with Google Maps to assess the general
situation like distances etc
and almost straightaway turn on the
street view if it's available.
This gives me a much better idea
on access and a feel for the location
even if it's miles away.
A thing you should do without fail
and I do without even thinking now
is look at photographs
that are already in existence.
Thanks to the digital photography revolution
most of the places on our planet
are already photographed
and even if these photographs are not of high artistic
merit or a professional standard, they
usually offer a good alternative
to Google Maps images
and very often show us angles that are not
available through Street Views.
One more important step is recce.
You should always visit the location
if possible. Visiting in person
always presents an opportunity
to look for interesting angles and to better
understand distances
and highlight any possible obstructions
such as road works for example.
It is good to remember that Google Maps
images are only updated
every couple of years and the same
building or row of trees that you see on
your computer might not even exist now.
Once these things are out of the way,
I will start planning in more detail
when it comes to interiors
it will be mostly access queries
and making sure I can get in and out
of places whenever I want.
For landscape and exteriors,
it is all about finding the right balance between
the weather forecast, traveling to the
location and the right time of the day.
Assuming that we can nail the shot
in our first approach might be a bit
optimistic and so I'm always ready to
come back to the location and take more
photographs.
Another reason to come back to the location
especially one that is close by
is to create something new,
different and more experimental.
I would not prioritize this over the “safe,"
agreed photographs but
if you have an idea
it’s worth trying to realise it,
you never know, it might be
one of the most interesting photographs
in the final set.
I always like to go
with the flow and improvise
so the more prep I do before going on assignment
the more freedom I have.
With each extra bit of knowledge
I exclude unexpected and
often nasty surprises,
allowing myself to do what I'm best at
photography.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Feel free to share your own experiences
in the comments below.
Subscribe to our channel for more
and have a look at the Adorama Learning Center
for photography tips and tutorials.
This was Marcin Lewandowski for AdoramaTV.
See you next time.