For many professional photographers working to a brief is nothing new but
for those just starting their professional journey the concept of
working to a brief might seem a little overwhelming and intimidating in this
video I'm going to explain what working to a brief means show you some examples
and help you understand the process so that you are prepared for any future
situation of commercial photography we're working to a brief is necessary
I recently provided a challenge for our members on Carl Taylor education where I
gave them a very specific advertising style brief to execute this task
provided an opportunity to experience what it's like to work to a set brief to
interpret mood boards and execute predetermined concepts if you're not
familiar with working to a brief it's probably better to get it wrong with me
on our platform than it is with the client some of them came very close to
executing that brief but many of them missed the target and I actually discuss
this with them in detail let's take a look now this is some of the
complexities of composition and aesthetics about how things marry
together and how they feel like they should belong together and these are all
little psychological influencing factors in an image but when you actually look
at that image you think right that Apple on the Left is either going to fall over
roll over or is trying to run away and the half Apple looks like it's chasing
it this one the lighting and the background and the angle of view and
everything work well but the foreground Apple is a little bit bright that is not
on brief did I ask for some random bits of string or wool in the shot no I I
never I never asked for any random bits of string it's clearly not in the
drawing it's clearly not in the sketch it's clearly not in my video that I made
and to be honest if I was working for an art director on campaigns like I've
worked for fcuk red or dead or boss and then I just
decide you know what I'm gonna just throw this I don't know random object
like this pepper pot into your advertising shot just because I feel
like it I would be fired this one is probably as far from the brief as it
could be unless it had a Toyota or a Lexus car parked in the background again
did any of that or was any of that mentioned in this brief here
is it in that drawing I'm sorry I can't see it you might have been leaning that
Apple leaning that Apple I'm going oh it keeps falling keeps falling you know
what I'm just gonna prop it up at this angle because that stops it falling over
that does not work with an art director you know what would have worked with the
art director is knowing that you could just simply go in the cupboard get a
toothpick Ram the toothpick through the back of the back apple until it's stuck
into the front apple and stopped it rolling over and got it exactly the
perfect angle why is this important because it forces you to think about how
to solve the problems and the minute you start thinking about how to solve the
problems rather than just giving up when you start thinking about how to solve
the problems you start thinking like a real photographer because that's what it
really is about it's about research planning solving problems making things
work now as you can see many of them didn't hit the target exactly on the
brief but I'm sure now many of them understand the process of work to do a
brief much better that they will get closer and closer to accurately
executing future briefs that I set them this is all explained in more detail in
our business class working to a brief but I've also provided some information
in this video that you might find useful what is a brief in photography a brief
is a predetermined objective of the photoshoot that the client or art
director requires this can sometimes be as simple as a sketch and a few words or
often it can run too many pages with hundreds of examples of what needs to be
achieved when it comes to commercial photography it is very common and
desirable to receive a predetermined brief before the shoot outlining the
concept the target market and specific visuals required by the client depending
on the type of work you're shooting the brief may be more or less specific
for example briefs for product advertising will likely be far more
detailed than those for editorial or fashion images due to the fluidity in
nature of those types of shoots typically a good brief will detail
everything from the mood and styling of a shot to the perspective tone and
contrast this will be outlined through the use of mood boards and reference
images along with a written description of the concept and hopefully a high
quality sketch what to expect when you receive your first brief before you
receive a brief you'll likely have an initial call or conversation with the
art director or client this will not only be to check your availability but
also to outline the concept audiences and goal for the campaign at this point
you may be asked to sign an NDA a non-disclosure agreement as many of the
items commercial photographers shoot are new to market or products that haven't
been launched yet and discretion is important so don't worry about signing
an NDA as long as you're sure that you're not going to blab down the pub
and show all your friends on social media the photos of the latest gadget
that's being released in three months time when dealing with advertising
agencies the concept will be fairly clear-cut
whereas with some smaller companies you may be called on to offer your thoughts
on the brief but keep in mind that this is not your idea and that the concept
should have been carefully researched thought through and particularly
designed to sell a product to a specific audience your job is to execute that
idea and bring it to reality and utilize your skills in photography and lighting
to bring the emotion of the brief and the overall concept to fruition many
companies big and small conduct extensive research regarding their
target market those creating the brief will have a clear idea of what exactly
appeals to their customers and how best to convey this once you receive the
brief the next step is to make sure you clearly understand the concept and your
role in the project this might sound obvious but it's an
important point worth highlighting as the photographer your job is to bring
the art directors vision to life if you don't have a clear understanding of what
they want you will not be able to fully and accurately realize their ideas if
you have questions or are unsure about any aspect of a brief then that is the
time to ask questions rough sketches mood boards and reference images will
usually be included with the brief which should give you a good idea of what the
client wants and any details about the different elements of the campaign for
example some campaigns may include several other stages like
post-production CGI or even video if there's any phase of the project you
don't understand or are uncertain about make sure to talk to the art director or
the client well before the start of the shoot this often takes place in a
meeting with them before the project commences in some cases for commercial
projects you may deal with the client directly in these cases especially if
it's a smaller company then they're not necessarily used to giving the direction
to photographers and you may have to consider some of the things that would
normally be handled by the art director and do them yourself in these cases you
should consider how and where the images will be used what the layout will be the
brand guidelines etc giving thought to each of these will not only help ensure
you deliver the best image for your client but also demonstrate a level of
professionalism that your client will value in fact intentionally creating a
brief for a client who isn't totally clear is a very good practice as it
ensures that you have something approved by the client in advance and will avoid
a small client claiming that what you delivered wasn't what they wanted
pricing planning and pre shoot testing pricing is something that may already
have been discussed in earlier communications but until you've seen the
full brief it can be difficult to calculate a final cost once you have a
clearer picture of what the project entails you'll be better able to
what to charge for the project planning and pre shoot testing are two other
important stages that come before the shoot day when it comes to planning the
brief ship act as your pre-visualization this is something I often talk about in
our classes on Carl Taylor education it's important to have a clear idea of
how the shoot will proceed and what obstacles might lay in the way make sure
you have everything that you need before the day for example you may need a
background of a certain color so make sure you have that ready for the shoot
you may need specific props or outfits or a small set built so there's also
need to organize these things in advance pre shoot testing is another factor to
consider both for the pricing and planning of the job with many of my
long-standing clients I no longer do pre test shooting because I'm already
familiar with their preferred style however if it is a complex or new
concept I may take half a day to run through the basics of the shoot to
ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day this is something that both
advertising photographer Jonathan Knowles and liquid specialist David lund
and Barry Macario discuss in their live show talks with me on Carl Taylor
education the day of the shoot on the day of the shoot the art director will
often be with you in the studio to oversee the shoot sometimes a
representation from the client will be there to having the brief along with
mood boards and reference images on hand to refer to throughout the shoot is
necessary this will allow you to check and make sure you're on track and don't
forget anything it also ensures that the art director doesn't decide to change
direction partway through the shoot when you've already worked out everything for
the existing brief if the shoot comprises of multiple stages or elements
it can be a good idea to have a shot list too to ensure that you don't miss
anything if there is no one with you on the day of the shoot you may be expected
to send JPEG preview files through to the relevant people at regular intervals
throughout the shoot for them to keep up to date with the progress and check that
what you're doing is what they had in mind I have the ability to live link a
video feed to my clients so that they can see the shoot remotely if necessary
and that may become a more common practice with increased travel
restrictions from any existing or future pandemics if it is just the photographic
elements that fall to you for the shoot once the shoot is complete and the
director is happy with the images the next step is to deliver the images they
need if you are also doing the retouching you will have to confirm
which images the client wants to be retouched and when the deadline is for
the delivery of the final images the key thing when working to a brief is to
remember that your role as the photographer is to bring the art
director or clients vision to life often it is less about your own creativity and
more about your skills as a problem solver that will help you deliver the
desired images finally don't fear a brief they are there to make everyone's
life easier and to ensure everyone is working towards the same common goal a
good brief helps you visualize the mood and lighting and understand the specific
composition necessary for the shot so that the copy and logos can be placed
correctly it also provides you with an excellent level of protection because
the brief can serve as evidence that you executed exactly what was required of
you even if the campaign is ultimately not a success for the client 90% of all
advertising photographers work is done to a brief so if you're not currently
familiar with this process and you'd like to learn then you might like to try
some of our brief challenges that I set on Karl Taylor education I hope you
found this useful give us a thumbs up and thanks for watching
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