Insights Website Photography
How should your business prepare for a website photoshoot?
2 min read
A photographer can create strong images. They cannot know which employee leaves at noon, which service matters most, or what the homepage is going to say. Eight things to settle before shoot day.
A little preparation dramatically changes the result.
The photographer’s job is to create strong images.
But they can’t magically know:
Who needs photographed.
Which service matters most.
What the homepage says.
Which spaces matter.
What your differentiators are.
Which employee leaves at noon.
Which equipment needs staged.
What your website designer needs.
That’s why pre-production matters.
1. Finish strategy first.
At minimum, understand:
- Positioning
- Key messages
- Website structure
- Important services
- Trust signals
- Visual direction
Ideally, there is already enough design direction to know what kinds of compositions are needed.
2. Build the shot list.
Don’t rely on memory.
Document:
Shot.
Person.
Location.
Props.
Orientation.
Website use.
Now the photographer knows why they’re taking it.
3. Coordinate the team.
Decide:
Who needs to be there?
When?
For how long?
Does the whole company need to arrive simultaneously?
Can departments be scheduled in blocks?
This is particularly important for businesses that can’t simply stop operating for four hours.
4. Plan wardrobe.
You don’t necessarily want everyone matching.
You want everyone coordinated.
Think about:
- Brand colors
- Backgrounds
- Patterns
- Logos
- Uniforms
- Jewelry
- Multiple looks for key people
And make sure the clothing actually feels like the business.
5. Prepare the space.
The camera notices everything.
Cords.
Trash cans.
Paperwork.
Cleaning supplies.
Personal items.
Boxes.
Random signage.
Clutter.
You don’t need to sterilize the personality out of the space.
But you should intentionally decide what belongs in frame.
6. Prepare props and tools.
If you’re showing the work, have the work ready.
Equipment.
Materials.
Computers.
Plans.
Samples.
Tools.
Products.
Uniforms.
Branded vehicles.
Whatever helps create authentic activity.
7. Think about permissions.
Depending on the business and subject matter, you may need appropriate consent or releases for people appearing in marketing photography.
Don’t figure that out while everyone is standing in front of the camera.
8. Leave room for spontaneity.
Planning doesn’t mean scripting every frame.
The shot list gives us coverage.
Then some of the best images often happen between the planned moments.
A laugh.
A conversation.
Someone actually working.
A small interaction.
Plan enough that you can afford to notice those moments.
The Meridian perspective
A successful website shoot should feel organized before it feels creative.
Preparation creates room for creativity.
If we’re spending the session figuring out who is supposed to be there and what we’re photographing, we’re using expensive camera time to make decisions that could have been made beforehand.