What to Brief Your Photographer Before an Event
The better your photographer is briefed, the better your event content will perform. A quick checklist helps ensure nothing important is missed – from capturing key people to aligning on your marketing goals. It saves time on the day, avoids back-and-forth later, and ensures you walk away with photos that are actually useful for your brand.
Hopefully this checklist is helpful – feel free to share it with anyone planning an event.
Your Marketing Goal
What’s the purpose of the photos? (e.g. brand awareness, recruitment, social media, internal comms)
Where will the content be used? (LinkedIn, website, blog, Instagram, etc.)
Key People to Capture
VIPs, speakers, execs, or guests of honour
Team members interacting or presenting
Group shots or team photos
Moments That Matter
Welcome moments, networking, speaker action, audience reactions
Branded elements (banners, merch, slides)
Candid team interactions and behind-the-scenes vibes
You generally don't need to be too specific with these unless there are different events within the event happening at the same time that are more important to capture than others; a good photographer will capture everything that is happening throughout the day.
Required Formats
Do you require both photography and video or just one?
Vertical for stories and reels
Horizontal for websites and LinkedIn posts
Negative space for text overlay if needed
Style & Tone
Natural and candid, or polished and posed?
What ratio of candid to posed photos would you like eg 80% candid and 20% posed. Candid photos are great for showing the mood of the event and using as marketing content whereas posed photos are also good for marketing but more towards LinkedIn or social media posts so the attendees can be tagged and have their connections see that they were at the event.
Run Sheet Access
Share the schedule and highlight key moments
Include timing for speeches, awards, or group photos
Key Branding
Ensure signage, logos, or branded backdrops will be visible
Provide branded items if needed (lanyards, notebooks, etc.)
Usage & Turnaround
When do you need the content? For example, this could be on the day or next-day for LinkedIn recap
Access & Permissions
Entry time and parking/access details
Any restrictions or areas to avoid
Who to check in with on arrival