“I don’t trust words; I believe pictures better” – Gilles Peress
In our regular work with fashion and marketing teams, we always show them the advantages of following the steps below in order to get the best results and the perfect photoshoot experiences. We would like to share these concepts with you as well to help you create iconic shoots in your next photoshoot.
Beautiful pictures can get you recognized, and to get the images you want, it’s important to write a clear brief for all your fashion photoshoots. Fashion briefs are the guidelines for creating amazing fashion shoots.
We need fashion briefs for crucial reasons such as:
- Setting an expectation for what you expect from the team and photoshoot
- To communicate your ideas to the team and to the photographer to make a correct evaluation of the cost of the photoshoot.
- It helps keep track of all the details and ideas of the shoot to guide Photographers and their teams on the day of the photo shoot.
What to Include In a Fashion Brief?
The objective
Start with understanding the basics, what is this shoot for? What is the aim of this shoot? What message do you want to share?
Perhaps you are launching a new fashion line? Or you have a seasonal promotion coming up such as Christmas themed dress ups? Or to showcase new designs?
Even if it seems obvious, spell it out to serve as a reminder. It can come in handy in getting you and the team back on track if you should ever lose focus during the shoot.
Target audience
Who should the shot relate to? It’s no use if the team creates snow-themed edgy snaps when your audience is looking for something sunny and more blue-rinse.
End Usage
Where, What, and How will the images be used?
Perhaps the images will be used in a catalog? For an advertisement? Or in a social media blog. It is essential to state this information as clearly as possible as early as possible. Doing so will not only help you have the correct copyright usage but may dictate the equipment you use to create the appropriate images.
Brand image
A fashion brief also carries the brand values. What do they stand for? What would they like to see? What makes them different from their competitors?
Understanding this helps the team create images that accentuate the uniqueness of the brand, which appeals to their audience.
Visual reference
It’s likely that you already have an idea of the type of images you want to create at the end of the photo shoot. Provide some examples of your brief in the form of the mood of the photo shoot. This can cover anything from poses, photographic styles, framing, types of lenses, and filters you’ll use and the models you will be shooting.
Visual reference involves everything that will be important for your shoot.
Specific requirements
What shooting format do you desire for each photo? Would a portrait or landscape be preferable?
Images are typically rectangular, but you may need to crop yours a little bit to create what you are looking for. You may even go for super-wide angles.
These types of shooting formats are dictated by what the image is intended to capture. If the photographer produces an image that captures everything on the horizon, he will have to use landscape or super wide.
Conclusion
As you can see, fashion briefs are very important but not so easy to write. With us, you wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of figuring this out. We are trusted partners who are always happy to share our knowledge and expertise with you. With our understanding of the fashion industry, and our experience, we can help you get the best results in your next photoshoot.