Your shot list and prep

Three to four weeks is the sweet spot. It gives you time to book a photographer you like, write a real shot list and gather products without rushing. In spring and fall, San Antonio's busy seasons, give yourself five or six weeks if you can.

Build the shot list in an afternoon

1. List each channel you post on and the shape it needs: horizontal, square or vertical.
2. Write 3 to 5 hero shots you cannot leave without.
3. Add 2 headshot variations.
4. List each product, with a clean and a styled version.
5. Add detail and behind the scenes moments.
6. Collect 10 to 20 reference images and note what you like in each.
7. Group the list by outfit and by room, so the order of the day writes itself.

Share the list with your photographer at least a week ahead. Good photographers will suggest cuts or additions based on your time.

A sample shot list

Mark each line must have or nice to have. When the day runs long, the nice to haves are the first to go, and nobody has to decide under pressure. A realistic pace is 8 to 12 set ups in a 4 hour booking, including changes. A set up is one location plus one outfit or product group. If your list has twenty, either add time or cut.

Brand shoot checklist

3 to 4 weeks out

• List where the photos go: website, Instagram grid, ads, press
• Write a shot list by use: hero, headshots, product, detail, behind the scenes
• Pull 10 to 20 reference images and share them with your photographer
• Book the photographer and the location

1 to 2 weeks out

• Plan 2 to 4 outfits that work with warm, rich colors
• Gather products and props, cleaned and labeled
• Book hair and makeup if you want it
• Map each shot to a room or set

Day of

• Arrive with everything steamed and charged
• Shoot the must-have hero shots first
• Grab vertical versions for reels and stories
• Film 10 second clips between stills for motion content

Map every shot to a room

Tip: Map every shot to a room. Decide before the day that headshots happen in one room and products in another. It skips the twenty minutes of wandering that eats into most shoots.

Draw a quick floor plan, even on paper, and write each set up in the room where it happens. Then order the rooms so you move in one direction through the space and do not double back. Put the set with the most equipment first, while everyone is fresh, and leave simple handheld detail shots for the end.

Scout the location if you can, or study its photos. Note where windows face and which corners have depth. A tour with your photographer a week before is the single best way to tighten the list.

Reference images that work

Your reference images do more work than any description. For each one, write a few words on what you like: the light, the crop, the mood or the pose. Your photographer will read those notes faster than a long brief, and you will both arrive with the same picture in mind.

Ten strong references beat fifty loose ones.

• Pull from brands you admire, not only your competitors.
• Include one or two images you dislike, labeled why.
• Keep it to one shared board on Pinterest, Canva or a Google Drive folder.
• Note your brand colors and fonts so the photographer can leave space for them.

Prep products and props

One to two weeks out, gather everything that will appear in frame. Clean each product, remove price stickers, and pack spares in case of scuffs. Label bins by set so nothing gets lost between rooms.

• Products: two of each hero item, labels facing out.
• Props: three or four textures in your palette, like linen, ceramic and wood.
• Florals: buy the day before, keep them cool.
• Paperwork: model releases printed and ready.

Book the people

Book hair and makeup two to three weeks ahead; good artists in San Antonio fill up fast around graduations in May and the holidays. Confirm call times in writing the week of, and send everyone the address, parking notes and the schedule.

If you are using team members or customers as models, send them a short note with outfit guidance, call time and a reminder to bring a second top. Thank them afterward with a few of their favorite images; it makes them easy to ask again.

Work around the calendar

Planning around Fiesta in April? Expect traffic and busy calendars that week. A weekday shoot is easier to book and calmer to work in. The same goes for big weekends downtown and the run up to the holidays, when photographers book out early.

Previous: What it costs · Course overview · Next: The day of the shoot