Website Photo Shot List: Plan the Pictures Before the Photo Session
A website photo shot list turns "let's take some pictures" into a plan. Without one, it's easy to leave a session with plenty of images and still be missing the entrance, the team, or the workspace the website needs. A short list, made in advance, helps you come back with pictures you can use.
Illustrative graphic; the workshop photographs are generated examples, not client projects.
Start With Pages and Questions
Look at the pages that will carry photos and ask what a visitor may want to know on each one. Then give every photo a job. A team photo introduces the people. A process photo shows how the work happens. A wide view of the building or entrance can help newcomers recognize the place when they arrive.
Build the List
For each shot, write down the page it belongs on, what you want the reader to take away, the subject, and who approves it. Here's a hypothetical example for a repair shop. The list might include the correct entrance as customers see it, a staff member explaining an item to a customer, and the workspace. It should not include unsafe staging, such as removing a safety guard for a better angle, or anything that suggests a service the shop doesn't offer.
Shoot for Different Screens
Desktop and phone crops can look quite different, so ask for horizontal and vertical versions of key shots. Leave breathing room around the subject so a designer can crop without cutting something off, and keep faces away from the edges. If a page will have a headline near a photo, leave a calm area in the frame, but keep the headline as separate page text rather than part of the image file. That way it can reflow on smaller screens and be edited later without a new photo.
Handle Permissions and Privacy
Get permission from anyone who appears in a photo and from customers whose property is visible. Clear desks and screens of private paperwork before shooting. Preventing a problem is easier than fixing it afterward.
Keep Files Organized
Keep the original files untouched. Store them in dated folders, note where each approved photo may be used, and use descriptive filenames like "front-entrance-morning" instead of camera numbers. Ask your designer what sizes they need rather than shrinking images ahead of time, since resizing early can limit options later.
Check Before You Wrap Up
Before the session ends, review what you have. Check focus, lighting, backgrounds, and crops, then compare against the list to see what's missing. If you'd like help turning your list into a page-by-page plan, SPB Website Designs can map photos to the pages where they fit.
