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How to plan a photoshoot

The mood board, the shot list and the day's schedule, agreed before anyone arrives.

About 25 minutesMac and WindowsPrimeFlow Folder Node needs Pro

To plan a photoshoot, settle the look, the shots and the day before anyone arrives: a mood board everyone agrees on, a shot list you tick off, and a schedule with everyone's call time. In PrimeTask the board is a canvas you export for the client, the shot list is a checklist, and the day sits in the Day Planner.

Updated · Checked with PrimeTask 1.0.5 · PrimeTask Team

PrimeTask

The shootOne project, due on the shoot dayThe planWhat you agree before the dayWhere you lookBefore the day and on itShoot projectDue on the shoot dayMood boardReferences, by themeShot listTicked off on the dayBoard imageFor the client's sign-offDashboardUpcoming Tasks widgetDay PlannerCall times, hour by hour

How it fits together

Select a part, in the drawing or here, to see what it does and what it feeds.

What flows

One image for sign-off

Mood board to Board image

On the shoot day

Shot list to Day Planner

Due soon, and overdue

Shot list to Dashboard

Part ofLinkedShown on
Every connection, in words
  • Shot list is part of Shoot project.
  • Mood board is linked to Board image.
  • Shot list is linked to Day Planner.
  • Shot list is linked to Dashboard.
  • One image for sign-off: Mood board to Board image.
  • On the shoot day: Shot list to Day Planner.
  • Due soon, and overdue: Shot list to Dashboard.

How the parts of a photoshoot plan connect, from the mood board to the day itself

The problem

A shoot has a lot of moving parts: the look the client wants, the shots you promised, the people who need to be there and when. They usually live in a slideshow, a notes app and a group chat, and the thing that gets missed is the one you only notice in the edit.

A plan in one place, with the board, the list and the day together, means the shoot runs on what was agreed.

What it uses

Five parts, one connected system

Each card opens its docs article in a new tab, for the detail behind the steps.

PrimeFlow Media and Link Nodes

The mood board, as reference images on a canvas

Docs for PrimeFlow Media and Link Nodes (opens in a new tab)

PrimeFlow Export

The board as one image, to send for sign-off

Docs for PrimeFlow Export (opens in a new tab)

Tasks

The shot list as a checklist you tick on the day

Docs for Tasks (opens in a new tab)

Day Planner View

Call times and the day, hour by hour

Docs for Day Planner View (opens in a new tab)

PrimeFlow Folder Node

Pro

The shoot's folder beside the board, for picking selects

Docs for PrimeFlow Folder Node (opens in a new tab)

Steps

Set it up in seven steps

  1. 1Make a project for the shoot
  2. 2Build the mood board on a canvas
  3. 3Send the board for sign-off
  4. 4Write the shot list as a checklist
  5. 5Plan the day hour by hour
  6. 6Keep the team in PrimeCRM
  7. 7Pick the selects beside the board

Step 1

Make a project for the shoot

Creating projects (opens in a new tab)

Open Projects, choose New Project, and name it after the shoot, with the shoot day as the deadline. Add the prep as tasks with dates, such as booking the location and confirming the team.

Step 2

Build the mood board on a canvas

Image and link nodes (opens in a new tab)

Open PrimeFlow and create a canvas for the shoot. Right-click and choose Image to add each reference, from your computer, a web link or Unsplash, with a caption on what it's for: the light, the wardrobe, the pose.

Group the references by theme, so the board reads at a glance.

Step 3

Send the board for sign-off

Exporting a canvas (opens in a new tab)

Open the canvas menu and choose Export to PNG, or pick WebP or JPEG. The whole board becomes one image to email to the client, with your logo on it if you like.

Step 4

Write the shot list as a checklist

Tasks (opens in a new tab)

Add a task called Shot list, due on the shoot day, and put each shot in its checklist, such as the wide opener, the hero portrait and the product details.

On the day, tick them off as you go, so nothing you promised is missed.

Step 5

Plan the day hour by hour

Day Planner (opens in a new tab)

Open Calendar, go to the shoot day, and press 2 for the Day Planner. Add a timed task for each call time and setup, and drag them when the day changes.

Step 6

Keep the team in PrimeCRM

Using PrimeCRM on a project (opens in a new tab)

Add the model, the stylist and the makeup artist as contacts, with their phone numbers, and link them to the shoot's project, so the day's numbers are one click away.

Needs Pro. On Standard, keep the team's numbers in the shot list task's description instead.

Step 7

Pick the selects beside the board

Folder nodes (opens in a new tab)

After the shoot, right-click the same canvas, choose Folder and pick the card's folder. Drag your best frames out beside the mood board and compare them with what was agreed. The files stay where they are.

Important. Folder links need a Space kept on this computer. They're not available in a Space synced by iCloud or File Sync.

The checklist

The whole list

A photoshoot checklist that fits most shoots. Move the timings to suit yours.

WhenWhat to do
Two weeks beforeAgree the mood board, book the location and the team, check whether you need a permit
The week beforeConfirm call times, send the shot list, plan the day, check the forecast
The day beforeCharge batteries, format cards, pack the gear, send everyone the schedule
On the dayArrive before the first call time, work through the shot list, back up the cards before you leave
AfterBack up again, pick the selects, edit, deliver

Variations

Make it yours

Four ways to change the setup to fit how you work.

Repeat clients

Keep a canvas per client, with each shoot's board side by side, so their look carries from one shoot to the next.

Video shoots

Put the frames of your plan on the canvas in shooting order, and keep the same checklist for the shots.

A team that plans with you

Pro
Share the Space, and the stylist sees the same board and schedule as it syncs.

Your Dashboard

The Upcoming Tasks widget counts what's due today, due soon and overdue, prep and the shot list included, as soon as you open PrimeTask. If it's hidden, turn it on from the Layout Editor button in the Dashboard header.

Reuse

Save it for next time

Set it up once, and start the next one from it.

Your usual shot list

Keep a Shot list task with the shots you always take, and duplicate it for each new shoot.

Your gear list

The same idea: a Gear task with a checklist of what you pack, duplicated for each shoot and ticked off the night before.

Questions

Common questions

The concept and mood board, the shot list, the location and any permits, the team and their call times, the gear list and the schedule for the day. Add model releases if people will be recognizable in the pictures.

Collect references for the light, the setting, the wardrobe and the poses, and put them in one place grouped by theme. In PrimeTask that's a canvas of captioned images, exported as one image to share.

No. Use your usual signing tool, and attach the signed copy to the shoot's project task.

Yes, as an image. Export the canvas to PNG, WebP or JPEG and send it. There's no live link for clients to open.

Related

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Set this up with your own work.

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