# Running a commercial photo shoot: brief, shot list and approvals > How to run a commercial photo shoot from brief to sign-off: what goes in the brief, a shot list and call sheet, approval rounds, usage, and final delivery. Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/guides/commercial-photography-shot-list-and-approvals/ A commercial job is won in the planning. When the brief is clear, the shot list is agreed and everyone knows who signs off, the shoot day runs to time and the retouching rounds don't drag on for a month. Here's how to run each stage, and how to keep the whole job in one place. ## Start with a written brief Whether your client sends a full brief or three lines in an email, turn it into one page you both agree on before you quote. It should cover: - **What the images are for.** A product launch, a website refresh, a paid social campaign. - **Where they'll run**, which decides crops, orientation and usage. - **The deliverables.** How many final images, in which crops, such as 4:5 for social and 16:9 for web banners. - **The look.** A handful of reference images says more than a paragraph of adjectives. - **What's in front of the camera.** Products, people, locations and props, and who's supplying each. - **The dates.** Shoot day, when they need selects, and the final deadline. - **Who approves.** One named person who has the final say. If the brief can't say who approves, ask now. Three people giving conflicting notes is the usual reason approvals stall. ## Building a shot list The shot list turns the brief into a plan for the day. Number every shot, group them by setup so you're not relighting the same corner three times, and mark which ones are must-haves. | # | Shot | Orientation and crop | Priority | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Hero product on white | Landscape, 16:9 | Must have | | 2 | Product in hand, kitchen | Portrait, 4:5 | Must have | | 3 | Detail, label close-up | Square | Nice to have | | 4 | Team at work, wide | Landscape, 16:9 | Must have | Send it to your client for sign-off before the shoot. Anything added on the day is then clearly extra, and you can decide whether it fits or needs a second day. A realistic pace helps too. A lit product setup might take 20 to 40 minutes, while a lifestyle setup with people can take an hour or more. Count your setups against the hours you've booked before you agree to the list. ## The call sheet The call sheet is the practical page everyone on set reads the night before. Send it 24 to 48 hours ahead, and include: - The date, address, parking and how to get in. - Call times for each person, and the schedule by setup. - Names and phone numbers for you, your client's contact on the day and any crew. - Wardrobe, hair and makeup notes for talent. - Catering, breaks and the wrap time. - The plan for bad weather if any of it is outdoors. For a small shoot, a short email with the address, times and your number does the job. ## Approvals and revision rounds Approvals usually happen in two places. On set, shoot tethered or show the client the back of the camera on the must-have shots, so they leave knowing the key frames exist. After the shoot, the usual order is selects, then retouching, then finals. - **Agree the number of rounds in writing.** Two rounds of retouching changes is common. Price extra rounds so they're a choice, not a favor. - **Ask for one set of consolidated notes per round**, from the named approver. - **Give each round a deadline**, like feedback within 3 to 5 working days. If notes arrive late, your delivery date moves with them. ## Usage and licensing Commercial clients pay for how the images are used: the media, the territory, how long and whether it's exclusive. Agree this in the contract before the shoot, and price extensions separately. See [A commercial photography workflow](/docs/guides/workflows-for-commercial-work) for the contract, proposal and billing side. ## Running the job in CoreHue ### One project per job Create a project for each shoot, like *Acme spring catalog*, with the person who hired you as the **Primary contact** and **Commercial** as the project type. If the same brand books you every quarter, give each shoot its own project so the paperwork never gets mixed up. See [Creating a project](/docs/projects/creating-a-project). Stages like Confirmed, Pre-production, Shot, In review and Delivered show where every job stands on your board. See [Setting up stages and project types](/docs/projects/stages-and-project-types). ### The client's team under People Add the producer, the art director and anyone in accounts under **People** on the project's **Overview** tab. Anyone who receives an invoice or a message in the project appears there by themselves. People on a project don't have roles, so CoreHue won't show who approves and who pays. Write it in the project's **Notes**, like "Approver: Dana (art director). Invoices to accounts@acme.com." See [Adding people to a project](/docs/projects/people-on-a-project). ### The shot list as a checklist Create a task called "Shot list" in the project, open it, and add each shot as a checklist step, up to 100. On the day, tick them off as you go. The card shows progress like 18/40, so a glance at your phone tells you how far through the list you are. See [Adding a checklist to a task](/docs/tasks/adding-a-checklist). Keep a master shot list for each type of job in a note on your phone. There are no checklist templates, so you add the steps for each new job from there. ### Approval rounds with a custom status Add a task status called "With client" in **Projects → Settings**, on the **Statuses** tab, and drag it between **In progress** and **Done**. New statuses count as unfinished, so tasks in it can still go overdue. See [Setting up statuses, labels and priorities](/docs/tasks/statuses-labels-and-priorities). Then give each round its own task, like "Round 1 retouch: hero images", with a due date for the client's feedback. Move it to "With client" when you send the round, and to **Done** when it's approved. If the date passes with no notes, it joins the red overdue count on your task board and your morning reminder email, which is your cue to chase. See [Tracking tasks on a board or list](/docs/tasks/tracking-tasks-on-a-board). A big job can have three or four rounds in play at once. A "Retouch round" field with Round 1, Round 2 and Final keeps them straight: group the project's **Tasks** tab by it and each round gets its own column. See [Adding fields to your tasks](/docs/tasks/adding-task-fields). ### The contract and invoices in the project If the job started as a proposal, add the proposal to the project and the booking, contract and invoice it created come with it. A later invoice, like a usage extension six months on, belongs to the client rather than the booking, so pick the project in the invoice's **Project** field as you create it. The money cards on the project then show what's invoiced, paid and outstanding for this job alone. See [What comes along with a booking or proposal](/docs/projects/what-comes-along) and [Everything on a project page](/docs/projects/the-project-page). ### Delivery by gallery, with a chapter per deliverable Create the gallery from the project's **More actions** menu with **Create gallery**. Give each deliverable its own chapter, such as *Hero*, *Social 4:5*, *Web banners* and *Behind the scenes*, so the client's team finds the right crop without scrolling. See [Organizing photos into chapters](/docs/galleries/organizing-with-chapters). For the selects round, send a selection request with the **Retouch list** template so the approver stars their picks and leaves a note on each. **Copy file names** on their collection then gives you a list to paste into Lightroom or Capture One. See [Requesting client selections](/docs/gallery-favorites/requesting-client-selections) and [Reviewing your client's favorites](/docs/gallery-favorites/reviewing-client-favorites). For how projects and tasks carry a whole season, see [Running your studio with projects and tasks](/docs/guides/running-your-studio-with-projects-and-tasks). ## Frequently asked questions ### What's the difference between a shot list and a call sheet? A shot list says what you'll photograph. A call sheet says who needs to be where and when. Every job needs a shot list, and a call sheet helps once there's a crew or talent on set. ### How many revision rounds should a commercial photographer include? Two rounds of retouching changes is a common starting point. Whatever you choose, write the number in the contract and price extra rounds, so more changes are a decision your client makes knowingly. ### Who should approve images on a commercial shoot? One named person, agreed before the shoot. They can collect feedback from their team, but you should get one set of notes per round from them. ### Can my client's team see the project in CoreHue? No. Projects, tasks and notes are private to you. Your client's team only sees the documents, messages and galleries you send them.