CPG Photo Shoot Planner
Judy Doherty Photography

CPG Photo Shoot Planner

How many images can you get in a day?

This is a general guide. Many factors influence what a day holds, and we are experienced with large libraries. This questionnaire helps you plan your shoot to get the most out of your budget.

1 · The look

Sets. Check all that apply

We dress every set ourselves from our own prop room, so props are not something you have to source.

One build: one surface, one prop story, one lighting design. Everything shot on it before we tear it down is nearly free. This is the number that decides the day.

Prep. Check all that apply

All prep and styling happens here, by us. The studio kitchen is not open to visiting teams, which is part of why the days run to schedule.

Models

A hand model on a simple background is one of the fastest days we run. A casting call is its own project before the shoot day exists.

2 · What you need

A family or collection shot is a group of products in one frame. They are great for product collection pages and ecommerce.

This is the one that decides a day. While a set is standing, the iterations we make on it are close to free, and we give you a lot of them. A shot list that names twenty specific frames of every product is twenty shots, not one, and it multiplies straight through the day. If you have a written shot list, count the named frames per product and put that number here. If you are trusting us to work the set, leave it at 1.

Goal. Check all that apply

Social is the fastest work we do. Ecommerce needs every frame to be straight and consistent. Large format shows everything at eight feet. A photo printed on the package is its own job and is planned separately. By planning ahead of time we can create the perfect package.

Assets. Check all that apply

A reel is one clip at one angle. A person is performing, so we shoot it three or four times to get it right. A fuller video piece takes longer, and stop motion varies a lot depending on how involved the sequence is. Tell us what you have in mind and we will talk it through.

Top down is much faster than upright with the camera tipped to 10 or 20 degrees. Choosing both is not a penalty though: we have two stations, so we can run them concurrently. Decide later and we will plan for both.

A simple two shot video of about 30 seconds is one thing. A bigger piece with more setups is another, and stop motion varies a lot depending on the sequence. We will talk it through with you.

Prepared dishes

Anything we cook and style rather than unbox. Each dish carries its prep, the process clip and the finished shots. Eight in a day is our practical ceiling, and that only works when they are prepped in advance.

3 · Your product

Take the smart phone photo test.

Look at that photo and ask: would you use this, as is? A camera records what is in front of it. It does not render. We can straighten a package, fill it more or less, clean an edge and retouch a label. If the image has to look drastically different from the real thing we can plan for it and will advise.

We can make almost anything look beautiful. Our retouching blog is full of before and afters, including a vacuum packed bag we scaffolded, opened and composited so the product reads right. Answer this honestly. It is always better, and cheaper, when we plan for it than when we solve it after.

4 · The day

How firm is this

A fixed list tells us how many days to book. Flexible tells us to shape the list to the days you have, which almost always returns more images.

The schedule

A prep day before the shoot can make a dramatic difference in the output. We can advise, but it is needed for a lot of cooking or baking. We do not charge for shopping, but we do need time for extensive food prep, product prep and model casting. Prep can be a few hours, a half day or a full day. We are flexible, and it maximizes shooting without adding another shoot day.

Who is approving on the day

This is the biggest lever on the page, and it is free. One person who can say yes buys you more pictures than another shoot day does. It does not have to be the same person all day, or even in the room. Take turns, hop on a call, whatever suits you. Bring a trained eye and we fly: set it, shoot it, keep going.

1 Estimated shoot days

Workable

Sets per day 5
Days needed 1
Motion a day 1
Crew we bring 2

What your booked days hold

The day, hour by hour

Set up and wrap Shooting Idle

Stretch the budget

Email this plan to Judy
Book the call

Emailing the plan sends Judy your list and the day count so she can price it against real time on the floor. Or write to her yourself at judy@judydohertyphotography.com, or call 415 935 3591.

Behind the scenes

The studio crew on set during a content sprint, holding grapes in front of a white sweep

One day, one crew, all you can shoot.

This is a planning guide, built to help you stay on budget. We run these days as a content sprint, and planning is what turns a full day into a great one.