A homepage photo shot list for a half-day shoot

Key takeaways

A homepage photo shot list tells a photographer exactly what your page needs, so a half-day shoot produces usable images and not just pleasant ones. List hero images, people, work in progress, finished results and details, and plan each in landscape and portrait. Shoot for the sections you have already written.

• Write the list from your approved page plan.
• Shoot both landscape and portrait.
• Leave calm space for headlines in hero shots.
• Plan for people, process, results and details.

What should be on a homepage shot list?

Your shot list should cover the hero image, your people, work in progress, finished work, your premises and useful details such as tools or materials. For each, note what it must show, the section it belongs to and its orientation. Aim for 15 to 25 planned shots in a half-day shoot, as a rule of thumb.

• Hero: the result or the people, with space for text.
• People: owners and front-line staff, at work.
• Process: hands doing the job.
• Results: finished work, or happy customers with consent.
• Place: premises, vans, signage.
• Details: tools, materials, packaging.

• How to create a high-converting homepage for an SME
• Choose a homepage hero image that sells
• Website images that help visitors decide

How do you plan for phones?

Ask for portrait and landscape versions of key shots, since a wide image often crops badly in a phone hero. Keep the main subject away from the edges. Leave some clear space for text. Reviewing test shots on a phone during the shoot can prevent you from having to rebook.

• Should the mobile homepage show less than desktop?
• Create a homepage without professional photos

How do you prepare for the shoot?

Tidy the site or office, tell staff the date, agree on clothing and remove anything out of date, such as old signage. Book real work to be happening at the time, as staged activity usually looks staged. Get written consent from anyone who appears, and from customers if they are involved.

• Team photos on your website: what works and what does not
• A team section on your homepage: yes or no?

What should you agree with the photographer?

Agree the number of final images, delivery format, editing and usage rights. Copyright normally stays with the photographer, so confirm that your licence covers web, social and print use, and that it does not expire. Ask for high-resolution originals, and compress them for the web yourself.

• Website photography cost in the UK: what a shoot buys
• Using images from Google on your website: copyright risks

When is a half-day too little?

It is too little when you have several sites, a large team or work that depends on weather or a specific stage of a job. In those cases, book two shorter sessions. If budget is tight, shoot only what the homepage and your top service page need, then expand later.

• How much to budget for a new homepage in the UK

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a professional shoot produces 200 attractive photos and no hero image, because every shot is tightly framed with no room for a headline. A shot list written against the page plan costs nothing, and it avoids paying twice for the most important image.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Homepage photo shoot checklist

• Write the list from your page plan.
• Note orientation for each shot.
• Leave space for text in hero images.
• Tidy the location.
• Schedule real work during the shoot.
• Get signed consent from people shown.
• Confirm usage rights in writing.

• Gather your homepage content before design starts
• Why lorem ipsum ruins a homepage design

Next step

Go through your homepage section by section and write the one image each section needs. That is your shot list.