Five things that make content usable

Every month we watch the work of dozens of creators go by. What separates material that gathers dust from material that lasts for months is rarely the gear. It is almost always the prep.

Say where it will end up

A photographer who knows the images have to work on a webshop, a trade-show panel and Instagram frames differently from someone who comes to make “some atmosphere shots”. The same half hour then yields three usable formats instead of one. Name those destinations in the brief, not afterwards.

One decision-maker

Feedback from four people who contradict each other costs more time than the shoot itself. Appoint someone who cuts through. That is not a formality: it is usually the difference between one and three rounds of revisions.

Plan the boring shots too

The building, the facade, the team at work, the product on white. Nobody asks for them during the shoot and everybody needs them three months later. A quarter of an hour extra on location is cheaper than coming back.

Ask for the raw files

Whoever has the originals can re-crop in a year for a format that does not exist yet. Agree up front what you get, at what resolution and how long it is kept.

Work with the same person

The second brief with the same creator runs noticeably faster than the first. They already know the brand, the people and the place. That is also why our clients often stay with one name instead of starting the search over every time.