How to write up plans for Photo shoots

Throughout your work you're required to write up plans for you Photo shoots. Take a moment now to look at the criteria section in your brief. The chances are planning is a pass criteria and therefore you have to do it and it's quite likely it's required in order to attain the higher grades too. Sometimes it appears as Planned Intentions, especially in the 2nd year units.

Top Tip

When you write up your plans, make sure you "Sign post" the fact that you are doing so, by using a Bold heading using the wording from the criteria e.g. Planned Intentions.

*NOTE Make sure you write up your plans in the present tense, do not write them up using retrospective (Past tense) language, otherwise they're not plans. If you're forced to write your plans up after the event, focus on using the correct language, ensuring it reads as though the plan was written before you executed the work. Top tip - Write them up before you do the work!

Plans sometimes don't go to plan, if they don't - just explain/analyse why in your reflective work. 

So, what do I write and how much? 

With regards to the question how much - there's no answer, but look for the clues in the criteria, if it says detailed plans or uses the word comprehensive, that will generally mean a fair bit. If you're one of my students and your following the guidance given with regards to the way you produce your work, you should aim to produce your plan as part of a Gibbs reflection. 

So, in this example here above A and B is an example of your research work. Once the research is completed and usually you'd produce 4 pages (2 Photographers) you then reflect on your research using the Gibbs method before you start to produce your first piece of practical work. So, the first page after the research features at the start, high-lighted here on page C in light blue is the Gibbs reflection. The Gibbs reflection features 5 sections... (1) What happened, (2) How do you feel it went, (3) What was good/bad (4) Analysis (5) Action Plan.

Therefore, the last bit of the Gibbs reflection is the plan for your first piece of practical work e.g. your first shoot.

The length of the plan is dictated by the complexity of the shoot, if it's a self-directed studio shoot involving set building, models, make-up artists, assistants, hair-stylists and changes to the lighting and set as seen in 2nd year work, the plan will be longer. Generally though, combined with a Gibbs reflection as above, the plan will be about half a column in your design sheet.

Typically the things that you should detail in your plan...

• When you plan to shoot.
• Where you're shooting the pictures.
• What camera you'll be using.
• What media your using.
• What focal length you'll be using.
• Whether you'll experiment with different focal lengths or change lenses.
• What kind of lighting you'll be using - soft,harsh, diffuse, point etc.
• If your copying someone's lighting techniques say who's.
• Who your model will be.
• Whether you're using tripods, reflectors, or any other equipment.
• Who your assistant will be.
• Any H&S issues
• What your Intention is, what you're trying to achieve or learn. 
• What you're testing out.
• Transport details
• Details about emptying SD cards - charging batteries.
• Contingency (Back up) plan in the event of any changes - models/light/weather
• When you intent to have films processed by and the work in your design sheet. 

Note - It's especially important that self-directed shoots and final shoots are the ones with the most detail, make sure these can be described as being comprehensive or detailed as these are often the descriptions used in the Criteria in order to attain merits and distinctions.