Most event photography goes wrong before the event starts. The photographer doesn't miss the shot because they're slow. They miss it because nobody said it mattered.
The brief was "arrive at seven and take some photos." So the photographer spent the evening guessing which guests were sponsors, which speech was the important one, and whether the founder wanted a picture with the guest of honour. Some of those guesses were wrong, and you found out two weeks later when the gallery arrived.
If you're hiring an event photographer in Toronto, an hour of preparation on your side does more for the result than any piece of equipment. Here's what goes in the brief.
Write Down Where the Pictures Will End Up
Before you write a schedule, picture the images three weeks after the event. Where are they sitting? A sponsor recap needs the logos visible and the sponsors' people in frame. A press release needs a few clean, well lit images of the speakers and the headline moment. A social feed needs volume and warmth, some of it the same night. An annual report needs the room, the crowd and the leadership looking their best. These are different jobs. The photographer can do any of them, but only if they know which one they're doing. Put the answer at the top of your brief in two sentences. Everything else in the brief hangs off it.
Send the Timeline With Real Times
A run of show with actual clock times is the single most useful document you can hand over. Doors, arrivals, the first speech, the toast, the award, the reveal, the moment the room turns from formal to loose. Include the parts that tend to slip and say so. Mark the moments that only happen once. A ribbon cutting, a cheque presentation, a first dance, a product reveal. These are the frames nobody can ask for again, and the photographer should know exactly when each one is coming and where it will happen. Tell them where the speakers will stand and how the stage is lit. A photographer who knows the podium sits under a spotlight on the left will be in position before the microphone goes live. One who doesn't will be walking through the crowd during the second sentence. Also flag the quiet window before doors. The first thirty minutes, before guests arrive, is the best time to photograph the room, the decor, the signage and the sponsor displays without a crowd in front of them. If you want those images, put that window in the timeline and make sure someone with a key is there to let the photographer in. Finally, say who will tell the photographer when the program runs late. It always does.
Keep the Shot List Short
Ten to fifteen must have shots will serve you better than sixty. A long list gets ticked off one by one, and the photographer spends the night with their head in a document instead of watching the room. Write the list as specific moments, not categories. Not "speakers" but "the CEO's opening remarks, wide and tight." Not "VIPs" but "the founder with the guest of honour, before dinner, near the entrance." Say who, where and roughly when. Then leave room for what you didn't plan. The list covers what you know will happen. A good photographer works through it and keeps an eye on the rest of the room at the same time, and a brief that's too rigid makes them choose one over the other.
Send the Guest List, and Tell Them Who Matters
Your photographer doesn't know your guests. They can't tell the sponsor from the plus one, or the minister from the caterer. Send names and roles for the people who must be photographed. If you can, add a photo of each, or assign a host who can point them out on the night. It saves the photographer from walking up to strangers and asking who they are, and it saves you from a gallery that's missing your most important guest. Just as important, say who should not appear. Some guests are clients who don't want to be posted. Some don't want to be photographed at all. Some events have a competitor's logo on a banner that you'd rather keep out of the frame. Tell the photographer before the event, not after the gallery is live. Name one person on the floor who can settle questions as they come up, whether that's who to photograph next or whether a door is off limits. The host is a better choice than the CEO, who's busy.
Settle the Logistics in Writing
The dull details cause the most stress on the night. Send the venue address and the door the photographer should use, the start and end times, the dress code, and who is meeting them on arrival. Settle who covers parking if the venue doesn't provide it. Find out how the room is lit during the program itself, since the afternoon walkthrough can mislead. If there's a backdrop or a branded wall, say where it will be. If flash isn't allowed during speeches or a ceremony, the photographer needs to know beforehand, because it changes how they work. Some venues also have their own rules about where a photographer can stand, or ask for proof of insurance. Better to hear that a week out than at the door.
Agree on Deliverables and Usage
Decide what you're getting back before the event. How many images, roughly. Whether they're edited or a folder of raw files. How they'll be delivered. And when. If sponsors or the press need images the same night or the next morning, say so in the brief. Rush turnaround is available at BYJonathanLevy Media when press, sponsors or social channels need selects fast, but it only works if it's planned. A photographer can't turn around a rush set on the fly if they didn't know it was needed. Then settle usage. Internal use, the website, press, social media and paid advertising can all be treated differently, and a two line note in the brief saves a longer conversation once the gallery is in hand.
A Short Call Beats a Long Email
You can put everything above into an email, and you should. But a short call with your photographer beats it. Questions come up in ten minutes that a document never answers, like "what if the speaker's late?" or "is that door locked after seven?" At BYJonathanLevy Media, a briefing before the event covers the schedule, the key guests, the priority moments and what the finished gallery has to do for you. Two years of special events for Rémy Martin and Louis XIII taught me to get the priorities settled before anyone walks in.
What to Send in One Message
If you want a checklist, here it is in a sentence. Send the two line purpose, the run of show with clock times, the short list of must have moments, the names and roles of key guests, one contact for the night, the venue and access details, and what you need delivered by when and for what use. That's an hour of work. It's also the difference between a gallery that has everything you needed and one that has a lot of nice photos of the wrong things.