Verified against ChatGPT · 2026-08-08
Write a product photography shot list that a photographer can shoot from without a follow-up call
Produces a complete photo shoot brief for one product — shot list, angle and prop notes, and platform-specific sizing — precise enough that an external photographer can execute it without needing clarifying questions.
The prompt
Ready to copy — highlighted parts are example details you can swap.
Write a photography brief for one product shoot, detailed enough that an external photographer who has never seen the product could shoot it correctly without a clarifying call. PRODUCT A leather laptop sleeve with a hidden magnetic clasp and a felt interior lining. WHERE THE IMAGES WILL BE USED Amazon listing main + 6 secondary images, Shopify PDP gallery, and one homepage hero banner (16:9). KEY FEATURES THAT MUST BE VISIBLE The magnetic clasp mechanism when open, and the felt lining texture when the sleeve is turned inside-out slightly. BRAND VISUAL STYLE Warm, natural light, minimal props, no harsh studio white — matches the brand's existing Instagram grid. KNOWN PROBLEM FROM PAST SHOOTS Last shoot's main image had a shadow across the clasp that made it look broken in thumbnail size on mobile. SHOT LIST List every required shot as a numbered item: angle, whether it's on a plain background or in a styled/lifestyle setting, and what specifically must be in frame and sharp. Base the required count and type of shots on the usage destinations given — a marketplace listing needs a specific minimum shot set (main image on pure white, angle shots, scale/size reference, packaging); a homepage hero needs a different aspect ratio and framing than a PDP gallery image. Do not propose a generic "5-7 lifestyle shots" list that ignores what these images are actually for. TECHNICAL SPECS PER DESTINATION For each usage destination, state the aspect ratio and minimum resolution actually required by that platform or page template — do not give one blanket spec for all destinations if they differ. ADDRESS THE KNOWN PROBLEM Given the known problem from past shoots, add one explicit instruction to this brief that directly prevents it from recurring — state it as a directive to the photographer, not a note to yourself. PROPS AND STYLING List only props that support showing the key features or the brand style — flag anything that would visually compete with or obscure a key feature. OUTPUT FORMAT A numbered shot list with angle/background/focus notes, a technical specs table by destination, and a short props section — ready to send to an external photographer as-is.
Customize
Optional — swap in your own details for the highlighted parts above.
Why this works
Deriving the shot list from the actual usage destinations, rather than a generic 'lifestyle plus studio shots' list, matters because GPT-5.1's default photography brief output pulls from the most common pattern in its training data — a roughly uniform 5-7 shot set regardless of where the images end up — which misses that a marketplace main image has a hard white-background requirement most lifestyle shots can't satisfy, and a 16:9 homepage hero has framing constraints a square PDP thumbnail doesn't share; treating destination as an input the shot list must derive from, rather than an afterthought mentioned once, forces the model to actually cross-reference platform requirements against the shot list it produces. The requirement to turn the past-shoot problem into an explicit photographer-facing directive, rather than leaving it as background context, addresses a common failure where a model acknowledges a stated constraint in its reasoning but doesn't translate it into an actionable instruction in the final brief — a photographer reading the brief cold has no way to infer 'avoid the clasp-shadow problem from last time' unless it's written as a direct lighting or angle instruction they can act on without knowing the shoot's history. Scoping props to only those supporting the key features or brand style, with an explicit instruction to flag anything visually competing with a key feature, counters the tendency of styled product photography briefs to add decorative props by default for visual interest — appropriate for a lifestyle hero shot, actively harmful for a detail shot whose entire purpose is making a specific mechanical feature legible in a marketplace thumbnail.
What you get back
Shot 1: main marketplace image, pure white background (255,255,255), sleeve closed, 3/4 angle, clasp visible with even diffused lighting to avoid shadow across the clasp (directly addressing the prior shoot's shadow issue). Shot 4: detail shot, clasp open, macro focus on the magnetic mechanism, no props in frame.
Verified against
ChatGPT GPT-5.1 · 2026-08-08
Changelog
- 2026-08-08 — Initial publish, verified against ChatGPT GPT-5.1.
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