What goes on a photography work order
On a shoot the work order is the running order, and on anything with people in it that is most of the job. Who is where and when, what is being shot, and what absolutely must not be missed — a wedding has shots that cannot be taken twice.
- The date, the locations, and the travel time between them
- The running order, with times
- The shot list, with the ones that cannot be missed marked
- Key people by name, and who can identify them
- Equipment: what is being carried, and what is backup
- Contingency: what happens if it rains, or the schedule slips
- Who the point of contact is on the day
The sample line items and example prices this sheet opens with are on the photography invoice template — the same table, which is about the trade rather than about this paper, so it lives in one place rather than on all six.
What you get
A PDF, and a link your customer can open in any browser. Word and Excel versions are not available yet — if a spreadsheet is what you need, this is not yet the tool for it, and saying so is cheaper for both of us than you finding out after typing everything in.
Pick how it looks
Six looks, from a plain classic sheet through a bold top band to a shop ticket, and your initials go on automatically until you upload a logo. See all six.
How to send it
Most customers want the paper on their phone, so the work order goes out by WhatsApp, text or email, or as a link that needs no app and no account on their side. Or download the PDF to print it or keep it for your own records.
Questions
Why mark some shots as essential?
Because on a busy day you will not get all of them, and the ones you miss should be the ones nobody minds. A grandmother who was not photographed, a cake cut while you were changing a lens — those are the complaints, and a marked list is how they are avoided.
Who should identify the key people?
Somebody who is not the client, named on the sheet. The couple are busy and the client is hosting, and a photographer who has to ask who the father of the bride is has already missed the shot. One briefed helper changes the whole day.