Shoot Guidelines & Best Practices

If this is your first time here, welcome! We are so excited to have you join the team. If you have been here before, welcome back!
We love that you keep yourself informed of Flytographer processes and policies to make every shoot the best customer experience possible.

A Few Gentle Reminders

• We invited you to be a part of this team because you are AWESOME. Keep in mind that on a Flytographer shoot, you are a representative of the Flytographer brand, and we count on your awesomeness shining through on each and every booking.
• Flytographer is building our brand on amazing customer service (see our company values here). If you have gone above and beyond for a customer, please know that we appreciate it with our whole hearts and haven given you many toasts and cheers in the office. We love it when you WOW our customers!
• It is worth noting that the majority of our business comes from North America, so most of our customers will be expecting an experience that North Americans value: being on time, efficient communication, friendly, and professional.
• Please have no one else on the shoot with you who is not connected to Flytographer. The customer expects you and only you, and we don’t want to throw off the vibe or create awkwardness by having unknown people there. (This creates an especially weird dynamic for solo travellers.)
• Choose shoot start times that are within the Golden Hour (morning or evening) so you can ensure the most beautiful, flattering light for your customers.
• Please avoid flash photography or fill lighting of any kind. Our lighting style is very natural, and our customers love the beautiful photos created by natural light. (See our Photo Style Guide here.) If you think your booking time is going to run into darkness where you will be forced to use flash, please notify your Shoot Concierge and try to get the start time moved up.
• Note that photographers cannot directly accept money for extra photos or extending shoot time outside of Flytographer. Any and all monetary transactions related to your Flytographer shoot and its customers must be directed back to your Shoot Concierge and we will handle the request. (If customers want to give you a tip afterwards, that is your choice to accept or not!)

Flytographer’s Company Values 

• Curiosity  A growth mindset and intense wonder for the world.
• Integrity  Honesty, fairness and respect for others’ perspectives. Keeping promises and being accountable.
• Celebration  Recognizing and celebrating the big and little moments in life.
• Community  Creating memorable connections with people and places around the world, and collectively raising each other up.
• Diversity Equity & Inclusion  Inclusivity and diversity of representation in all that we do, create and share.

How do these values translate into great feedback for you? Click here to find out!

Before the Shoot

When you have confirmed you are available for an inquiry, please mark that date in your calendar and hold it there for up to 3 days while we go back to the customer and get them to book and pay for their shoot with you.

After the booking is confirmed, we send you the details in a Shoot Scoop which you can also find in your dashboard. Read the Shoot Scoop carefully so you know what your customer has requested for style, vision, mood, inspiration, must-have shots and level of direction. (Always reconfirm and discuss these notes at the start of the shoot so they know you understand their requests.)

• Visit our Dashboard Account Guide to get set up and learn helpful tips on answering inquiries and managing bookings.

We will send you an email to connect you with the customer a few days before the shoot so you can get in touch with them.

Text the customer at least 2 days before the shoot to make sure you have the ability to connect. This is very important – if the customer can’t find you, they will have a stressful start to their shoot, and may not be able to reach Flytographer HQ to help get connected. This is why we expect you to reach out to the customer first, so that this part of the process is as smooth as possible. This is also a great time to start getting them excited for their shoot and comfortable with you – let them know you’re excited to meet them and how much fun it’s going to be!

When you meet the customer (be sure to show up 10-15 minutes early), walk through the game plan and confirm that they approve. If not, then discuss other options. Ask them if they have any preferences or ‘must-have’ shots, and please discuss their direction requests indicated on the Shoot Scoop.

• If heavy rain/wind is forecasted and you are nervous about shooting, try to reschedule a game plan. If the date changes or the shoot is delayed, you can let us know with the Shoot Check-in form (emailed to you the day of the shoot and also on your dashboard). Please see our cancellation policies, including for bad weather, in payment structure section below.
• Walk around the location beforehand and determine your “game plan” (if possible). Where are three areas the customer might want to shoot at?
• Identify some good shots in advance where you will ask them to pose. Have fun “activities” for first 10 minutes to warm them up.

Q: What happens when you and the customer make changes to the plan, before the shoot date?

A: You can submit any date, time or route changes that were confirmed between you and the customer by using a tool in your Flytographer account.

1.  Log in to your Flytographer account.
2. Find the correct shoot inside your ‘Bookings’ tab.
3. Click ‘Check in’.
4. Click into the first dropdown menu and select ‘Update with confirmed customer changes’.
5. Update any necessary details below. If you need to change details regarding the route, click ‘The route changed’ and update the route details form that will appear below.
6. Click ‘Submit’. This will send both you and the customer a new Shoot Scoop with all the updated shoot details.

How-To Video: Submitting a Change

During the Shoot

• It is important to make sure you arrive 10 minutes before the shoot start time. Try to get there before your customer so you can do a quick survey of the area and plan where you’re going to start. It also gets things off on the right foot if they aren’t the ones waiting for you. Once they arrive, you should:
  1. Introduce yourself and find out a little about your customer, ie. where they are from, why they are in your city, etc.
  2. Clarify shoot goals with your customer — What do they want? Any must-have shots? Make sure you understand their expectations and take note of any insecurities, such as being nervous or awkward, not wanting photos of a certain side of their face, etc. Reassure them you are going to make them look amazing!
  3. Give them a rundown of what the shoot will look like, ie. What is the route or path you will take? Where will you stop? What is the shoot goal? (Hint: have fun!) 
  4. Do a visual scan of each of the customers from head to toe to make sure their wardrobe looks good, ie. no bra straps peeking out, zippers are zipped up, nothing bulging in pockets (like phones or wallets), and that hair and makeup are in place. (Tip: carry a small pocket mirror in your camera bag.) Customers will be “in the moment” and nervous/distracted and won’t have the presence of mind to check themselves or their partner/kids, so it is your job to make sure your customer always looks good. (And let’s face it, not everyone has attention to detail anyway so they just won’t notice.) Do not be afraid to tell them when something is amiss — they will appreciate it and you will gain their trust … and as a bonus, it will save you time editing out the offending item later! 
• See our tips for directing your clients and having a great shoot here.
• Are you free to extend the shoot if the customer wishes? If so, let them know up front! When you have your 10-minute chat at the start of the shoot, after you’ve heard their preferences and gotten to know them a little, mention that if they are having fun and wish to extend the shoot, that you do have time afterwards. You must let them know that it will cost $150 per every half hour add-on, and they will receive a link to pay from Flytographer after the shoot.
• Ask customers to remove sunglasses for at least a few (if not all!) of the shots. If couples are really kissy, be sure to remind them to wipe off any transferred lipstick (or have a tissue on hand to help out!). Keep an eye out for things like peeping bra straps, unzipped zippers, lipstick on teeth, etc. Customers appreciate it and trust you when they know you have their back.
• Take a couple of shots of each person alone, so they have a nice Facebook/LinkedIn profile photo.
• Avoid the “P” word. Be sure you are not referring to yourself or the shoot as “paparazzi.” This term is very off-brand for us and not at all what a Flytographer shoot is supposed to resemble! You should be guiding the customer with fun prompts and gentle direction throughout the session.
• Special tips for large groups: Reconfirm at the start of the shoot which posed shots they want, and let them know that you’ll do more ‘candid’ style shots at the end once those are completed. You may want to ask them via email (after we connect you) to send you ideas and bring them to the shoot for their ‘must have’ and ‘candid’ shots with some examples for your reference.
• Let them know when you have only 5 minutes remaining, and ask if there are any specific shots they want before you wrap up.
• If the customer wishes to extend the shoot, they can add 30-minute blocks of time (if you are free, obviously!). The customer price is $150USD for each 30-minute block (of which you receive an additional $100USD). Be clear to the customer about their add-on fee and time, and be sure they agree to that. We never want the customer to be surprised with an add-on fee without their consent. Let us know about the formal extension afterward and the Shoot Concierge will send the customer a link to pay online for the additional shoot time. This add-on is done after the shoot is over. We have made a video to help you with this script – click here to watch! (Video password: extra)
• If the customer arrives late to the shoot, please wait for them until the time they’ve paid for is up (unless you’ve heard from them beforehand and they told you they won’t make it on time). If they show up late but still within their paid booking slot, you can then shoot for the remaining time, and they always have the option to add on extra time if you are free. We have some great scripts you can use to help you if you are in a situation like this! Click here and bookmark this page for easy access.

After the Shoot

Use your post-shoot check-in form (emailed to you the day of the shoot) to let us know how it went. (If you can’t find the email, look in the “Requires Action” section on your dashboard.) If we don’t hear from you after a shoot, we get worried! Please let us know by the end of the day, if not sooner.

How long should you keep your RAW files from a Flytographer shoot? We have had customers come back months later and ask for things, so we ask that you hold onto your files for at least one year. Flytographer stores all edited files indefinitely for customers.

Uploading Photos

Upload the high-resolution edited photos within 72 hours. Contact your Shoot Concierge as soon as possible if photos may be late. Questions or issues uploading? Contact tech support here.

Click button below for visual instructions on uploading photos in our custom uploader.

SD Card Care: Tips from Natalie in Honolulu

During the shoot

• Ensure you have fresh, formatted cards with plenty of space and charged batteries.
• Do you have dual memory slots in your camera? My personal recommendation is to shoot with one large card in slot 2 as a backup and cycle through smaller cards in slot 1, writing the raw files to both. I set 2-3 timers throughout the shoot to switch out memory cards in slot 1, so even if one card corrupts or is damaged, you still have images from the shoot on other cards. If you only have 1 slot, I would absolutely recommend using at least 2 cards during each shoot.
• Please remember to switch out batteries before they die completely (this can corrupt the card if the camera dies during the writing process) and remember to turn off the camera before removing the card.
• Ensure you are storing your memory cards safely to protect them (for example, I use this case).

After the shoot

Please back up your photos ASAP. We recommend backing up files: 

• to the internet/cloud (Amazon Prime has free unlimited storage for photos, including RAW // Backblaze is a great investment),
• to your hard drive, preferably in at least 2 places as these can fail at any time (if you use a desktop, a UPS backup is a great investment as well),
• keep your RAW images on your memory card until the final photos are delivered, just in case all else fails!

*** Also, please remember to keep your RAW files from Fly shoots for a minimum of 1 year ***

This hard drive is worth looking into if you find that you are out in the field a lot or shooting back-to-back shoots often, as you’re able to back up your files even when you’re away from your computer.

General Card Care
Please be sure you are replacing your memory cards every 2-5 years, depending on how often you use them, and that you are only purchasing cards from authorized sellers and using name-brand cards. Remember to label your cards with your phone number and date purchased so you remember which cards should be cycled out of use.

HOT TIP: I personally set an annual reminder to purchase new cards during Black Friday to score great deals!

Travel Fees

When should I charge a travel fee?

Photographers generally only charge a travel fee for any location outside of the city centre they are listed as available for, or a location that requires special travel arrangements or an entrance fee/toll. Please note that for locations outside of your home base but where you wish to provide service because there is strong customer demand, Flytographer prefers a shoot-length minimum rather than a travel fee to avoid hidden costs for customers.

Travel fees are intended to compensate you for:

• Your entrance fee to private parks or property.
• Your mileage or tolls to drive to a specially requested area outside of a city centre.
• Please note that parking costs are not something that can be included in a travel fee at this time.

How much should I charge?

We usually recommend calculating your actual transportation cost, and then rounding up to the next $10 amount, depending on the time involved for travel. Travel fees are a combination of any transportation costs (train or bus ticket, car mileage, etc.) as well as the time spent travelling.

• Many of our photographers adjust their travel fee based on how long the shoot is, such as charging less for longer shoots. (e.g. charging a $60 travel fee for a 30 minute shoot, but only a $30 travel fee for a 60 minute shoot.)
• We require that these fees must be discussed and agreed upon before the shoot so that the customer is aware of how much cash to bring with them on the day.

How should I notify the customer?

It is important that all travel fees are listed on your profile BEFORE the customer inquires, as we never want to surprise them with unknown fees. Any travel fees for Flytographer routes are saved on your profile so that a note will also show up on the request and booking forms for customers. Please email photographer@flytographer.com with your travel fee info and we will get it on your profile.

• Please be specific about the fee.
• If you are unsure of the exact travel fee because you service a large area with multiple towns/routes as custom routes (e.g. Provence) we can add a general notification that travel fees will apply and you will need to quote the exact fee when the customer sends their request with their desired location. Please always respond to an inquiry with the exact fee required when you know the requested location.
• You can review your saved travel fees for Flytographer routes on your Settings tab in your Flytographer account. If you have to make changes, please email photographer@flytographer.com.

How do I collect my travel fee?

We do add a reminder to the customer to bring you travel fee in cash on the day in multiple locations through the booking process, but it is your responsibility to collect the travel fee from the customer on the day, unless it has been otherwise decided ahead of time. Don’t be afraid to mention or ask about the travel fee, as customers may be excited about the shoot and forget!

• Unfortunately, we are not able to provide travel fees if you forget to collect from the customer at the shoot.

What if the customer cancels but I’ve already purchased a travel ticket to the shoot?

If you choose to accept a shoot outside your city of residence and require a travel ticket (plane, train, boat) to get there, we advise waiting to purchase the travel ticket until the shoot date is within 5 days. If a customer cancels within 5 days, you are paid the 50% no-show fee per our cancellation policy (see below under Payment Structure), so you will receive some money to help offset the cost.

• Flytographer is not responsible for travel fees nor for customer cancellations, and we therefore cannot reimburse you for travel tickets.

Cancelling a Shoot 

We understand we are all busy and things come up, but if there is one thing we ask, it is PLEASE do not cancel or reschedule your shoots unless it is an absolute emergency! Cancelling or changing times/dates puts a huge burden on our Customer Experience team, is frustrating for customers who have been counting on you, and costs the company a lot of money in refunds/credits and often an immeasurable amount in brand goodwill. 

Follow these steps if you need to cancel a booking:

1. Log in to your Flytographer account, find the correct booking under your ‘Bookings’ tab, click ‘Check in’ and then select ‘I can no longer make this shoot’ from the dropdown menu. You will then need to fill in a form with more details about the cancellation for us, which will be very helpful for our conversation with the customer about the cancellation. (Please see How-to video below for more details!)
2. IF the shoot is within 24 hours, please message the customer. Here is a script: “I am so sorry, there’s an emergency and I now cannot come to the shoot — deepest apologies. I have let Flytographer know and they will follow up with you to try to get it rescheduled.”
3. If you know another Flytographer personally and can contact them to cover your shoot, you can message them directly. (Note — it MUST be someone already on our team, not just a random photographer you know.) If you can get another Flytographer to cover you, message this to the customer instead: “I am so sorry, there’s an emergency and I now cannot come to the shoot — deepest apologies. I have found another Flytographer who can come to the shoot instead — will this work for you? I have let Flytographer know and they will follow up with you afterward as well.”
4. Please forward any messages from the customer to Customer Experience Team so they have more context when dealing with the issues of the cancellation.

We would also like to express our gratitude for your patience and understanding when customers have to cancel due to unforeseen emergency circumstances like Covid or flight cancellations. 🙏 Sadly, photographers and Flytographer lose out on the booking, but customers also lose as they were wanting that time with you and the gorgeous photos afterward — so emergency cancellations are unfortunate for everyone! Thank you for being empathetic to our customers.

How-To Video: Cancelling a Shoot

Payment Structure

Please visit this page for set-up instructions and FAQs, including fee schedule and cancellation policy.

Photo Sharing Policies

Unless we have gotten written permission through the official feedback form, we do NOT have permission to share. Anywhere. Please read our full sharing policies here.

Photo Style Guide

For information on what ‘Flytographer Style’ looks like click here.

Portfolios & Testimonials

Profile pages will contain a selection of highly-curated, shareable images in your portfolio and any positive testimonials below. Find out more here.

Resource Page

Head on over to our Photographer Resource page, where you’ll find all kinds of goodies, including:

• Vacation vs Portrait Photography
• Directing your Shoot and Photo Style Guide
• Video on using natural light with Samantha in NYC
• Logos for your own website
• Team Flytographer discount codes for own shoots
• Referral and affiliate links to earn shoot credits and/or money
• Team perks and discounts with other brands
• Links to issues of our magazine, Passport: The Magic of Travel