Client Questionnaires and Shot-List Notes

A good questionnaire asks few questions and gets answers you can use. A good shot list is short enough to read in the car. An AI tool can help with the tidying. You give it the answers and check what comes back.

Mix two kinds of question

Wikipedia describes a research questionnaire as "typically a mix of close-ended questions and open-ended questions".¹ The same split works for photo clients.

A closed question has set choices. Wikipedia says questionnaires "often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data".¹ That suits things like "indoors, outdoors or both?"

An open question gives people room. Wikipedia says that "An open-ended question asks the respondent to formulate his own answer".¹ That suits "Who must we not miss in a group photo?"

Questions worth asking

• Who is the shoot for, and what will the photos be used for?
• Which people or moments matter most?
• Are there any family situations to handle with care?
• What would the client dislike in a photo?
• Does anyone need extra time, seating or a quiet moment?
• Any places, props or items the client wants included?
• Who is the contact on the day?

Keep it short. A long form gets half-filled in, or left alone for a week while the shoot date creeps closer. Ask only what changes how you shoot.

Take care with what you collect

Some answers are personal. A client might mention a family split, a loss or a health need. You don't need details to plan a photo. Ask "Is there anything we should be careful about?" and let them decide how much to say.

Photos of people can themselves be sensitive. The OAIC notes that many photographs of individuals "contain sensitive information". As best practice, it advises against typing personal information into public generative AI tools.² That's Australian guidance. Elsewhere, check your regulator.

Using a tool to tidy answers

Wikipedia says language models can typically summarise text, among other jobs.³ Tidying a client's answers into a plan is a summarising job.

Before you paste anything, replace names with labels such as "Client A" and "the bride's mother". Then ask for something plain.

"Turn these answers into a shot list in the order a day would run. Use only what's written. Mark anything unclear with a question for me. Don't add shots I haven't been told about."

Check the output

A summary can drop a detail or add one. The OAIC says inaccurate output is a known risk, and it's higher with generative AI.²

• Compare each shot with the client's own words.
• Look for names that got swapped or merged.
• Look for "must-have" shots that disappeared.
• Delete anything that wasn't requested.
• Add your own notes about light, place and timing.

Then send the list to the client and ask them to confirm it. That gives them a chance to catch a wrong name before the day, and it gives you something clear to point to later if memories differ. Simple.

A layout that works on the day

• A top line with date, place and contact.
• Groups first, in order, with the names of people in each.
• Then portraits and special moments.
• Then details, such as venue, flowers or objects.
• A short list of "careful about" notes.

Use big text. You'll be reading it on a phone, standing up, probably while someone asks you a question.

Before you pay for a tool

• Can it take a form's answers directly, or must you paste?
• Can you delete the stored answers afterwards?
• What does the maker say about how it uses the text you enter? Note the date of the page you read.
• Is there a free plan where you can test with made-up answers?