Shot-List Checklists by Niche

What to prepare before a shoot, one editorial guide per photography niche, each linking into the interactive checklist tool.

A shot list does two jobs. Before the shoot it forces the decisions that are hard to make on location: which lens, what time the light is right, which family groups the couple actually want. On the day it is what you tick off so nothing gets missed while you are busy. Each checklist here is written for one kind of shoot, because preparing for a newborn session (a warm room, a spotter, feeding breaks) has almost nothing in common with preparing for a drone flight (airspace rules, wind at altitude, how many minutes a battery really lasts).

Every page opens with a printable checklist: the planning points for that niche plus the gear and prep items from the matching interactive checklist, printed black on white with a tick box on every line. After it come the reasons those points matter and a short FAQ. Twelve pages match a genre of the interactive checklist tool directly; the other eleven cover niches such as maternity, real estate and fine art and use the closest genre's list. Real estate adds a room-by-room shot order. To tick items on screen instead of on paper, open the interactive checklist from any page: it keeps your ticks in your browser, with no account.

All 23 shot lists

Landscape Photography — Light timing, weather checks, filters and a backup composition for when conditions change.
Portrait Photography — Lighting plan, lens and aperture, wardrobe and posing directions settled before the client arrives.
Wedding Photography — The day's timeline, family group combinations, backup bodies and the second-shooter split.
Street Photography — A ready-to-shoot camera baseline, a light kit and local norms for photographing people.
Wildlife Photography — Shutter and autofocus presets, reach, the species' timing and a distance that doesn't disturb.
Travel Photography — A versatile kit, backups on the road, the destination's light and a repair contingency.
Product & Studio Photography — Lighting tested before the product arrives, backdrop, the client's image specs and tethering.
Night Photography — Tripod and remote release, an exposure baseline, warm spare batteries and a location scouted in daylight.
Astrophotography — Moon phase and light pollution, a fast wide lens, focus on a bright star and your ISO limit.
Macro Photography — Aperture for a very thin depth of field, stable support, diffused light and live subjects.
Architecture Photography — Wide or tilt-shift lens, light against the building's orientation, access and perspective.
Sports & Action Photography — Shutter speed and tracking autofocus, long fast lenses, venue position rules and buffer space.
Newborn Photography — A warm room, a spotter for every styled pose, and time for feeding and settling.
Maternity Photography — Timing around 32–36 weeks, breaks and seating, wardrobe guidance and flattering poses.
Engagement Photography — A location that means something to the couple, golden-hour timing, movement prompts and coordinated outfits.
Family Photography — Timing around naps and meals, the full group first, a wardrobe palette and prompts for the kids.
Boudoir Photography — A comfort conversation first, soft lighting, posing directions and secure image storage.
Real Estate Photography — A room-by-room shot order to work through for every listing, plus staging and mixed-light checks.
Food Photography — A stand-in plate for testing, props chosen per dish and a running order agreed with the kitchen.
Fashion Photography — Call sheet, garments steamed in shooting order, framing per deliverable and usage rights.
Drone Photography — Airspace and permissions, registration and pilot certificate, wind at altitude and real battery minutes.
Documentary Photography — Access, a written premise, consent explained as the project goes on, and captions kept current.
Fine Art Photography — A written intent for the series, repeatable light, capture matched to print size and a test print.