Preparing your venue for a photo or video shoot

We can light a room, we can frame around a problem, and we can make a tired corner look better than it is. What we can't do is conjure a shot that wasn't planned, photograph a dish the kitchen didn't know about, or get a release from a member who's already gone home. Nearly everything that limits a shoot is decided in the week before it.

01 — PlanningAgree the shot list first

We'll usually propose one; what matters is that you read it and add the things only you know about. Think about where the images will be used, because that determines what we shoot and in what shape.

02 — TimingPicking the day and the time

• Light decides more than anything. Rooms with windows look best mid-morning or mid-afternoon; outdoor areas look best in the hour or two before sunset. Midday sun is the least flattering light there is.
• Busy or empty — pick deliberately. An empty room photographs cleanly and looks lifeless. A full room sells the venue and is harder to shoot. Most venues want both, which usually means two visits or a shoot that straddles opening.
• Avoid your busiest service for anything needing setup. Getting in the way of a Friday bistro rush is bad for the shots and worse for the staff.
• Check what else is on. A funeral in the function room, a contractor with scaffolding up, carpet cleaning, a delivery blocking the entrance — all discovered on arrival more often than you'd think.
• Have a wet-weather plan. Outdoor and drone work needs weather. Agree in advance what happens if it's raining — shoot interiors and return, or move the day.
• Allow more time than feels necessary. A proper food shot takes fifteen minutes, not two. A room takes longer than a photo suggests. Rushing at the end is where the shots you'll actually need get dropped.

03 — The venueGetting the place ready

This is where you have the most influence, and it's mostly free.

The dead-globe problem. Worth its own mention: a room with two blown downlights photographs unevenly and there's no fixing it afterwards. Walk every space with the lights on a few days before and replace anything out. Same for a flickering sign or a screen that's frozen — see the restart guide for that one.

04 — FoodFood and drink shots

Food is the highest-performing content most venues have and the most dependent on preparation. Involve the chef properly.

• Give the kitchen the list a week out, with dish names. They may need to order in, and they'll want to plate their best version rather than whatever's on the pass.
• One dish at a time, made to order. Food looks its best for a minute or two. Five plates lined up means four cold ones.
• Have the chef on hand. They'll spot a garnish that's slipped or a sauce that's pooled long before a camera does — and they should be happy with how their food is represented.
• Clean plates and clean rims. A thumbprint or a drip is all anyone will see in the final shot.
• Shoot near daylight, not under kitchen lights. A table by a window is worth relocating for. Kitchen lighting goes orange and flattens everything.
• Drinks: fresh, cold and poured on the spot. A beer with a good head lasts about thirty seconds. Have a second one ready.
• Only shoot what's actually on the menu. A photo of a dish you no longer serve, or a garnish the kitchen doesn't really do, causes a conversation at the table later.
• Plan the props once. A couple of nice boards, clean cloths, matching cutlery and glassware kept aside for shoots pays off every time. Ask us what's worth having.

05 — PeopleStaff, members and consent

• Ask staff in advance, and let them say no. Some people are delighted and some hate it. Volunteering works far better than rostering someone into it, and it shows on camera.
• Get consent in writing. A short form or a signed note is enough — name, date, and that they're happy for the images to be used in the club's marketing. It protects them and you, particularly after they've left.
• Tell them to come in clean, pressed uniform. Sounds fussy; it's the single most common reason a good staff shot can't be used. Have a spare clean shirt if you can.
• Children need a parent or guardian's written permission. Every time, no exceptions. If you can't get it on the day, we don't shoot them — so arrange it beforehand if kids are on the list.
• Put a notice at the entrance if we're shooting during trading, so members know before they walk in. Anyone who'd rather not be filmed can then say so easily.
• Line up friendly regulars in advance if you want the room to look alive. A handful of members who've agreed to be there beats trying to recruit strangers on the day — and they'll usually enjoy it.
• Nobody visibly intoxicated, and nobody who's said no. Obvious, and worth saying to whoever's helping on the day.
• If someone's talking to camera, brief them beforehand. Three or four points, not a script — reading a script always looks like reading a script. And keep it short; thirty to sixty seconds is plenty.

06 — LimitsWhat can't be in shot

Also worth clearing before the day:

• Anything with member or staff details on it — screens, whiteboards, rosters, membership lists, paperwork on a desk.
• Tills, safes, cash handling and back-of-house security. Don't advertise where the money is or how it moves.
• Broadcast sport as the subject. A busy room watching the game is fine; a close-up of the broadcast is someone else's copyright.
• Lapsed sponsor material still on the walls, and supplier branding you don't have permission to feature.
• Music playing during video. If we're recording anything with sound, background music will be picked up and can get a post muted. We'll usually ask for it off in that space for a few minutes.
• Drone work near neighbours or a beach. There are rules about where and how a drone may be flown, and we'll handle that side — but tell us about anything nearby we should know about.

07 — On the dayWhat makes it run well

• One person from your team, available the whole time. Someone who can unlock a room, ask the kitchen for a plate, find a member who'll be in a shot, and make a decision. Without that, a shoot spends half its time waiting.
• Tell every department we're coming. Kitchen, bar, reception, cleaners, gaming, greenkeepers. A shoot nobody was told about creates friction all day.
• Sort access ahead — locked function rooms, the roof, the greens, accommodation, the plant room if it's on the list.
• Let us shoot rooms before they fill. Wide, clean room shots are much easier before opening; the busy versions come later.
• Expect furniture to move. We'll put it back. It's normal, and a shot often needs a chair shifted half a metre.
• Walk the list with us at the start, and again with twenty minutes to go. That second check is when missing must-haves get caught.
• Say something if you don't like a setup. On the day is easy; after the edit is expensive. If a shot doesn't look like your venue to you, tell us there and then.

08 — AfterwardsWhat happens next

• Editing takes time. Photos need selecting and finishing; video needs cutting, then your review, then changes. Don't promise a campaign launch for the day after the shoot.
• You'll get a set, not everything. We select the usable ones — a shoot generates a lot of near-identical frames and blinks. If you want to see more, ask.
• Give feedback in one round, from whoever's approving. Same principle as briefing design work.
• Keep the library somewhere sensible. Not on one person's desktop. Ask us where yours is stored and how to get to it — you'll want these images for years.
• Tell us when something dates. A staff member leaves, a room is renovated, a dish comes off the menu — that's the moment to retire those images rather than discovering them still live two years later.
• Between shoots, keep feeding us. A professional shoot sets the standard; the weekly content that fills the gaps comes from your team. Our phone guide and camera guide cover that.

09 — QuestionsQuick answers

Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Consent, privacy and gaming advertising obligations are your club's to confirm — we'll flag anything that looks like a problem and we won't shoot children without a parent or guardian's permission. Drone operation is subject to aviation rules, which we handle.