Before the Cameras Rolled: Mood Boards, Shot Lists and a Plan

A great lifestyle shoot doesn’t start when the photographer arrives. It starts weeks earlier.

For Gadwall Whiskey, we began by building a Pinterest inspiration board to establish the look and feel of the campaign.

Think rugged outdoor settings, worn-in clothing, vintage details, campfires, canoes and relaxed moments with friends.

The board gave everyone a visual reference for what we wanted to achieve. It’s much easier to show someone the feeling you’re after than to describe it in a meeting.

 

Then We Got Into the Details

We created a detailed Google Sheet that the client could access and use throughout the planning process.

And this wasn’t just a list of photographs we wanted.

We mapped out the scenes, timing, camera angles, props and visual references. Everything from a wide shot of the canoe on the lake to a close-up of someone’s hands holding a flask.

We even planned how certain props would move between scenes.

For example, the bag, journal and flask would first appear in the canoe, then on the dock and eventually at the firepit.

Why?

Because those small details help connect the content. Instead of three unrelated setups, we were building a story that could carry across multiple Reels and photographs.

It’s the kind of detail most people will never consciously notice when scrolling Instagram. But it helps make the finished work feel like a cohesive campaign.

Want to see how detailed our planning gets?

Explore Our Gadwall Whiskey Production Shoot Guide

We believe clients should understand what we’re creating before the cameras start rolling. Sharing our production documents helps everyone stay aligned, gives clients an opportunity to contribute and makes shoot day run much more smoothly.

And when you’ve got actors, photographers, videographers and limited daylight, a little organization goes a long way.