Photo Shoot Planner and Shot List
Write the shot list before the shoot rather than in the car afterwards, and tick shots as captured so nothing is assumed.
PM-01 1 page
Photography and media · PM-09
Location Scout and Permission Record
A free printable location scout record — access, parking, power, light at the time of day you visited, hazards, and who gave permission to shoot and how.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Arrive on the shoot day knowing where to park, where the power is and that someone in authority has actually said yes.
Who it is for
Photographers, videographers and location scouts, and anyone shooting somewhere they do not own or control.
How to use it
- Visit at the time of day you mean to shoot, and note which way the light falls.
- Record who you asked for permission, their role, how you asked and what they said.
- Write down any conditions they attached — times, areas, people, sound.
- Work through the visit checklist on site rather than from memory afterwards.
- Keep any written confirmation with this sheet.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: What you found when you visited a location, and who said you could shoot there — so the day holds no surprises.
Check the rules where you are. Whether a permit is needed, and who can grant permission, varies a great deal from place to place — check the rules where you are before you rely on a verbal yes, and keep any written confirmation with this sheet.
Write-on lines: Location name · Visited on · Time of day visited · Scouted by · Address / what3words / pin · Nearest parking
Permission — who gave it, how, and what they attached to it
Table, 3 rows: Who was asked · Their role · How asked · Date · Answer · Conditions attached · Contact
What you found on the visit
- Access route and gates, and who holds the keys
- Where vehicles go, and how far the kit is carried
- Mains power, or generator and batteries needed
- Toilets, shelter and somewhere to change
- Which way the light falls at your shooting time
- Noise, traffic and footfall that will spoil sound
- Ground, tides, weather exposure and hazards
- Phone signal, and who to ring on the day
Ruled lines: Notes — what to bring, what to avoid, when to come back
Questions
Does this tell me whether I need a permit?
No, and it deliberately does not try. Permits, filming licences and what counts as public land differ enormously from one place to the next — check the rules where you are. The sheet records who you asked and what they answered.
Why record the time of day you visited?
Because a location scouted at noon and shot at dusk is a different location. The time you visited is what makes your light notes worth anything later.
Related sheets
Video Shoot Call Sheet
Put the whole shoot day on one page everyone is holding. Nobody arrives at the wrong place, and nobody waits for a number nobody has.
PM-06 1 page
Photo Release and Consent Record
Keep one signed record of what each person actually agreed to, so a picture is not used somewhere nobody discussed.
PM-04 1 page
Studio Lighting Setup Record
Rebuild a setup you liked months later, instead of moving stands around until it looks roughly like the picture you remember.
PM-08 1 page
