Website photography guide · Bahrain
Create a website photography shot list
Good website photography provides evidence and context. A shot list turns the day into a practical content project rather than a gallery of attractive but unusable pictures.
The useful numbers, with the conditions attached.
- Start from the pages and decisions the images must support.
- Capture people, process, place and details—not only posed portraits.
- Plan permissions, formats and image delivery before the shoot.
Let the website structure define the shots
Open the planned pages and note where a photograph has a job: introducing the team, demonstrating a service, showing a premises, supporting a case study or helping a customer recognise a product. This prevents the common gap where many wide hero images exist but no useful vertical or detailed image fits the actual content.
For each page, describe the decision the photo should support. A dental practice may need a welcoming arrival and clean treatment context; a contractor may need completed work and safe process detail. The business should never stage a situation that could misrepresent how it works.
- Homepage context image
- Service process images
- People and team portraits
- Location or arrival details
- Relevant completed work or products
Capture useful variation and real details
Ask for a mix of wide, medium and close views. Wide scenes establish place; medium images show people working; close details support specific service explanations. Include both horizontal and vertical compositions so designers can use the material across desktop, mobile and social formats without damaging the subject through aggressive cropping.
Natural working moments usually communicate more than a row of people looking at the camera. Still, plan a few clear portraits and group images where they help customers know who they will meet. Explain the purpose to staff so participation is informed and the imagery feels respectful.
- Horizontal and vertical framing
- Space around subjects for crops
- Wide, medium and detailed views
- Real tools, materials and customer-facing spaces
Handle permissions and sensitive settings carefully
Get suitable permission before publishing identifiable people, customer homes, project sites, documents or branded partner materials. If a project includes confidential work or children, decide in advance whether it can be photographed at all. A useful image is never worth exposing information the business is not entitled to share.
Keep a simple record of image source, photographer, subject permissions and any restrictions. This matters later when a page is reused in a campaign or a team member asks for an image to be removed. It also protects the business from assuming that a delivered file includes unlimited rights.
- Written or recorded permission where appropriate
- Project confidentiality check
- Usage restrictions
- Image source and rights record
Prepare files for the website, not just for archive
Agree how images will be delivered, named and selected. A folder with hundreds of unnamed files creates a second project for the person building the site. Group images by service, location or page and choose a shortlist with the person responsible for brand and factual approval.
The web build should generate appropriately sized delivery versions while retaining the original material safely. Do not upload every full-resolution camera file directly to a page. Performance, cropping and meaningful alternative text all benefit when each chosen image has a known role.
- Clear folder and file names
- Page or service association
- Approved shortlist
- Originals retained separately
- Web-optimised delivery versions
Common questions
Questions worth settling before you commit.
Can I use stock photos instead?
Stock can support abstract concepts, but original photography is usually stronger when customers need evidence of your people, place, work or products.
How many photos do I need?
Plan enough variety for the intended pages, not a fixed count. A shot list tied to page roles is more useful than an arbitrary target.
Do all images need alternative text?
Meaningful images need useful text alternatives; decorative images can be treated so they do not add unnecessary noise for assistive-technology users.