A recurring master brief with one confidential exception

A master brief works because it is routine. The same steps run every month: preview images, a shared gallery, a report for the client. That routine is also the risk when one event needs different handling. If the exception is not visible, the routine will quietly apply to it.

This page is part of our guide to agency and recurring event-photography commissions. It covers how to make a restricted event stand out from a routine programme.

What counts as a confidential exception?

It can be an event with restricted attendance, one where images must not be published, or one where only named recipients may see the photographs. The reason varies and does not need to be explained to the crew. What matters is the rule: who may attend, who may receive images and what is off limits.

Some exceptions touch on sensitive matters, such as the privacy of individuals. Keep personal details out of the brief and avoid identifying examples. If the arrangement involves legal or specialist questions, a qualified adviser should review it. Our pages describe planning; a legal adviser interprets the law.

Give the exception its own page

A short note inside a long master brief is easy to miss. Make the exception its own page, placed at the top of that event's brief, and say that it overrides the master. Keep the wording plain and complete.

The page should cover:

1. Authorised contact who approves access and release.
2. People or groups who may be photographed, and any who may not.
3. Recipients of the files and the delivery method.
4. What must not be published, shared or kept.
5. How files are stored and when they are deleted, as agreed.
6. What to do if someone asks for images on site.

Our guide to embargoes and photographs restricted from publication explains how to state a restriction clearly, and private gallery access and onward sharing covers who can view and forward files.

Switch off the routine steps

List the routine steps the master brief uses, then decide which are switched off for the exception. Typical ones are:

• Quick previews sent to the programme team.
• Shared galleries visible to all account managers.
• Monthly or quarterly reporting packs.
• Portfolio selection by the photographer or agency.

Each must be turned off or restricted in writing. A photo sharing and privacy plan helps lay out who can see what.

A worked example

For example, an agency manages twelve monthly staff events for a client, with routine previews and a shared gallery. In the autumn, one event is a closed leadership session. The client wants images only for a named executive assistant and no one else.

The agency adds a restricted page to the brief: named recipient, delivery by a private link to that person only, no previews, no portfolio use, no inclusion in the quarterly pack. The crew is told only what they need. After delivery, the agency confirms in writing that no other copy exists beyond what was agreed.

Be careful with people

Where a restricted event involves people who may be sensitive about being photographed, think about dignity first. Share names only where needed, and ask whether anyone should be photographed only with their consent. Our page on photographing attendees whose names should not accompany their images offers a starting point for that discussion.

When requests arrive from others

Other people in the client's organisation may ask for images of the restricted event. Decide in advance who answers. Our page on direct requests from the end client during an agency commission covers how to keep requests on the agreed approval path.

What we confirm with you

We confirm in writing which event is restricted, the authorised contact, the recipients and the delivery method, and which routine steps are switched off. If your programme needs a form of handling we cannot confirm, we will tell you before the date.