Guidelines for photographic style and working with images

Three questions that form the basis of the entire document

The practice of studios that systematically develop photographic style (including the Medium Design Pub methodology) reduces to three questions: what we shoot, how we shoot, and how we process. This is not philosophy, but a working structure of the document — each section of the guideline must answer one of these questions.

• What we shoot — objects, subjects, locations, acceptable and unacceptable content of the frame
• How we shoot — technique, lighting, angles, composition, behavior of people in the frame
• How we process — color correction, presets, file output format

Without an answer to the first question, the team shoots 'beautifully,' but not what is needed. Without an answer to the second — they shoot what is needed, but differently. Without the third — even identical frames differ in color and contrast after processing by different hands.

Imagery and product photographic style: where the boundary lies

Imagery photographic style builds an emotional connection with the audience through people, environment, and mood. Product style shows the product as accurately and convincingly as possible, without unnecessary semantic layers. Confusing them is a common mistake: brands shoot products 'artistically' where clarity is needed, or vice versa, make product cards from live reportage scenes.

The key rule for imagery shooting: a close-up instead of a medium shot — already an error, as it visually 'compresses' the brand and removes context, which is the very reason why imagery shooting exists.

Which technical parameters to record and how to describe them in words

The main reason why guidelines do not work in practice — vague formulations such as 'natural light' or 'dynamic composition.' A photographer cannot reproduce an evaluative judgment; they need numbers and terms.

• Light — not "soft light", but the source angle (for example, 45° from top-left), the type of diffuser, color temperature: 5000–5500K gives neutral, slightly cool light without yellowing
• Camera angle — precise shooting angle in degrees relative to the object (for example, 15–20° for the product to avoid perspective distortion)
• Depth of field — aperture (f/1.8–f/2.8 for portrait with blurred background, f/8–f/11 for product photography with detailed focus)
• Color correction — specific Lightroom/Photoshop presets, not a description like "bright saturated colors"
• Output format — resolution, file size, color profile (sRGB for web, Adobe RGB for print)

A guideline where instead of this list there is just one word "style — modern and lively", doomed to be interpreted differently by each studio.

Typical mistakes: where brands lose stylistic unity

Analysis of real guidelines (including EuroChem) shows a recurring set of problems — they migrate from project to project because teams do not define the boundaries of acceptable variation.

How to document and implement a photography style in a team

Writing a guideline — half the job. The second half — making sure freelancers, internal designers, and subcontracted studios actually refer to it, not just open the PDF once when signing the contract.

1. Compile all parameters (lighting, angles, presets, file requirements) into a single document with examples "before/after"
2. Place the guideline and reference photos in a digital asset management (DAM) system — this solves the problem of scattered versions and "the last actual file in email"
3. Conduct a test shoot with a new photographer and compare the result with the benchmark for each guideline item separately, not 'by eye as a whole'
4. Prepare ready-made presets for processing so that color correction does not depend on the taste of a specific retoucher
5. Fix a content acceptance checklist — a short list of the above errors, by which the editor checks each batch of photos before publishing

A separate item — neurophoto style, shooting through generative AI tools. Here the workflow is different: first, a visual frame is formed (references, style, composition), then prompts are written for a specific tool, the tool is adapted to the brand style, and at the final stage the result is checked for realism — generated faces and textures often reveal artificial origin upon close inspection.

How the photo style is related to the rest of the visual identity

Photo style does not exist in isolation from the color palette and typography — it either reinforces them or undermines them. If the brand palette is cold and minimalist, and the photos are warm and overloaded with details, the brand visually 'argues with itself' on every medium.

In practice, this means: the color temperature of light in the frame (those 5000–5500K) should correspond to the shades from the brand palette, not be chosen separately. The frame composition should leave room for the logo and text blocks where the layout places them — otherwise, the designer has to manually adjust the cropping each time. And the final check is simple: if you remove the logo from the photo, it should still be readable as belonging to the brand due to light, color, and composition — that is what constitutes a working photo style.