“We need some nice photos” gives a photographer very little to work with. It does not explain who the pictures are for, what they should communicate or what would make the job successful. I would rather start with a short, useful brief than a long document full of visual adjectives.
A good brief gives the photographer enough information to make decisions. It should also leave room for observation and ideas on the day. Specifying every pose in advance can prevent a better photograph from happening.
Start with the use, not the camera
Describe where the images will appear. A website banner, a small printed leaflet and a set of social posts require different shapes and amounts of detail. Say whether text will sit over the image and which parts of a design must remain clear.
Then describe the audience and the message. For an imagined independent workshop, that might be showing prospective visitors what the space feels like and how a session works. That is much more useful than requesting something “modern and engaging” without further explanation.
Separate essentials from possibilities
List the images that genuinely must exist: a clear view of the space, particular people, a product detail or a planned group photograph. Mark which can only happen at a specific time. Keep a second list of optional ideas or visual references.
This distinction helps when time changes. If an activity runs late, the photographer can protect the essential coverage rather than guess which of twelve apparently equal requests matters most. It also makes later selection less subjective: an attractive image can still miss a necessary requirement.
Use references to explain a quality
A reference image should come with a sentence about what you like. It might be the light, the amount of space around the subject, the quiet colour palette or the informal interaction. Without that explanation, the photographer may copy the wrong characteristic.
I would also mention what does not fit. You might want the reference's natural light but not its highly polished setting. References are a shared language, not a promise to recreate another person's photograph or a substitute for understanding the actual location.
Include the practical details
Provide the date, location, access times and a reliable contact. Explain any restrictions, which areas are available and who can approve changes on the day. For people photography, agree how participants' preferences and any required permissions will be managed.
Set out the intended usage, delivery deadline and how selections will be approved. Agree any rights or additional uses in writing with the photographer; do not assume that receiving a file settles every future use. This is an agreement to clarify, not a detail to discover after printing has been booked.
Make the handover measurable
Ask for appropriate delivery formats and a sensible way to identify files. If several crops are required, name the actual placements and dimensions where known. “Suitable for everything” is not a specification, and a single crop rarely serves every layout equally well.
Before sending the brief, read it as someone who has never met you. Can they identify the purpose, the essentials, the constraints and the decision-maker? If so, it is probably useful. You can then discuss creative possibilities with fewer assumptions, and plan the necessary crop variations before the opportunity has passed.