Photo Shoot Call Sheet Template (Free, Built Look by Look)

Free photo shoot call sheet template: header, contacts, crew and talent calls, schedule by look, location, parking, hospital and weather, with an example.

By the CreativeBase team · Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read

This is a free photo shoot call sheet template: ten tables you can copy into Docs, Sheets or Excel, filled in with a sample lookbook day. It runs look by look, not scene by scene, because that is how a photo day actually moves.

In short:

A photoshoot call sheet answers three questions for every person: when, where, and what gets shot in what order.

Build the schedule from the looks list, then stagger talent calls around hair and makeup.

Send it the night before and get a confirmation from everyone.

The example is fictional: a one-day spring lookbook for a made-up brand, "Harbor & Pine", in a made-up Miami studio. Swap in your own job.

1. Header

Field	Example
Production	Harbor & Pine, Spring 27 Lookbook
Job code	HP-SS27-01
Client	Harbor & Pine (fictional)
Production company	Your company name
Shoot date	Thursday, March 4
Day	Day 1 of 1
Crew call	7:30 AM
First shot	9:15 AM
Lunch	12:30 PM
Estimated wrap	6:00 PM
Looks today	12 (Looks 01 to 12)
Version	v2, sent March 3, 6:00 PM

Put the crew call in large type. The first assistant reads this at 6am with one eye open.

2. Key contacts

Role	Name	Phone	Email
Producer	Dana Reyes	(305) 555-0142	dana@example.com
Photographer	Theo Marsh	(305) 555-0178	theo@example.com
Client contact (on set)	Priya Lal, Brand Manager	(305) 555-0119	priya@example.com
Art director	Sam Ortiz	(305) 555-0163	sam@example.com
Studio manager	Front desk, Bayline Studio	(305) 555-0100	desk@example.com

All names and numbers are fictional. Use the 555-01xx range for any example you publish.

3. Crew call times

Department	Role	Name	Call time	Notes
Camera	Photographer	Theo Marsh	8:00 AM
Camera	First assistant	Jules Park	7:30 AM	Light the cyc for Look 01
Camera	Digital tech	Ana Cruz	7:30 AM	Tether station and client monitor by 8:45
Wardrobe	Stylist	Marco Bell	7:30 AM	Steam Looks 01 to 06 first
Wardrobe	Stylist assistant	Lea Stone	7:30 AM	Rack in look order, tag each hanger
Hair and makeup	HMU artist	Rosa Diaz	7:30 AM	Kit set up by 7:55
Hair and makeup	HMU assistant	Kim Avery	8:30 AM	Second chair for Model B
Production	Producer	Dana Reyes	7:15 AM
Production	Production assistant	Eli Grant	7:00 AM	Coffee, breakfast, open load-in
Client	Brand manager	Priya Lal	9:00 AM
Client	Art director	Sam Ortiz	8:45 AM

4. Talent

Talent	Agency	Call time	HMU	On set	Looks	Wrap
Model A, Nia	Agency contact on file	7:45 AM	8:00 to 9:05	9:15 AM	01, 02, 03, 07, 08, 11	4:30 PM
Model B, Owen	Agency contact on file	9:00 AM	9:15 to 10:15	10:30 AM	04, 05, 06, 09, 10, 12	6:00 PM

Stagger the second model so they leave the chair about when the first model's opening block wraps. The camera never waits.

5. Schedule by look

Time	Look	Talent	Products / SKUs	Set	Crops	Notes
8:45 AM	Test	Stand-in		White cyc		Light and colour check, client approves
9:15 AM	01	Nia	HP-201 linen shirt, HP-310 trouser	White cyc	4:5, 2:3	Hero look. Allow 30 min
9:45 AM	02	Nia	HP-205 knit polo, HP-310 trouser	White cyc	4:5, 2:3	Same hair
10:05 AM	03	Nia	HP-220 overshirt, HP-315 short	White cyc	4:5, 2:3
10:30 AM	04	Owen	HP-230 jacket, HP-320 chino	White cyc	4:5, 2:3, 16:9	Banner crop, leave room left
10:55 AM	05	Owen	HP-231 shirt, HP-320 chino	White cyc	4:5, 2:3
11:15 AM	06	Owen	HP-240 tee, HP-325 short	White cyc	4:5, 2:3
11:35 AM		Both				Set change to sand paper backdrop
11:50 AM	07	Nia	HP-250 dress	Sand backdrop	4:5, 2:3	Hair down
12:10 PM	08	Nia	HP-251 dress, HP-410 sandal	Sand backdrop	4:5, 2:3, 1:1	Detail shot of sandal
12:30 PM	LUNCH	All				30 minutes, catered
1:00 PM	09	Owen	HP-260 linen suit	Sand backdrop	4:5, 2:3, 16:9	Hero look. Allow 30 min
1:30 PM	10	Owen	HP-261 shirt, HP-330 trouser	Sand backdrop	4:5, 2:3
1:50 PM		Both				Move to daylight window set
2:05 PM	11	Nia	HP-270 shirt dress	Window set	4:5, 2:3	Natural light, before 3:30
2:30 PM	12	Owen	HP-280 knit, HP-335 short	Window set	4:5, 2:3
2:50 PM	Pairs	Both	Looks 02 + 05	Window set	4:5, 16:9	Campaign pair, 40 min
3:30 PM	Pickups					Client favourites, detail shots
5:00 PM	Wrap shooting					Digitech makes two backups
6:00 PM	Crew wrap					Studio cleared

Times include changeovers: about 10 minutes for a wardrobe change with the same hair, 15 for a set change.

6. Location

Field	Example
Studio	Bayline Studio, Stage 2 (fictional)
Address	1200 Example Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Load-in	Rear roll-up door on the alley, from 7:00 AM
Freight	Ground floor, no elevator needed
Wi-Fi	Network and password posted at the front desk
Holding	Green room for talent; HMU station by the window
Studio rules	No food on the cyc. Shoes off on the white floor.
Overtime	Studio overtime starts at 6:00 PM, billed hourly

7. Parking

Field	Example
Crew parking	Lot behind the building, spaces marked "Stage 2"
Gate code	Shared in the email to each person, not on the PDF
Wardrobe van	Park at the roll-up door to unload, then move to the lot
Overflow	Street parking on Example St, metered until 6:00 PM
Rideshare drop-off	Front entrance on Example Ave

Keep gate and door codes out of a PDF that might get forwarded. Put them in the personal message.

8. Nearest hospital

Field	Example
Hospital	Example General Hospital, Emergency Department
Address	500 Example Blvd, Miami, FL 33136
Phone	(305) 555-0190
Distance	About 3 miles, 10 minutes by car
First aid kit	At the production table by the door
Emergency	Call 911 first, then the producer

9. Weather and sun

Field	Example
Forecast	Partly cloudy, 10% chance of rain
High / low	81°F / 68°F
Wind	8 mph from the east
Sunrise	6:43 AM
Sunset	6:33 PM
Daylight work	Window set planned from 2:05 PM to 3:30 PM for soft side light

These sun times are illustrative; look up yours. Weather matters even indoors: it decides a rainy load-in, how the van is packed, and whether the window set gets the light you promised the client.

10. Notes for departments

Department	Note
Wardrobe	Product returns to the client at wrap, packed by look. Do not remove tags.
Hair and makeup	Natural skin, soft brow. Reference board shared in the brief.
Digital tech	File naming: HP-SS27_Look##_####. Client favourites tagged with one star.
Catering	Breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 12:30. One vegan, one gluten free.
Client	Client monitor at the tether station. Feedback goes through the art director.
Photos on social	No behind-the-scenes posts before the launch date.

How to fill in the template

Fill in the looks first. The schedule hangs on them. No looks list yet? Our guide to producing a photo shoot shows how to build one.
Work talent calls back from the first shot. First shot, minus hair and makeup, minus about 15 minutes.
Place lunch within six hours of crew call. Union agreements often require it, and it is good practice on any set (Storiara on meal penalties).
Add logistics last: address, parking, hospital, weather and sun.
Send it the evening before and get a confirmation from each person. The full routine is in how to make a call sheet.

What every photo shoot call sheet needs

Crew call and first shot, in big type
A version number and the time it was sent
One call time per person, not per department
Talent calls staggered by hair and makeup
A schedule by look with SKUs, set and crops
Lunch within six hours of crew call
Address, load-in and parking
Nearest hospital with an ER
Sunrise, sunset and forecast
An on-set client contact and who gives feedback

Common mistakes

One call time for everyone, so HMU and the photographer stand around together
No changeover time, so the 3pm look shoots at 4:30
Gate codes printed on a PDF that ends up in a group chat
No version number, so half the crew works off Tuesday's sheet
The window set planned for after the light has gone
No confirmation asked for, so you find out at 7:31 who did not read it

Make it in CreativeBase

The table above works fine on its own. A call sheet rebuilt from a blank page every shoot is work you redo next week, though. In CreativeBase it comes from what the production already holds, which is the point of having one system behind the work.

Looks build the day. The looks list holds each look's products, talent, wardrobe, set, crops and minutes. Set the hair and makeup lead time and the run of show is laid out with a lunch block, time per look and talent call times.
Crew from your Directory. Add people from your crew book, grouped into 11 departments, each with their own call time. Need a second HMU? Send an availability check to three artists and book the one who says yes.
Details fill in. Forecast, sunrise, sunset and the nearest hospital come in for the address, and you can edit them. The readiness bar flags what is missing, like lunch past the six-hour mark.
Each person confirms. Everyone gets an email with their own call time as the headline and confirms with one tap on any phone, no account. Export a PDF in one of three templates.
Crew Pass. Each booked person gets a link with only their days, and after wrap the same link collects their invoice and W-9.

Limits: the forecast reaches about 16 days out, and Grizzo, the AI assistant, can read a call sheet but does not build or send one. Producers use CreativeBase on a computer. Accounts start with a short call where pricing is set, and if you want to try it first, your first production is free.

Questions people ask

What goes on a photo shoot call sheet?

The date and job, key contacts, each person's call time, a schedule built look by look, the address with parking and load-in, the nearest hospital, and the weather with sunrise and sunset. Add department notes for wardrobe, catering and file naming.

How is a photoshoot call sheet different from a film call sheet?

A film call sheet is organised around script scenes. A photoshoot call sheet is organised around looks, products and sets, and talent calls are staggered by hair and makeup time instead of by scene.

How early should talent be called before the first shot?

Call each model for the length of their hair and makeup plus about 15 minutes. If HMU takes an hour, a model called at 8:00 is ready to shoot around 9:15.

When should I send a photo shoot call sheet?

Send the final version the evening before the shoot and ask everyone to confirm. For a shoot with many looks, share a draft two or three days earlier with the stylist and HMU.

Is this call sheet template free?

Yes. Copy the tables into Google Docs, Sheets, Word or Excel and replace the example details with your own. No account needed.