Rebus Photography Brief: Shot List, Lighting and Locations

Q: What shots should I get for a Rebus photo shoot?

For a Rebus shoot, capture: Each object alone on white, evenly lit, shot square on for a clean cut-out; The same object at three angles so the designer can pick the one that reads fastest; The finished poster pasted on a wall or billboard, shot straight and wide; A close crop where one image sits between two words; A row of posters in a series, each with a different object.

Q: Where should I shoot Rebus photography?

Good locations for Rebus photography include: A white product table or lightbox, A copy stand for small flat items, A city wall or billboard site for the final poster, A plain studio sweep for larger objects like furniture.

SET

The setup

01Light

Soft, even product light from above and in front, with a gentle shadow directly beneath. Every object in a sentence must share the same light direction and the same shadow, or the line looks assembled from stock.

02Wardrobe

None, usually. If a person appears they are an object too: cut out, cropped tight, and placed in the sentence like any other noun.

03Location / first setup

A white product table or lightbox

04Palette

DIR

Director's note

The photograph is a word, so it has to read as fast as one. Choose the most typical view of each object, the one a child would draw, and light the whole set identically. Keep silhouettes simple and unmistakable. Anything that needs a second look to identify should be reshot or replaced with the word.

All 151 director’s notes, printable: Director’s Briefs →

SEQ

Shot list

00 / 05

Tap a pad to mark the frame shot · saved on this device

Each object alone on white, evenly lit, shot square on for a clean cut-outsetup50mm

The same object at three angles so the designer can pick the one that reads fastestsetup50mm

The finished poster pasted on a wall or billboard, shot straight and widewide24mm

A close crop where one image sits between two wordssetup50mm

A row of posters in a series, each with a different objectsetup50mm

Rolling

Take it to set: all 151 briefs as one PDF

LOC

Locations

A white product table or lightboxA copy stand for small flat itemsA city wall or billboard site for the final posterA plain studio sweep for larger objects like furniture

REF

Explore the aesthetic

Style guide Color palette

DOC

About this brief

How do I photograph the Rebus aesthetic?

Shoot the objects as words: flat, clean, the same light, ready to cut out.

Director's note

What shots should I get for a Rebus photo shoot?

Leave with every frame on this list.

Shot list

Each object alone on white, evenly lit, shot square on for a clean cut-out
The same object at three angles so the designer can pick the one that reads fastest
The finished poster pasted on a wall or billboard, shot straight and wide
A close crop where one image sits between two words
A row of posters in a series, each with a different object

What lighting works for Rebus photography?

Light

Where should I shoot Rebus photography?

Scout these before anything else.

Locations

A white product table or lightbox
A copy stand for small flat items
A city wall or billboard site for the final poster
A plain studio sweep for larger objects like furniture

What wardrobe works for Rebus photography?

None, usually. If a person appears they are an object too: cut out, cropped tight, and placed in the sentence like any other noun.

Wardrobe

Omoro Studio · Creative System

Generate shoot references in the Rebus style

Omoro reads your visual references and generates images in your exact aesthetic. Build a mood board before the shoot or create composite references for your client.

Join the waitlist