The questionnaire questions that prevent shoot-day surprises — for weddings, portraits, and branding sessions — plus when to send each one and how to keep completion rates high.
Every shoot-day surprise was once a question you didn't ask. The divorced parents who can't stand next to each other, the surprise proposal during the reception, the CEO who hates their left side — all of it is knowable two weeks early, for the cost of a form.
TL;DR: Send three questionnaires per job, not one: a short qualifier at inquiry (3–5 questions), a planning questionnaire after booking (10–20 questions, due two weeks before the shoot), and a one-minute feedback form after delivery. Ask about people and moments, not just logistics — "who matters most in these photos?" produces better coverage than any shot list. Keep forms under 20 questions; completion collapses beyond that.
Three moments, three different forms:
| Stage | Length | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiry | 3–5 questions | Qualify: date, location, type, budget range, how they found you |
| Post-booking | 10–20 questions | Plan: people, timeline, locations, must-have moments, sensitivities |
| Post-delivery | 3–4 questions | Learn: satisfaction, review request, referral prompt |
The post-booking form is the one that saves shoots — send it with the prep-stage documents about two weeks out, so answers arrive while the timeline can still change.
The questions that change how you shoot:
Portraits: who's being photographed (names/ages), what the images are for, wardrobe plans, any self-consciousness to shoot around, and what "the photo we'll frame" looks like in their head. For branding sessions: where the images will run (site, LinkedIn, ads — this sets crop and orientation needs), brand colors, existing visual references they like, and the shot list of business activities to depict.
Four rules: keep it under 20 questions, make it mobile-friendly, give it a real deadline tied to the shoot ("due March 3 so your timeline is final by March 10"), and send one automatic reminder. Completion is a system property, not a client virtue — a form that lives behind a login, or arrives as a Word attachment, will not come back.
Questionnaires in Booksui attach to the job and the client portal: send templates per session type, answers land on the job record next to the timeline and shot list, unfinished forms remind automatically, and nothing lives in a separate forms tool you have to reconcile. See the FAQ for how questionnaires fit the client portal.