Photo & Video Standards

For third‑party marketing vendors and internal content teams. These standards ensure a consistent, luxury presentation of OAK Outdoors projects in the OKC metro and surrounding markets.

Brand Look & Feel

Essentials

  • Visual language: luxury, calm, precise, natural. Showcase craftsmanship, clean lines, and the 60–70% evergreen structure in our designs.
  • Color: realistic, slightly warm; avoid neon greens or oversaturated mulch/stone.
  • White balance targets: day 5200–5600K, overcast 5800–6200K, dusk/night lighting 3200–3800K (lock WB; no auto).
  • Color profile delivery: sRGB for web, Rec.709 for video masters.
  • Composition: uncluttered, strong leading lines, consistent horizons, minimal sky unless it adds value.

Prepare the scene

  • Blow/sweep hardscapes, coil/stack hoses, remove bins, tools, flags, and vehicles; align furniture, fluff mulch.
  • Irrigation off; lighting transformers on schedules for dusk shoots; ensure all fixtures functional.
  • Crew on camera: clean uniforms, PPE where appropriate.

Photography Standards

1.1 Capture Specs

  • Format: Shoot RAW (DNG/CR3/NEF). Deliver processed JPEG (90%+ quality) and 16‑bit TIFF for selects if requested.
  • Resolution: ≥ 24 MP body; final exports at native resolution plus social crops (see §4.5).
  • Exposure control: Manual exposure; enable AE bracketing ±2 EV for high contrast scenes.
  • ISO: keep ≤ 800 (prefer ≤ 400); use tripod.
  • Lens kit: 16–35mm, 24–70mm, 70–200mm; 24mm tilt‑shift preferred for architecture; 90–105mm macro for plant detail.
  • Polarizer: use to remove glare on water/stone/leaves as needed.

1.2 Composition & Angles

  • Heights: primary eye level 36–48" AFG for beds/hardscape; 24–30" for groundcover/edge details.
  • Perspectives: wide (22–28mm) hero, mid (35–50mm) coverage, tight (85–105mm) detail; include at least one orthogonal façade shot with verticals corrected.
  • Before/After protocol: lock tripod position, height, focal length, and framing; note GPS; mark spot with paint dot/ground stake; shoot same time of day if possible.
  • Night lighting: shoot at nautical–civil dusk; bracket; use f/8–f/11 to control starbursts; shield stray glare; wipe lenses frequently.

1.3 Drone (UAS) Standards

  • Compliance: FAA Part 107 pilot, LAANC where required, no flight over people; respect HOA and municipal rules.
  • Altitude & framing: 30–120 ft AGL; favor low, lateral parallax passes (~35–60 ft) to show depth; avoid “straight‑down map” unless documenting layout.
  • Capture: 4K stills or 20MP DNG; 4K video at 24/30 fps. Polarizer/ND as needed.
  • Safety: cone off takeoff/landing; avoid neighbor yards and license plates; no sunrise flights that disturb neighbors.

1.4 Night & Lighting Showcases

  • Turn on all zones; balance transformers; replace dead lamps prior to shoot.
  • Lock WB 3200–3800K; expose to protect highlights on fixtures; bracket ±2 EV.
  • Aim for grazes on bark/stone and overlap washes; avoid direct sources in frame unless shielded.
  • Capture a sequence: wide establishing → path rhythm → uplight texture → detail of fixtures and cable management (where tasteful).

1.5 Required Shot Lists (per project)

Hero (12+)

  • Front curb appeal wide (golden hour)
  • Entry approach sequence (3–4 angles)
  • Backyard living zone wide(s)
  • Night pair (front + rear)
  • Aerial establishing (1–2)

Coverage (24+)

  • Foundation beds, screening runs, specimen trees
  • Hardscape junctions (stone/steel/DG transitions)
  • Drainage inlets/daylight points (clean)
  • Outdoor lighting fixtures (select)
  • Irrigation/drip details (finished, tidy)
  • Before/after series (at least 3 matched sets)

Details (12+)

  • Plant textures (evergreen + flowering)
  • Edging, jointing, fastening, buried‑boulder set
  • Water management (micro swales, catch basins)
  • Controls (transformer, controller) with clean cable management

1.6 Editing & Delivery

  • Color: neutral‑warm, accurate greens; no heavy HDR halos, no crunchy sharpening.
  • Crop for rule of thirds/leading lines; straighten verticals.
  • Output: sRGB JPEG longest edge 4000px (web master), plus 3000×2000 (blog) and 1080×1350 (IG portrait).
  • Provide unwatermarked masters; add watermark only if requested.

2) Video Standards

2.1 Technical Specs

  • Resolution: 4K UHD (3840×2160) master.
  • Frame rates: 24 fps (cinematic), 30 fps (web/GBPs), 60 fps for B‑roll slow‑mo.
  • Shutter: 180‑degree rule (1/48 @ 24, 1/60 @ 30, 1/120 @ 60). Use ND filters to maintain.
  • Profiles: LOG/flat if grading (S‑Log/C‑Log/D‑Log); deliver graded Rec.709.
  • Stabilization: gimbal/IBIS; tripod for interviews.
  • Audio: 48 kHz/24‑bit; dual‑system or camera + lavalier on talent and on‑camera shotgun; wind protection (dead cat). Record room tone.

2.2 Story Formats & Lengths

  • Reel/Short (10–45s): Hook (0–3s), reveal (3–15s), payoff (15–35s), CTA (last 3s).
  • Project Showcase (60–90s): Problem → Process → Reveal → Client line → CTA.
  • Case Study (2–3 min): Client voiceover/interview + B‑roll across day/dusk/night + before/after overlays.
  • How‑To/Behind‑the‑Scenes (30–90s): One micro topic (e.g., drip filter flush) with supertitles.

2.3 B‑Roll Shot List (mix in close, medium, wide)

  • Design reveals: bedlines, specimen placements, privacy screens.
  • Craft: edging install, boulder setting (1/3 buried), clean cable/transformer work.
  • Lighting: aiming at dusk, beam tests, path rhythm.
  • Irrigation: PRV/filter assembly closeups, controller setup, drip flush.
  • Drainage: trench layers/fabric/pipe/rock (safe, tidy views only).
  • Planting: root flare checks, backfill, mulch ring.
  • Crew moments: greetings, layout with strings/paint, final wipe‑down.
  • Aerial: 120→60→30 ft descending parallax + lateral passes.

2.4 Interviews & VO

  • Location: quiet, shaded; backlight subject, add key/fill; avoid mixed color temps.
  • Prompts: What was the client’s pain? What did we design? What changed in daily life?
  • Lower thirds: Use brand fonts/colors; keep text ≤ 38 characters per line, 2 lines max.
  • Captions: Burned‑in for reels; .SRT for YouTube/Vimeo.
  • Audio levels: dialog peak ‑6 dBFS, music bed ‑24 to ‑18 LUFS; final integrated ‑14 to ‑16 LUFS.

2.5 Editing Style

  • Pace: calm and confident; no hyper cuts.
  • Grade: subtle contrast S‑curve; protect highlights; natural greens.
  • Graphics: minimalist; map pins for neighborhoods; short CTA end card.
  • Music: royalty‑free with perpetual web license; no lyrical vocals over dialog.
  • Deliverables: 16:9 master, 1:1 and 9:16 reframes.

3) Legal, Permissions & Privacy

  • Property & model releases required for all identifiable homes/people; minors need guardian signature.
  • Blur or avoid house numbers, plates, neighbor faces/yards; respect HOA rules.
  • Drone: Part 107 compliance, LAANC in controlled airspace, no flights over people/roads.
  • If under NDA, strip GPS/exif from public versions; keep originals archived.

4) Delivery, Naming, Metadata

4.1 Folder Structure

/Projects/2025/ClientName_ProjectCity/
/Photo/
  /RAW
   /Selects
   /Web_Exports
 
/Video/
   /Footage
   /Audio
   /Edits

/Drone
  /Docs (releases, briefs)

4.2 File Naming (examples)

  • Stills: OAK_2025-09-03_OKC-QuailCreek_FrontEntry_WIDE_001.CR3
  • Edits: OAK_2025-09-03_OKC-QuailCreek_FrontEntry_WIDE_001_sRGB.jpg
  • Video: OAK_2025-09-03_OKC-QuailCreek_Broll_PathLighting_4K24_CamA_001.MP4
  • Interviews: OAK_2025-09-03_OKC-QuailCreek_Interview_Homeowner_Take1.WAV

4.3 Metadata (IPTC/EXIF)

  • Title: Project + area (e.g., “Quail Creek Front Entry Redesign”).
  • Description: 1–2 sentences including service keywords (e.g., outdoor lighting OKC, drainage, landscape design).
  • Keywords: neighborhood, city, services, plant stars.
  • Copyright: © OAK Outdoors, Year.
  • Creator/Contact: photographer + hello@exploreoak.com.
  • GPS: include on archive; strip on public if privacy requires.

4.4 Alt Text & Captions (for web/GBP)

  • Alt text pattern: “Front entry with limestone boulder border, evergreen hollies, and path lighting in Oklahoma City.”
  • GBP posts: 2–3 sentences, present tense, include neighborhood/city and service terms; avoid phone numbers per GBP preference.

4.5 Aspect Ratios & Exports

  • Web hero: 16:9 at 2560×1440 (or larger)
  • Blog: 3:2 at 3000×2000
  • Instagram feed: 1:1 (1080×1080) and 4:5 (1080×1350)
  • Stories/Reels: 9:16 (1080×1920)
  • YouTube/Vimeo: 3840×2160 (4K)
  • Sharpening: output‑specific; avoid halos.
  • Watermark: only on request; bottom‑right, 60% opacity.

6) Rights & Usage

  • All work produced is work‑for‑hire unless otherwise agreed in writing. Vendor may use in portfolio 30 days after OAK’s first publish, with project/location anonymized if under NDA.

7) Performance Targets (per project)

  • Stills: ≥ 12 hero, 24 coverage, 12 detail, 1–2 drone.
  • Video: 1 × 60–90s showcase, 2 × 15–30s reels, 1 × 6–10s hook.
  • Turnaround: Stills 5 business days, video rough cut 10 business days (unless otherwise contracted).
  • Quality: No blown highlights in night lighting features; straight verticals; accurate color.

Appendix A — Night Lighting Capture Tips

  • Arrive 60–75 min before sunset; pre‑aim fixtures if needed.
  • Set WB 3400K as start; adjust for fixture temp.
  • Start at f/8, ISO 200, 10–20 s; bracket; use 2‑sec timer.
  • Mask glare sources with hands/flags; reposition to avoid direct bulbs.
  • Include one ambient‑heavy frame and one highlight‑protected frame for blend.

Appendix B — Social Reframe Guide

  • Compose original with 9:16 safe center; leave headroom/footroom for crop.
  • Keep text away from top/bottom 10% of frame; export captions burned‑in for reels.