Getting started with remote shoots

If you have never done a remote shoot, here is the whole idea in one sentence: a photographer directs a photo session from one place while the person being photographed holds a phone somewhere else, and that phone is the camera. No one travels, no crew shows up, and the photos land online as they are taken. That is it. This post is a gentle on-ramp for someone brand new to the idea — what a remote shoot actually is, the short list of things you need, how a first session flows, and why people choose to work this way. If you later want the deep, comprehensive version, the complete guide to remote shoots is the pillar to bookmark; this is the friendly first read.

What a remote shoot actually is

Picture a normal photoshoot, then remove the requirement that everyone be in the same room. The photographer connects to the session on a screen and directs it live. The subject — the person or product being photographed — has a phone that runs the CLOS app, and that phone becomes the camera. The photographer watches the live view, frames the shot, and presses the shutter, all from wherever they happen to be. What comes back is not a screenshot of a video call and not an AI-generated image; it is a real, full-resolution photograph taken by the phone’s actual camera. The distance is the only thing that changed.

There is one rule worth learning up front, because it clears up most of the confusion. The operator — the photographer or director — can run the session from the web app or the CLOS app on iOS or Android, since directing only needs a screen and a connection. The subject’s phone, the one acting as the camera, must be the CLOS app on iOS or Android — never a browser. So a photographer on a laptop can direct someone shooting on their iPhone, or both people can be on phones. The capture device is always the app.

What you need to start

The list is short, which is the point:

• A phone for the subject. Any modern iPhone or Android with the CLOS app installed. This is the camera.
• A screen and connection for the operator. A laptop, tablet, or phone — anything that opens the web app or the CLOS app.
• A steady spot and decent light. Prop or mount the phone so it stays still, and stand facing a window rather than with the window behind you. That is most of the quality battle, and it costs nothing.
• A CLOS account. Free is $0 and enough to run a real session with shutter, focus, and exposure control at full resolution.

That is genuinely all. No cameras to buy, no lighting kit, no software to learn on the subject’s side. You can see everything the platform includes on the product page, and what each tier adds on the pricing page.

How your first session flows

A first session is easier to picture as four small steps:

1. Invite. The operator creates the session and sends the subject a link. The subject opens the CLOS app on their phone and joins.
2. Phone as camera. The subject props the phone at about chest-to-eye height, faces the light, and holds still. From this point the subject does almost nothing but follow direction.
3. Direct. The operator takes over the camera remotely — setting focus and exposure, framing each shot, and pressing the shutter on their own timing while talking the subject through poses. On Pro, they also reach manual controls like ISO, white balance, and lens switching, plus RAW capture for retouch-ready files.
4. Deliver. Every photo streams straight to the cloud through real-time cloud delivery as it is shot, so you review keepers during the session and download a single image, a selection, or the whole shoot as a ZIP when you are done.

The first time through, most of the surprise is how little the subject has to manage. They hold the phone and take direction; the photographer does the photography.

Who it is for and why people choose it

Remote shoots suit anyone who needs professional photos but not the logistics of gathering everyone in one place. A founder getting a portrait, a store shooting product, a brand directing talent in another city, a creator making content with a photographer’s guidance — all fit naturally. Two use cases to make it concrete: the virtual photoshoot solution shows a general directed session, and the remote product photography solution shows the same idea applied to catalog and listing shots without shipping anything.

The reasons people switch are practical. No travel and no crew to coordinate, which removes most of the cost and scheduling of a traditional shoot. Same-session delivery, because files appear in the cloud as they are captured instead of days later. And a low floor to try it — starting is free, so you can run a real session before deciding whether to upgrade. You keep the professional result because the photographer’s craft is fully intact; you just drop the parts that required everyone to be in the same room.