First impressions matter
The photos you take of your accommodationare your shop window to the world, but are you doing your best to make your property look great?
Professional photography can be expensive, so before you go down that road, try these simple steps to take photographs that will make guests want to visit you.
1. Take a good range of images
Most websites will allow you to display multiple images, so start planning your portfolio now. Your main set of property photos should contain at least 20 high-resolution images. Show different room types, including a bathroom. Definitely include at least one good shot of the exterior of the building, shared areas, breakfast room, garden and facilities.
2. Keep the photos relevant
Pictures of well-known local landmarks won’t help potential guests choose what's special about your accommodation so keep these to a minimum. The one exception to this rule is beautiful views of the sea or local mountain range from your actual property to capture the viewer's attention. Likewise, quirky close-ups of certain features don't really work, unless they specifically highlight a key asset of a guests' stay.
It's a nice image, but is it your nice image?
3. Get the light right
Always take your photos in the daytime in good natural light with the main source of light behind you. Avoid getting your shadow into the shot – the same goes for accidentally showing your reflection in a mirror or highly polished surface. Also, avoid using any flash settings – it's not a way to correct bad lighting. You'll get reflections you don't need and, believe it or not, flash will make some areas of the room darker than you intended. If it helps, turn the lights on, including side and bedside lights.
Too much light in front of you can be detrimental
4. Tell a story
Go one further than simply tidying up – create a story with your image. It doesn't have to be complicated – fresh flowers in a vase will make all the difference to how a room feels and looks. Try to imagine how people will use your property. For example, if you have a doorway that leads out into the garden, then experiment with opening it to give more space to the scene and show how it might be used on a beautiful summer's day.
5. Tidy up
This seems like a no brainer, but you'd be surprised how many owners forget this simple idea. Clean the area throroughly and check that all windows and mirrors are polished. Finish off any decoration work you have pending – it could make all the difference.
Small details matter – make that bed!
6. Include people?
That's up to you. Most don't and that's because the prevailing idea is to let the viewer imagine how they would enjoy your accommodstion. If you do include people, stay away from guest-submitted photos – they rarely work and won't appeal to all prospective guests. Definitely get permission from anyone you might include in a photograph. Some establishments use models and have professional photos taken – that's up to you and it can work if you are aiming for a specific part of the market.
7. Remember to use high-resolution images
Your images need to look great on any screen size. Keep a set of high resolution images for marketing purposes which you can send out for use in print and on websites.
If you need to make them smaller for use on the web, always keep the original set of images separate – that way you'll never accidentally copy over your most valuable assets with a poorer, low resolution version. A common mistake is to re-use an image that was originally intended for a much smaller use.
No one will want to visit this property – get the resolution right
8. Play with your camera’s settings
Don't be afraid to experiment. If you’re in a room that has little natural light, increase the brightness (sometimes known as the ISO setting). Phones and digital cameras can hold hundreds of images, so take lots of photos, experiment with different angles and settings and then use your best 20 shots.
9. Landscape not portrait
Nearly every website you'll come across requires landscape format images. They fill the screen better and won't distort when websites try to make them fit a pre-designated space.
10. Work on them later
There's no shame in a little light photo editing after you've taken your photos. For example, you might need to adjust the brightness and contrast or crop somehting out that you didn't see when you took the image. Take lots of images and discard those that don't make the grade.
Artistic maybe, but is it going to help promote your property to potential guests?
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