Our Top Ten Photo Tips
Having great photos of your space can improve your listing and have a positive effect on guest interest and bookings. We have many brilliant examples of how new photos can improve business, The Nancy Blackett have seen an increase of 24% in bookings revenue since they uploaded new photos in June last year. Similarly, Stargazers Wagon have seen a 46% increase and Under the Oak 32%. This goes to show that sprucing up your site really is worth the time and effort!
1. Beautiful shots impress guests
Use a proper digital camera, not a mobile phone! Better still, get a kind friend with an interest and skill in photography to take the photos for you – or even a professional photographer.
2. Lighting and the golden hour
Lighting is one of the most important factors in getting that perfect shot! An hour before and after sunrise and sunset are the best times of the day for capturing beautiful landscape shots with spectacularly colourful skies. Avoid overcast or cloudy days.
3. People vs people-free?
For listing photos, we tend to use photos that don’t have people on site. However, we always encourage our owners to create a video that has footage of people using your site and showing off all your activities! We also love using people led photos in social media content so don’t be afraid to send them over to us.
4. Pay attention to detail
Keep the photo simple and uncluttered, but make sure beds are perfectly made and linen is crisp, and cushions and rugs are straight. All of these little touches will make your photo look great aesthetically and more welcoming for potential guests browsing your listing!
5. Take landscape shots
That’s where the photo is wider than it is tall. The photos we use for our gallery are 580 pixels wide by 27p pixels high, but we can crop these ourselves. Good portrait ones can be useful for sending to press, so feel free to send those as well.
6. Take informative shots
Pictures of the exterior, interior and surroundings are hugely important and allow guests to get a good feel for a place. Focus on showing guests the important bits, with only a few detailed close-ups of the things that make your place really special.
7. Straighten up
Make sure your camera is parallel with the ground when taking the photo. Images that are offset look unprofessional and haphazard. For the best results use a tripod.
8. Set the scene
You could add flowers, a bottle of wine, or light a fire, lay a nice book or magazine on the bed or table, stage a scrabble game midway through etc. Help guests to visualise how nice it would be to stay there. Open curtains to maximise natural light during the day and make it look nice and cosy at night!
9. Seasonal shots
Schedule in a few photography sessions throughout the year, capturing your space at its best across the seasons. We can rearrange your photography gallery to reflect the time of year and help you get seasonal PR coverage.
10. Avoid blurry photos
Not only do they look amateur, they obscure any detail you might want to show. Keep your photos focussed and crystal clear. You want to show off your site’s best side!
If you are looking to get your photos taken professionally we would recommend Iris Thorsteinsdottir. Iris is a Bristol-based photographer who has shot a handful of spaces in our collection. We love Iris’ natural style and her pictures always come out perfectly. You can see examples of her work on our website, including her photos of our very own Crane 29 as well as those at The Nancy Blackett, Candyland Studios and Under the Ash/Oak.
Taking time with your photographs can ensure you’re showing off all the best aspects of your space. We also advise our Owners to use videos with their listing, as this is another way to bring your space to life and in turn, entice potential guests. If you are thinking of directing your own video, do give our video tips a read before you start!
