Imagine you are a marketing director for a hotel chain. You just opened your newest property and need to get new hotel photography taken to update your website, print advertising, and social media profiles. You could hire a freelance photographer, but what if you want someone with expertise in photographing hotels? Someone who knows how to capture the essence of your brand and convey it through their images? That’s where hiring a hotel photographer comes in.
A hotel photographer has the knowledge and experience necessary to photograph hotels in a way that captures their unique style and personality. They understand the importance of staging shots properly, following photography guidelines to reflect the brand, and capturing all the key amenities and features of the property.
Hotel photography is a unique and specialized field
Here are five key points to consider when hiring your professional hotel photographer.
- Photographing new properties is one of the most important aspects of hotel photography
Photos help you showcase the benefits of staying at your hotel and also help to tell its story – one which, if done well, will result in direct bookings. Your photos should showcase your property in the best possible way and be used to highlight some key details and/or unique features of your hotel. - There are many things to consider when photographing a new property
When preparing your property for the photo shoot, you need to consider many things. Time of day is the most important aspect in terms of lighting, but also when is a “low traffic” time for a particular public area. For example, don’t shoot the front desk/lobby during the check-out or check-in times. - Attention to detail is key in hotel photography
This is one of the most important points, especially when it comes to the guestrooms. Your potential customer will notice the small details. Preparing the room and especially making sure the bed linens are ironed and the beds are made with extra attention will impact the final images. - Having a good eye for composition is essential
Knowing what angle is best for a space is key to making that space shine. And moving furniture can go a long way toward the ideally composed image. - Technology has made hotel photography easier than ever before
A professional hotel photographer will come prepared with everything they need to capture the perfect image. One important piece of equipment is being able to view the images large on a laptop or tablet on the spot while shooting. You can zoom into the image to decide on anything that might need changing before capturing the final exposures to create the perfect image.
Featured here is a hotel that I photographed over two visits. One during the winter and one during the summer. The Dakota Dunes Resort is a stunning property and had so many incredible areas to photograph. It was a hotel photographer’s dream. Well…this one anyways. 😉
As a director of sales and marketing, you know that photography is essential for hotel marketing. A skilled photographer can help you create beautiful, eye-catching visuals that will draw in potential guests and help your property stand out from the competition. So if you’re getting ready to open a new hotel, or just want to give your marketing materials a fresh look, be sure to consider enlisting Ingrid Misner, a professional photographer providing exceptional hotel photography to Canada, the USA, and Internationally. You won’t regret it!