The internet is the ‘shop window’ for every conceivable item for sale these days and your holiday cottage is no exception.
With so many self catering properties to choose from, knowing how to make yours stand out from the rest is vital. We think that choosing the right images to advertise your property is crucial to its success (or, sadly, failure) so we have put together our top ten tips for holiday cottage photography to help you get the best images for your property.
1 High Resolution Images
Good, quality images means high resolution. However, these can create large file sizes which will slow down your webpage. To get around this, you can compress them using a software image manipulation package like Photoshop for faster image load times on your website without compromising on quality.
2 Good Lighting
No-one wants to stay in a gloomy cottage. Add as much light as possible by taking images on a sunny day or putting on the lights in the room.
3 Fit the Picture and Not the Room
Ensure the items in the room fit into your shot by moving them temporarily. This will create a sense of depth and perspective in your shot.
4 Take More ‘Landscape’ than ‘Portrait’ Size Images
These will fit better on websites displayed on both mobile or desktop friendly devices.
5 Don’t Feel Obliged to Include Every Room
Although you should always try to include an outside image, living, dining areas, kitchen and bedrooms, you don’t need to do bathroom or hallways unless you think they can add value. If you have lots bedrooms, only show the best ones but from different angles, giving the illusion they represent all the bedrooms.
6 Pick Out Key Features
If you have a lovely window seat which lets light flood into the living room, then draw attention to it. Don’t forget that much loved AGA in the kitchen, either! Ask a friend to pick out the key features for you – often you can be too near to see them for yourself!
7 Remove any Unnecessary Clutter
You may have various kitchen appliances, pots and pans you want your guests to notice when they stay in your cottage but put them away when photographing your property. Honestly, less is more when photographing a room – you can always put everything back again once that great shot has been taken.
8 Dress Your Room
Add a few vases of flowers, prepare the table for a meal and even add some home-baked cakes. Carefully choose where your cushions appear on your sofa before taking that shot.
9 Don’t Forget the Garden/Outside Area
Take images of your garden from different angles and ideally when the sun is shining! Try to include garden tables and chairs so potential guests can judge the size of the garden/outside area.
10 Take pictures from Different Heights and Angles
Don’t just take a room picture at the height you usually stand at. Bend down and see the room differently … or get a step ladder!
If you find all the above too time-consuming or tricky then it’s probably time to ..
Hire a Professional Photographer
The above tips and many, many, many more are used by professional photographers every day. They will see your cottage from a different perspective to you and will think of shots you had never thought of. Their equipment will be far superior than your’s too! Remember you are paying for their knowledge, experience and expertise and equipment.
Finally, don’t forget to send us your images to get your holiday cottage listed on your website (it must have an AGA or Rayburn). For a limited time only, there is no charge so just get in touch and we’ll do the rest.
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