One of the most important parts of your Holiday rental advert are your photos. Alongside a small piece of text in the search page of the site; your photos will be what attract a potential holidaymaker to your advert.
The old proverb: "A picture paints a thousand words", has never been truer. A gallery of well-taken photographs of your property can really paint an ideal picture of the perfect holiday!
Hiring a professional photographer could make great business sense, as they usually charge between £60 - £100 per hour; considering this investment may increase the future earnings potential of your property. However, not everyone can afford a professional photographers and most people now own a digital camera, so with a few pointers and a bit of advice, it may be worth the saving to take the images yourself and take satisfaction that the image created is your handy work:
- Camera type - A digital camera capable of taking high-pixel images is recommended. You can view, edit and transfer images direct from the camera to your property advert and delete any unwanted photos.
- Using existing light - Photographs are best taken on bright sunny days, this applies for both internal and external shots. Images with clear skies and bright airy rooms are far more appealing than grey cloud and 'dingy' dark shots. Early morning or early evening are ideal times to taking photographs, especially for external shots.
Important; make sure that the sun is behind you when taking photos outside, to avoid over-exposure. Only use 'flash' on your internal shots if you really have to.
- Inside and outside - Holidaymakers want to see everything your property has to offer. So, if you have beautiful gardens, panoramic views or an infinity pool: photograph it!
Never just Rely on internal photographs when renting your holiday home, even if you do have a terrific kitchen or state of the art shower room. Holidaymakers want to know what's on the outside too. So, if you don't have the perfect garden, but you do have sea views, shoot it. Likewise, if you are near to places of interest, include images in your property add.
- Staging your property - Before taking photographs, make sure that your property is clean, tidy and free from clutter and personal belongings (such as family photographs). Create a really inviting atmosphere by:
- Adding cushions and throws to sofas and beds,
- Turn on side lights and lamps
- Lighting open fires and stoves
- Adding a vase or two of fresh flowers
- Setting the dining table and add a bowls of fruit
- Setting patio furniture out for alfresco dining
- Focal points - If your property has unique selling points, taking advantage of these and photograph them, whether it be an open fire, four poster bed or landscape gardens. If you've got it flaunt it! this could be the deciding factor for the holidaymaker.
- Room shots - Try not to shoot straight towards a wall. Rooms always look larger when taken from a corner or diagonally from a lower angle; much as things looked larger when you were a child, photos taken from a lower angle can make a room look larger. Take shots from a higher angle outside by using a stepladder, you can create a panoramic view of a pool area or patio area.
- Including people? - This is a personal choice, but in our professional opinion the answer is no! although you may feel that images of people enjoying your holiday home would appeal to others, this could have an adverse effect. Creating a blank canvas for people to imagine their ideal holiday, with fresh, clean images works.
- Timeless images - try not to include dates and times on your photos as this can create an image that your property hasn't been updated since the photographs were taken.
- Four seasons - If you let your holiday home all year round, make sure that you take photographs at different times of the year. Holidaymakers booking for the summer season don't want to see snow scenes and Skiers looking for a winter break don't want to see rolling green fields either!
