hether you are new to working with a professional hospitality photographer or experienced, keeping in mind the
Scout’s motto “Be Prepared” will help give you the greatest bang for a well spent buck.
When a photographer arrives at your inn, they come prepared with cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, laptop, peripherals and props. They should have also arrived with a good understanding of your brand as you’ve been communicating via phone, emails or in person prior to the shoot. You’ve already talked about your current or in the works website and print marketing as it relates to your new photography. You’ve discussed the scope of work for this shoot and put it into a contract — which interior and exterior spaces will be photographed; how many images per space; if the shoot will include “people” shots and who those people will be; what food images to do and where; and the time it will take to complete all of the photography.
Things to keep in mind:
Discuss when will be the best time of day (or evening) to shoot your exteriors. Include ideas for propping and staging in general and if you are looking to the props to help highlight any particular season or activity. You are already on the road to maximizing your photography dollars by allowing the photographer to get right down to the business of shooting when they arrive.
Prior to the shoot, ask the photographer to send a list of suggestions of how to prep your property for the shoot. There are general indoor tasks like making sure windows are clean, floors and carpets swept and vacuumed, useable fireplaces ready for a fire to be lit, window shades all operable… Among others on the general exterior task list are making sure all exterior lights are working, lawns mowed, shrubs clipped, flowers deadheaded.
There are suggestions about linens, toiletries and props you should have on hand and at the ready and some suggestions specific to your particular property and your amenities based on your discussions. Some of this may sound like a no-brainer, but with busy schedules, things can get overlooked ….. If they get to your property and have to start deadheading flowers or ironing linens it takes time away from the hours they have to shoot or it could cost you some extra dollars for Photoshop fixes post shoot. Completing those tasks ahead of time will insure that their timeline stays on track, everything gets done and the inn is photographed when looking its absolute best.
Be prepared and plan ahead for what you are going to do with your digital files after the shoot. A little planning here can go a long way in saving you headaches, time and some money. Not everyone knows about or has the time to learn about how to create different digital file types, resolution, and how to “sharpen” files to make them look their best for their particular placement and size. With your online presence alone — booking sites, Groupon, Living Social, even your own website, all have specific file sizes and types to which your files must conform in order to be used and/or look great. If you don’t know how to do this tech stuff and you will be relying upon your consultants and/or your photographer, speak up in the planning stage. All of us work differently, but consider this, for each selected image included ask your professional to send one master (tiff) file and a medium size jpeg file that has been optimized for the web. That jpeg file is for convenience. That file is all ready to send out immediately with say, an email blast or to post right away on your blog. Maybe though, instead of medium sized ready to use jpeg, you would rather have them make that jpeg one that matches the requirements for one of your booking sites. Now that file can be used on that booking site and on your blog and the cost for the sizing and optimizing that jpeg is covered as part of the shoot.
Being prepared on both ends is great. It can make a shoot stress free and cost effective. But being prepared is also being ready for something to go not as planned. It happens — the plumber can now only be there on the very day a particular room was going to be shot, the forecast which has been for stellar weather turns ugly just as your professional arrives… you know how it can go. So be ready with suggesting something that maybe didn’t make it to the “must photograph this time list” but was on the “would love to also have photographed at some point” list, or ask if there is something they see that would be a great visual for marketing your property or a work around for what was planned.
Keep this checklist in hand for when you decide on your next photo shoot! Planning and being prepared saves you huge money!
by Joanne Pearson
Owner, Fair Haven Photographs
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