Photography for hospitality industry by Sergiy Kadulin Photography
Sergiy Kadulin Photography, founded in 2013, is specialized in professional architectural, interior, landscape and fine art photography. Hospitality industry is my key customer segment. Sergiy Kadulin Photography is based in Kyiv, Ukraine (GMT +2 hr), but I accept assignments worldwide.
Mission
As an art maker, I aspire to continually produce photographic art objects infused with a spirit of excitement and to advance my artistic excellence, technical innovation and creativity skills for the benefits of my customers - individuals, companies and communities. I am building business in which high standards of quality are state of the mind. My vision reaches far beyond just being a good photographer. I capitalise on my desire to become world-class creative talent with broad experience in photography, technology, business, sales and marketing for the benefits of my customers.
Photography for hotels: approach
- What are key business goals for the hotel?
- What does success mean for the hotel? How does management see its future?
- How is this hotel better than its competitors?
- What are customers' feedbacks and concerns?
- What is the most inspiring story of this hotel?
- Who are key audiences of the hotel and what messages does hotel want to tell them?
- What emotional reaction is expected from key audiences when they review images?
- What are growth and development plans of the hotel for coming 12 months and next years?
- What are important features, which need to have visual representation?
- How and where photographs will be used by the marketing and sales department?
- What are branding, style and photography guidelines of the hotel?
- What is current status quo with visual representation of the hotel?
These and many other questions I put on the table at the beginning of each hotel photography assignment. Let me illustrate my approach toward hotel photography with the example of assignment with Mirotel 5* Resort & Spa, located in Truskavets, Ukraine. I did this over-10 days photography session in spring 2015.
The hotel sells rooms and services, but its photographs sell emotions
When travelers search online for the place to stay during their trip, they spend less than 60 seconds on the hotel's web site before deciding if they wish to drop it, or stay and review in more details. It goes without doubt that page design and high quality photographs, which evoke positive emotions, are the only tools to attract attention of the visitor and convert it into potential lead. At the end, this quality of photographs translates into future cash flow and financial success of the hotel.
Hotel photography: building visual story
There are three important areas of hotel photography which needs to be covered to tell a great visual story and win the customer for the hotel:
- Photographs of architectural and interior design of the hotel, to create emotions of comfort, convenience and desire to stay in it. Those images should reflect the most beautiful parts of the hotel, and well represent investments made into planning, construction, design, materials and decoration. These photographs should represent style and quality of the hotel and its facilities, and should never be less attractive than in reality.
- Photographs of people in the hotel, which show which and how services are provided and how happy customers feel while staying and playing in the hotel. Essentially, these images tell compelling visual story of how hotel is used, and much fun it brings to those who decided to spend their money in it.
- Photographs of the surrounding, which create visual story about how hotel fits into local place, how it adds value and beauty to the environment, and what attractions and places of interests its guests will find nearby.
It is important to understand, that each of those three parts might have different visual representation depending on particular audience: for example, same lobby or restaurant may have different photographs depending on which story hotel wants to tell to the guest who stays on business trip or to the family who enjoys vacation. So, while preparing shooting plan, I always remember hotel messages for their key target audiences, and later then I try to reflect them into the visuals.
Here I wanted to show beautiful hand-made, full size wall painting of the restaurant.
Hotel photography: from broad to detailed
When creating architectural and interior photographs, both exterior and interior, I usually plan for three zones, or levels of detail:
- General, broad view of the object, with wide area covered, so that whole area is visible, and interrelations of smaller details within it. Such images are most often created with wide angle lenses.
- Normal view, which is similar to what we see with our eyes, when looking onto some object. Such images tell more details about it, like if you come closer to the object to look at it, however often it show how this particular object relates to other ones nearby. To create these images I use lenses with focus distances of 40-55 mm (on 25-mm DSLR camera).
- Detailed (macro) view, which is what happens when you are really interested in looking at something from the closer distance. Those images are great when I want to tell story about architectural and interior details, design and decor elements, fine materials, branded items, or superb food served in the restaurant.
The difference between a good picture and a mediocre picture is a question of millimetres – small, small difference. But it’s essential. I don’t think there’s so much difference between photographers, but it’s that little difference that counts, maybe. - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Attention to details when creating architectural and interior photographs is paramount. However, it must be complemented with artistic vision and understanding of technical tools how to achieve the best composition and final image quality.
To achieve the best quality of the photograph, very often interior shooting requires use of additional light sources. However, the task of professional photographer is to "build" the image in such a way, that the viewer would not recognize the use of extra light. This approach allows to show best details of the interior, which al the same time utilizing natural light.
Hotel photography: telling story of service
Even the best architectural and interior design of the hotel is useless for the customer if it is not complemented with top notch service offering. Therefore, telling story of broad service offering supported with great images will create positive attitude and expectations from the place. Main task in creating these photographs is to show 'life' as it is, i.e. making them in such a way, that it looks like the photographer is not present in the room.
When potential customers are exposed to love and care while looking at the images on the hotel's web site, they feel excitement and will vote for this hotel with their money.
When creating visual stories about hotel's service facilities, the task of the photographer is to find the best view point and angle from which the story of the subject will be the most complete and interesting. Often, it means using broad spectrum of photo equipment, and specialized tools to help creating necessary composition.
Hotel photography: welcome to spa
It would be a mistake of investing into spa facility and not showing it visually in its best. Spa procedures bring significant value both for the guests and for the hotels, being an important cash flow stream.
Making high quality pictures becomes even more important when spa provides services with expensive equipment and high quality supplies. With the growing level of competition, and the rise of such services, as AirBnB, it might become a key differentiating competitive factor in the local area, and often the choice of the hotel is made based on the quality of spa and medical procedures offering.
The photographs should create mood of comfort and care, positive attitude and pleasure from health procedures.
Attractive, high quality mood pictures evoke emotions and help to sell high value services.
Variety of health care and spa procedures helps to offer different programs and provides extra competitive advantage to the hotel. Make sure to show them off in the best possible way!
Hotel photography: adding medical services
Those hotels which have medical centre or facilities, often benefit from the clients' inflow based on their health care needs. However, competition is growing in this area too, and it gets more and more difficult to differentiate with others. Unique selling point of medicine services should be key focus are for the photographer.
Often description of medical services are difficult to read and understand, and what is more important, customers feel some kind of fear when trying to imagine themselves as visitors of an unknown medical center. Nobody likes doctors. Therefore, it is essential that photographs of medical centre and its facilities show people (staff and patients) who are at ease with using medical services. They do it with smile and pleasure, not with stress.
All unique medical equipment, tools and services should have their visual stories prepared in the best way. Photographs of staff using them during medical procedures should be clear, bright and in focus. No shadows or non-exposed hidden zones. Again, attention to details is very important, both during the shooting and images post production.
Hotel photography: environment
No customer wants to come to the new place and stay 24 hours in the room. Discovery of places of interest, attending local festivals, museums, architectural and historical monuments, local nature parks and other attractions will bring fun to your guests and increase level of their satisfaction from the stay in the hotel. Therefore, hotel must plan which stories of local places of interest will appear on the web site, and then provide high quality engaging photographs to support those stories.
To order hotel photography you may contact me at the mobile +38 (067) 4652907 or E-mail: sk@sergiykadulin.com
To see more works of Sergiy Kadulin Photography, read about my background, list of services and list of clients, see picture galleries and portfolio, please visit my web site.
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