Digital Doings

A quick guide to photography

By John Hollidge

If a picture tells a thousand words, then a bad picture can be a horror story! We all want to present our guest house accommodation to its best advantage - so a few tips in taking those all important photographs.

I'll assume you're using a digital camera - although even a film image can be converted to a digital file at little cost. These days a digital camera of around 8 mega-pixels is very suitable for our purposes, bearing in mind the small photo size on a web site. The phenomenal light gathering potential of a modern camera means we can use a ‘point and shoot’ compact camera to good effect, although of course an SLR gives more scope for awkward shots, with the facility to use different lenses.

Lights, camera, action!

First step - turn on all the lights! A nice warm glow looks so inviting so don't use flash. Position your camera on a tripod - or at least on a firm surface. The height above the floor is also important. Generally speaking try to have the camera at eye height, although for a bedroom it's better to go a bit lower, about 40cm above the bed height. The bed is the ‘focal point’ and looks inviting if it looks big and soft! Usually shoot from one corner, looking across the bed - and be sure to check the room is looking its best. You'd be surprised what the camera reveals when you ponder over a casually composed photograph! Open all the doors for a ‘roomy’ feel, but close cupboards.

If your camera has a zoom lens, then use the widest angle available to take in as much of the room as possible. The ideal lens focal length for a typical bedroom is around 24mm (for 35mm film) but this equates to only 16mm on a digital camera and is not commonly found. Just use the widest setting you have. Of course, if your digital camera has only a fixed lens, it'll probably be around 35mm and not wide enough - perhaps you can borrow a better camera from a friend! Keep the camera level, and always use the self timer to avoid camera shake when you press the shutter. If you have manual control then use an ISO of around 400, and as large an aperture stop as possible for max depth of field (focus), around F11 or above. Although this will incur a slow shutter, this is no problem if mounted on a tripod. If you're only ‘automatic’ you won't have this luxury, but more important is a rock steady camera. Editing can solve the other items.

The camera never lies?

After obtaining your shot and choosing the best view, it's important to edit the image in a photo editing program on a computer. These programs are inexpensive and can change an ‘average’ image into a stunning presentation to really show off your premises. Focus can be improved, also adjusting the brightness, even changing colours or removing blemishes. “The camera never lies” is no longer true!

Eyes of the customer

Remember, the photos on your website are the ‘eyes’ of your potential client, so spend time in getting it just right. Just one extra booking achieved from good photography can recoup all the expense involved. Two bookings, and you're in profit!

Lastly, do consider the advantages of the new technology to really impress your clients. ‘Virtual Tours’ as they are known allow a moving image of your rooms - as if one is standing in the room looking around. Fully interactive so you can ‘look’ up or down and really see the detail of your accommodation. --------- Happy shooting!

About the author

John Hollidge, director of Universal Sky Pictures Ltd. specialising in high mast, virtual tour and still photography, is well versed in the needs of the serviced accommodation industry as he helps his wife run a B&B at Swiss Cottage in Marlow.

---

Comment on this article and other topics in The Forum

login/register

---

Next Issue

The next issue (no 9) of the newsletter will probably be about malware: viruses; worms; trojans; adware; spyware; and how to protect your computer from these nasties but if you'd like to contribute an article please contact us and we'll send that instead!