How to use your photo gallery to boost bookings
Enticing photos help your bach stand out from the competition. Here’s how to use images to boost your bookings.
By Rosalind Le Bas Walker
Afternoon sun brightens up a Northland bach
A great night shot with an inviting spa pool
A brand new kitchen deserves a new photo
If your bach has stunning views, make this clear in your photos
Show at least one bedroom in your listing
Interior shots are just as important as scenery
When someone is searching for a bach online they have hundreds of options available at the click of a mouse. They will select or eliminate possible properties within seconds, based largely on the photos they see.
Your bach photos should create an instant emotional response, where the viewer can imagine being there on holiday and think, “Wow! That looks idyllic/relaxing/romantic/secluded/stylish/ great for the kids.”
Of course it’s also essential that they’re true representations of your property. Real estate listings might occasionally try to reel people in by concealing undesirable features of a house; do that with a bach listing and you’ll only end up with renters who won’t return or, worse, will post what they saw as unpleasant surprises in your guest book.
Take a look at other listings on Bookabach and decide for yourself what works and what doesn’t.
The first step is to consider your bach’s best features. Is it the view? The cosy fireplace? The children’s outdoor play area? Proximity to the beach? The double-headed shower with a view to the stars? Whatever it is, you’ll need to figure out how to best capture this feature.
Secondly, you can display up to 12 photos to your listing, so why limit yourself to fewer than 12? Take as many as you can, and show the best 12. The more photos you have, the more rental enquiries you’re likely to get.
Include both interior and exterior shots. Photos of the beach down the road are fine, but people expect some detail about where they’re staying, too. Leave these out and you could miss out on bookings because people may think you’re hiding a below-average interior.
Include photos of at least one bedroom, the main living area, kitchen and bathroom. If your bach has great views, show these off - and make it obvious that they are views you can enjoy from the lounge, or bedroom or deck, rather than a generic scenery shot.
Call in the experts
If you’re not a great photographer yourself, think about delegating the job to someone who is. That could be friend or family member who’s handier with the camera than you are, or a professional.
When you’re hiring the services of a photographer, ask to see their images and get verbal references from people who had similar requirements to yours. Ensure your photographer is competent at shooting interiors.
Bookabach has partnered with PhotoPlan to provide 2D and 3D floorplans, plus up to 20 high-quality photos.
If PhotoPlan isn't available in your area, expect to pay around $200-$400 for a professional shoot — which works out to a couple of nights’ rental for the average holiday house. In remote areas, if there are no local photographers, you may need to pay extra for travel time.
Shooting outdoors
Photographs taken in the early morning or late afternoon will often look more enticing as the light is softer. The hours before sunset and after sunrise produce a romantic light with an ethereal edge — perfect for getting that emotional reaction from your viewers.
A reasonable quality point-and-shoot digital camera may suffice for outdoor shots. Have the sun behind you and try to have your subject in the sun.
Set the camera on the highest resolution. You won’t need high-res images for your online listing, but you may be asked to provide them for an article in a magazine and it’d be a shame to miss out on the free publicity. You can always reduce the size of the photo but you can’t increase it.
Mow the lawns before your shoot, advises chief photographer of NZ Listener, David White, a multi-award winning photographer.
“People seem to love clipped grass, and always do your shots in summer when the flowers are in bloom and there are no damp patches,” he says. When shooting your house, David suggests waiting until the sun is shining directly on it. A bright photo of a bach, close to the water, with a fenced section is enough to entice the father-of-two for a weekend away.
Interior images
Interior shots are more difficult to get right, but they’re just as important. “Too often we see photos of a bedroom showing a corner of a room or a bathroom showing a slice of a vanity and a few shampoo bottles,” says Kane Murray of Photoplan. “This does not help sell a property.”
When photographing your interior, he suggests you take photos of your home’s selling points.
“Remove clutter and let as much light as possible into rooms. Shoot from the corner of a room and include just two walls in your shot. Include dining table or lounge suite etc if appropriate, but don’t make them the centerpiece of your photo.”
“Remember you are not selling your furniture, you are selling the lifestyle,” Kane says.
Do
- Use a tripod to avoid ‘camera shake’ when you want soft lighting instead of full flash.
- Place the main focus point one or two thirds up or down the photograph for a stronger image.
- Ensure your horizon is straight. A building that looks as though it’s on a slope doesn’t convey the right impression to anyone.
- Include photos of people enjoying themselves.
- Refresh your gallery. When you add a new feature to your bach, add it to your listing. This could be anything from a new kitchen to a show of spring bulbs.
- Update your technology. Every couple of years, update your photos, especially if you have access to a better camera. If your listing currently has 280 x 210 pixel photos, now’s the time to replace them. Small, grainy images will compare unfavourably to high-resolution photos on other listings.
- Your listing display photo should be the one that’s the best advertisement for your property.
- Add captions to your photos.
Don't
- Take photos with your camera on its side. Bookabach does not currently support ‘portrait format’ photos.
- Use a mobile phone to take your photos.
- Is a photo of the toilet really essential? (Okay, if it has spectacular views it may be worth including.)
- Modify your images. The photos on our website need to reflect reality, so we don’t include photos that have been digitally manipulated. See our help file.
