1. Borrow or purchase a proper camera
Not every smartphone is suitable for taking quality pictures, but rest assured; it’s not necessary to run to the store to get an expensive single-lens reflex camera. A camera with 12 or more megapixels is fine for taking great pictures. Tip: borrow or buy a tripod to fit your camera on. That way, your pictures are stable and you can change the settings of your camera without having to change its position.
2. Let other people inspire you
If you find it difficult to determine the mood you would like to capture in your pictures in advance, then you can get inspiration from various interior design magazines. In addition, you can let yourself be inspired by the visualisations of other B&Bs, enabling you to create a similar setting with your own means. Do make sure to stay true to yourself, because after all, the personal touch is an important aspect of your bed & breakfast.
Always a good idea: an attractive detailed picture of the bathroom.
3. Prepare your B&B for a photoshoot
It might sound obvious, but make sure your B&B is spic and span before you start your photoshoot. From tightly ironed bed linen and refilled complimentary products, to an inviting breakfast table with fresh bread rolls and toppings. You don’t have to make things prettier than they are, but do make sure to mind the details; casually place a warm blanket over an armrest for example, put fresh flowers on the table, or light some candles.
4. A perfect picture: the bathroom
A bathroom isn’t the easiest of picture subjects, especially when it is small. Nevertheless, it’s important to make proper pictures of it, because potential guests attach great value to a sparkling impression of their temporary bathroom. Make the space as bright as possible, polish the tabs a little extra and maybe add a small plant. Is the space so limited that you can’t take a picture of the entire bathroom? Not a problem; proper detailed pictures of a clean bath, rolled-up towels, or out-of-the-ordinary soaps will go far.
5. Capture the unique features of your B&B
Think about the unique features of your B&B and let your pictures reflect them. A fire place, monumental beams, jars of homemade jam, a beautiful garden, (farm) animals, an extraordinary view… By clearly and charmingly capturing the distinguishing character of your bed and breakfast you can win over indecisive guests.
A picture like this shows your potential guests: kids will have the best time ever here!
6. Light, lighter, overexposed
The most beautiful pictures are made using natural light, therefore always take the incidence of light into account. Make the pictures as bright as possible by opening the curtains and turning on the lights. Be sure not to use the flash of your camera, to prevent the artificial light from reflecting in mirrors or windows. It is also not recommendable to take pictures on a rainy day. Because of the minimal light incidence your pictures will look gloomy, and you don’t want that. Would you also like to take some pictures outdoors? Then choose a sunny day for this as well, preferably one with a clear blue sky. Do watch out for possible overexposure or unwanted shadows from large trees around your B&B.
7. Experiment with different positions and perspectives
You can capture the most part of a room by taking your picture from the doorway or from a corner of the room, this makes the room look bigger. Try not to focus every picture on the middle though, this could result in pictures that are somewhat boring. In addition, try to take pictures from various positions and perspectives: up straight, kneeled or make some pictures while sitting on a stool for example. Don’t forget to make some detailed pictures and closeups in the meantime, this makes your work even more fun and adds more variety to your photo reportage.
Are you serving homemade jam for breakfast? Show it in your pictures!
8. Take as many pictures as possible
With a digital camera you can take as many pictures as possible, so make ample use of this during the photo shoot. Besides experimenting with different positions and perspectives you can also play with the settings of your camera. After the session, you can use your computer to select the most beautiful ones in which your bed & breakfast looks its best.
9. Editing pictures
Take another critical look at the pictures you’ve selected; are the bedrooms still too dark? Are the colours a bit pale? Then Google free-to-download photo editing programs so you can adjust for example the brightness, colour tones, and the size of your pictures.
10. Steal the show on Bedandbreakfast.eu
Of course, we would love to see your brand-new pictures on Bedandbreakfast.eu! Make sure that the dimensions are at least 750 pixels wide and 500 pixels high, with a maximum file size of 20 MB per picture. In the owner service you can simply add 18 general pictures and 4 pictures per room. Place the pictures where you would like them and check whether the main picture looks good on your presentation page for B&B visitors. Do you need help in uploading your pictures? Then feel free to contact us, we love to help!
