Luxury Hotel Photographer. The Liz McGrath Collection, The Plettenberg, South Africa.

Luxury hotel photography is an art. While Luxury Hotel photographers like Colin Stephenson can make luxury hotel photographs look effortless, being a great commercial hotel photographer not only takes years of training, but also the skills to understand what it takes to visually tempt someone to buy into an entire luxury experience.

Professional Hotel Photography involves making magical images and videos for a luxury audience.

When it comes to a luxury hotel, there are certain features that guests expect — an amazingly comfortable bed, an indulgent spa, sumptuous table settings, a cool, clear pool, etc. That means when you’re photographing these features as a hotel photographer, your goal is not to simply explain that these things exist. Your goal is to evoke a feeling so powerful that the guest puts themselves in that environment.

You want to capture the little details. As a hotel photographer you want to create a yearning for what’s in that photograph. That means broad overview shots that show the entire feature in great light. Intimate, detailed photographs that will stick in the viewer’s mind. Details of the textures and warmth like the fabric design and materials used in the spa, natural elements such as the foliage of flowers and pot plants used in the rooms. For example with photographs of a pool, you want to show human subjects that your viewer can substitute themselves for. You’re trying to convey in the lifestyle photography the things people seek out in a luxury pool — cool, clear water and open space for them to spread out and relax.

Great lifestyle photographs of the staff in action can be an element of luxury hotel photography that really sets your hotel apart. When you’re a luxury hotel, the message you are trying to send to guests about the staff is that they will always be on hand when you need them and be practically invisible when you don’t. That’s what you have to convey when taking staff shots as a professional hotel photographer. You want happy, smiling staff doing their jobs in such a way that keeps the focus on the hotel itself and what it delivers to the guests.

Emotive exterior photographs of your hotel take the lead into your brochure or web page. First impressions are important, and how a hotel looks on the outside sends a message to visitors as to what they can expect when they stay there.

When shooting the exterior of the hotel, Colin Stephenson aims to capture the elements that make the Hotel special and sets it apart. The Plettenberg Hotel facade with its colonial charm and tha amazing views across Formosa Bay set this Hotel apart as a place to dream of spending a holiday.

Photographing the Hotel at different times of day captures how the light changes and affects the look of the structure and the mood of the lifestyle hotel photographs.

Your guests may not even realize it, but the compositions created by a professional hotel photographer like Colin Stephenson will simply draw their eye better and for longer, and they are more likely to entice guests to book a stay.

A luxury hotel needs to show something to its potential clients that is a cut above, and that is where professional hotel photography comes in.

Hire an experienced, acclaimed commercial hotel photographer who knows how to get you the best photographs of your hotel. The hotel photography that will make people say, “I want to be in that image” living the dream.

If you’re interested in exploring the techniques and photo shoot tips mentioned above to explore luxury hotel photography contact Colin Stephenson.

Contact Colin Stephenson to discuss your requirements contact Colin Stephenson, +27 (0)72 601 0985