Hotel, restaurant and brand photography: scope, process and delivery

A shoot for a hotel, restaurant or brand means producing photography and video that keep the character of the place and fit the business’s promotion and communication needs. If you want a consistent visual language for your website, booking channels, social media and press work, this article explains concretely how we work.

Our services are not limited to particular headings. You can also come to us with your own idea or a different project request; we assess the need together and build the right shoot and production plan.

What do we shoot?

A business’s content falls under a few headings; we decide together which of them you need:

• Place and architecture: rooms, lobby, terrace, pool, shared spaces. The same space photographed at different times of day gives different results, so we plan in advance where the light turns.
• Product and menu: food, drinks, the breakfast table, product and detail shots.
• Events and moments: an opening, a launch, a private dinner, a conference.
• From the air (drone): frames that show the scale of the property and its surroundings.
• Corporate introduction: team portraits, the business’s story, e-commerce and product images; architectural, real-estate and tourism promotion.

What each business needs from these differs. For a boutique hotel, architecture and atmosphere lead; for a restaurant, the menu and evening light; for an event brand, the moments.

The services are not tied together

Photography, camera video, drone, crew and other services are not sold as one compulsory bundle in every project. You can ask for photography only, video only, or another combination. Drone footage is not automatically included in every project; when it is wanted, it is shot by me or by my team depending on the project, and we discuss and agree the scope of the team in advance. Scope and price depend on your expectations, the shoot duration, the team and the services needed. This flexibility makes it easier to build a plan that fits your business.

One-off shoot, or monthly or seasonal planning?

There are two different needs. Sometimes a business needs a one-off visual archive for a specific purpose: a newly opened hotel, a renewed menu, a website to be updated. We plan that in the right light of the season and set the scope according to the project; the shoot duration is not fixed and changes with the need.

Cappadocia changes with the seasons. Snow-covered fairy chimneys in winter and a balloon-filled summer sky show the same hotel very differently. That is why, with businesses that want it, we can plan monthly or seasonal shoots, so that content for each period is ready in its own light. I explain what each season adds in which season for a Cappadocia photoshoot.

How we work

Every project has a different scope, so the flow differs too; the general framework is:

1. Defining the needs: we talk about the business’s goal, the channels where the images will be used (web, social media, press, campaigns), the services you want and the calendar. The checklist for preparing your brief can help at this stage.
2. Assessing the venue and planning the light: we plan which area to shoot at which time of day. We do not assume the same kind of physical visit or a fixed length of work in every project; that is set per project.
3. The shoot: we decide on the way of shooting together with the business. Some businesses want moments recorded from a distance without disturbing the flow; others want guidance in certain areas or prepared scenes. The two can be combined as needed.
4. Delivery: the delivery calendar runs separately for unedited photographs, edited photographs and videos (below).

How does delivery run?

Every photograph taken during the shoot is shared as unedited JPEG: on the day of the shoot if possible, otherwise by the evening of the next day. The business chooses the photographs to be edited: from the frames we send, the agreed number is selected and communicated to us, and the editing is done from that selection. The one-month editing period starts on the date the selection is communicated; edited photographs are delivered no later than one month after that date, and can be delivered sooner depending on workload. Videos are delivered no later than one month after the shoot date. For photographs, the standard delivery format is JPEG; RAW files are normally not delivered, but can be if this is discussed and agreed before the shoot.

Usage and sharing of the images

Where and how the images will be used is discussed and settled together according to your business’s needs. We share the images on our own website, in our portfolio or on our social media only with your permission; if you prefer no sharing, we do not share. I have collected what decides the price and scope of a shoot, and the reservation and deposit terms, in a separate article.

To plan a shoot for your hotel, restaurant or brand, we can talk through your need and the season together. You can see the scope of corporate work on the corporate page.